Sunday, October 12, 2014

Pumpkin Cheesecake: Because Basic White Girls Like Protein, Too

Fall would not be complete without something pumpkin.  I make pumpkin pancakes and waffles on the regular, but that cheesecake I made a few months ago really had promise for pumpkin makeover.  I've been meaning to make a pumpkin version foreva, but I needed to restock on my Ultra Peptide Cinnamon Roll before I proceeded.  Luckily, GRN once again saved the day, and I was finally able to create some deliciousness.  This did not disappoint, y'all.  Seriously.  It tastes EXACTLY like the inside of a pumpkin pie.  I'm even contemplating feeding this to my parents to see if they can tell that it's a healthy treat.  The recipe is pretty much identical to the protein cheesecake recipe that I posted previously, with only a few simple substitutions/additions.  So, here you go, my fellow pumpkin lovers.  Behold the pumpkin protein cheesecake:

Ingredients:

12 oz 0% Greek Yogurt
12 oz fat free cream cheese
2 scoops Ultra Peptide 2.0 Cinnamon Roll protein powder
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 eggs
3/4 c splenda
Pumpkin pie spice (I don't measure this - I just dump a bunch in.  Who cares?)
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/4 c almond milk

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer for about 2-3 mins.  Do not overmix.  Spray a 9" circular cake pan with cooking spray and pour the cheesecake mix into the pan.  Bake at 325 for 30-35 mins and then drop the heat to 200 and bake for an additional 50-60 mins.  I'm still playing around with cooking times on this, as the pumpkin adds extra moisture.  I cook it a little longer than the regular cooking times, so I would suggest keeping an eye on this after you hit the 60 minute mark at 200.  Let the cheesecake cool completely before you cut into it.  It'll be hard to resist, but you'll ruin it if you cut into it too early.  I'd even recommend putting it in the fridge overnight.  But I realize some of y'all out there have shitty willpower.