Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (V,GF)

When I set out for this little experiment I really had no idea what the result would be - like most things I make. However, this one in particular I was hoping and praying as I went along my baking way! A few things about this recipes. Yes, its pumpkin, of course its almost OCTOBER! Second, it contains no gluten, has low glycemic index and can also be vegan. However, this particular recipe I did use eggs so therefore NOT vegan. An easy swap and you can make it vegan by using flax eggs.

One thing about my site is every single recipe is healthy! All of them I use natural sugars if I’m baking and I always use a grain substitute like chickpea flour, tapioca starch, almond flour, coconut flour and etc. And I love oats so you do see those quite frequently! This recipe is actually quite simple. The hardest part was taking a good picture so I’ll let you guys be the judge!

I will say on here that I do my absolute best to capture AT LEAST 1 or 2 photos during and after but lets face it, the photos are not my strength so I’m not going to pretend they are! There are a ton of food bloggers that use beautiful well-lit photo’s, take photos at every stage and etc. but with me, you’re going to get more recipes, good quality recipes, but maybe not the best pictures of all time.

So first, to make this nice and mushy like cheesecake I needed foods that would do just that. Be naturally sweet, have the right consistency and really bake well. I chose sweet potatoes because they are perfect for something like this! I added in a banana for natural sweetener, some coconut sugar, honey, coconut milk, eggs and non-grain flour like almond and coconut flour to keep the mixture nice and thick. I threw everything into the food processor while I started on my “cheesecake” flavor filling. Meanwhile the consistency of the pumpkin looked like whipped mousse and was perfect for baking a nice little cheesecake!

For the vegan “cheesecake” I used my go-to cashews. Soak them for about 15 minutes while you’re doing everything else and then dump them into the blender with some maple syrup or honey along with coconut milk (like the real stuff in a can). It turns to thick cream when its stored in the fridge. Put all of that in the blender or in my case I used a vitamix and its creamy and perfect as ever!

Now back to the recipe. Let’s start with the ingredients I used and then I’ll get into the specific directions. I made this extra thick so its a double recipe. You are ok to split it in half for a bit less thick version, but I say if you’re doing it, go for it!

Ingredients:

1 can organic pumpkin puree
1 1/2 banana (ripe is best)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs (flax eggs for vegan aka water with flax)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp honey (or your sweetener of choice. Natural Maple Syrup works well here. )
1 cup whole raw cashews
1 tbsp coconut cream

Directions:

Put cashews into bowl and add water until the cashews are covered. Let set for 15-30 minutes.
Add everything into the food processor including your bananas, coconut and almond flours, coconut milk, eggs, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, sea salt, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract. Blend till smooth. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and prep the 8x8 baking pan and set aside.
Take about 1/2 of the pumpkin mixture and add to the baking pan. Smooth out and let sit until you are finished with the “cheesecake” filling.
Blend the “cheesecake” filling into your blender or vitamix using the cashews (once they have been rinsed and drained) add 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp coconut cream. Blend and add coconut milk until the consistency become a creamy cheesecake like consistency. Remove from blender and put into bowl and set in fridge for 5 minutes to cool.
Scoop out tbsp sized amounts of “cheesecake” filling and drop them on to the pumpkin mixture. Approx 4-6 scoops.
Cover with remaining 1/2 of pumpkin mixture. Repeat #6 with remaining “cheesecake” filling.
Take a butter knife and carefully start to make figure 8’s with your knife mixing the filling with the pumpkin mixture. See photographs of progression below.
Bake at 350 for approx 30-40 minutes or until golden brown like the last photo!

Final product just after it came out of the oven!