Pumpkin Spiderweb Cheesecake

Since Halloween is an occasion traditionally associated with food (and yes, candy totally qualifies!), I – for once – don’t feel totally crazy about my food rants today. Such as the fact that I most definitely went trick-or-treating senior year of high school…after I told my parents I was going to study for the SAT IIs. Whoops? And then things seriously went south after my mom found a huge bag of candy in my closet. I really need to improve my hiding skills. And lying skills (maybe not?).

Or, the fact that Chipotle used to give out free burritos if you dressed up like a burrito on Halloween! I am convinced that if Chipotle had reserved the free burritos for those completely wrapped in tinfoil (like me – with green tissue paper for lettuce!), the free burrito deal would still be alive. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Thankfully, there are many more ways to get your food fix in on Halloween. And since amazing Halloween recipes (like this…or this!) have been popping up on all over the place, I decided it was time to give it a try. Unfortunately, my dessert decorating skills (as opposed to my dessert eating skills) are a bit below par. I generally try to dress up my desserts with sprinkles, cover mistakes with frosting, or, in severely desperate cases, drizzle melted chocolate on top as a distraction.

Um yeah sorry about all those finger marks…

When I came upon this picture of spiderweb cheesecake, however, I thought it looked pretty doable. What I didn’t factor into the picture was my running out of chocolate chips! Like, completely out. Which, considering the amount of chocolate chips I buy and the number of chocolate chip bags in the pantry only two weeks ago, is absolutely ridiculous.

So, I used a glaze…to initially good, and later abysmal (like when it started running all over my cheesecake) effects. That is why, though I used a glaze, I recommend using ganache, like Martha Stewart (the best) did.

I used my Mom’s recipe for cheesecake, which is a long-time family favorite that pops up every Thanksgiving! She actually got the recipe from her friend Anita (if you’re reading this, thank you for introducing this cheesecake into my life!). Trust me, it’s absolutely delicious.

If you want more to-die-for (cause it’s Halloween, get it?) Halloween recipes, check these out:

• Caramel Apple Cocktail – I’m making these this weekend
• Reese’s Pieces Shots
• Halloween Caramel Corn (Love caramel corn, love candy corn…I’m such a sucker)
• Candy Corn Krispy Treat Pretzel Pops
• Halloween One-Eyed Monster Cake Pops

Pumpkin Spiderweb Cheesecake (Spiderweb instruction by Martha Stewart)

Yield: 1 11-inch cheesecake

Notes:

• I used an 11-inch tart pan, but you can use a cake pan instead. If the pan is smaller, it’s not a problem – the crust will just be a little thicker.
• I also used an angled cake spatula to smooth out the top of the cheesecake, but really, any spatula will do. You can even use a knife if you don’t own a spatula.
• If you don’t have a pastry bag/tip for the ganache, you can spoon the ganache into a ziplock bag and cut a tiny hole at the corner to mimic a tip.

Ingredients

Cheesecake

1. 1 stick butter, softened
2. 1 cup all-purpose flour
3. 2 8-oz blocks cream cheese, room temperature
4. 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
5. 3/4 cup powdered sugar1 8-oz container whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)

Chocolate Ganache

1. 3 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
2. 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With your hands, mix together the butter and all-purpose flour to form a dough. Press into the bottom of an 11-inch tart pan (or comparable pan). Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, pumpkin, and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour on top of crust and smooth with a spatula. Place cheesecake into fridge.
3. As cheesecake chills, place chocolate chips in medium bowl. Bring cream to boil over medium heat in small sauce pan. (Watch carefully, as cream boils very quickly). Right as the cream comes to a boil, pour over chocolate chips.
4. Let the chocolate melt, without stirring, for about 1 minute. Then, whisk until just combined.
5. Let ganache cool to room temperature, then pour into pastry bag with 1/4-inch round tip. Starting in the very center of the cheesecake, pipe a spiral, spacing lines about 1/2-inch apart. Pull the tip of a knife straight from the center of the cheesecake to the very edge. Wipe knife clean, then repeat every inch or so to form a web.
6. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.