Introduction: Gluten- Free Fresh Pumpkin Cheesecake Caramel Bread

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Hello! Fall is here, let’s bring on the cheer! (Sorry for the rhyme…it just went well at the time!) Behold! The pumpkin bread! But… it has a twist! This pumpkin bread has cheesecake in it with a caramel drizzle! (Because, I mean- how can you NOT get enough sugar in there?!) But you can… how though? Caramelized pecans! Okay, sorry… now MY mouth is watering! I’m really getting ahead of myself! This fall, some friend of ours at Folks Farm gave us some pumpkins! The one I used was called the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin because is resembles a wheel of cheese. My family, personally likes fresh food. So, this is all homemade! The purée, the spice, the caramel, even the pecans! But, we recently had to start going Gluten- free! We were on the hunt for flours when someone recommended Cassava flour. Cassava flour is a starchy, nutty, root vegetable that is Native to South America. It is also commonly called Yuca or Brazilian arrowroot. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. But … I didn’t want just pumpkin bread. I wanted some cheesey goodness in there… because who doesn’t like cream cheese?! Will this leave your kitchen a mess? Yes. Is it messy? Yes. Is it fun? Yes! Is it delicious? YES! Let’s get started! :)

Supplies

Tools:

  • Whisk
  • bowls
  • food processor or blender
  • baking sheet
  • mixer

For the purée:

  • One Pie pumpkin or Cheese Pumpkin.
  • pinch of salt

For the Bread:

  • 1/3 cup cane or granulated sugar
  • 1/2 brown sugar
  • 1 cup Cassava flour (if not wanting to be gluten free use 1 1/2 cups of flour)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • A pinch of salt
  • 2 ( or more if you like well spiced bread) of The Spice Mixture
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • Two cups pumpkin purée (can use store bought too)
  • Two small eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For The Spice Mixture:

  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (you can switch the cinnamon and nutmeg too!)

For the cheesecake:

  • 3 tablespoons Cassava flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon or less of vanilla extract
  • 2 small eggs
  • 6 1/2 ounces cream cheese

For the Caramel Drizzle:

  • 1 cup cane or granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the caramelized pecans:

  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • three pinches of salt

Step 1: Pick Your Pumpkin!

First, preheat your oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a pie pumpkin or Long Island Cheese pumpkin for purée. Field pumpkins are usually less tasty and have more stringy insides! When you do that, wash and dry your pumpkin.

Step 2: Cutting the Pumpkin

You will need a very large knife for this! Be VERY careful! Cut from the stem down like a slice. But don’t cut the stem, it is most likely too difficult to cut! Dip your point first as if you may be cutting bread. Bring the bottom of the knife down near the handle. That is, if you can handle it!

Step 3: Unseedifying

To unseedify your pumpkin, I recommend using a metal spoon! This makes it easier to scrape the guts out. Try using the tip toward the edge of the pumpkin. When you’re done, discard or put in a bowl to pick the seeds out and roast later! Unstem the pumpkin by cutting a square around the stem!

Step 4: Toasty and Roasty

Season the inside of your pumpkin halves with a pinch of salt. Flip them over on the baking sheet. Pop them in the oven for around fifty minutes. In the meantime, start on your bread.

Step 5: Pure As Purée

After you take your pumpkins out, lower your oven to 350°F. When you take your pumpkins out, let them cool enough to touch them. Loosen the inside up with a fork or spoon. Peel away skin and put insides into the food processor or blender! Sorry if this is too much to process!

Step 6: Blend Baby Blend!

Blend your pumpkin until smooth. Honestly? It’s going to look like baby food! Set aside! (Or if you made the batter while waiting, put it in!)

Step 7: Mixing Dry Stuff

Mix your dry ingredients together. The cane sugar, brown sugar, cassava flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice mixture.

Step 8: The Spice Mixture

I thought it was about time that things needed spicing up! Take your spices, the ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and cinnamon and combine in a small bowl. And, well… that’s that!

Step 9: Creation of the Wet Things

Now we shall create a creation never seen before! Of wet things! Take your eggs and beat them well. Add your canola oil, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract and combine.

Step 10: Reuniting

At last, the time has come to reunite our friends, Dry and Wet! Combine them gently, folding the batter. After all that soft nice stuff folding it… you can give it a quick stir with your whisk. Whisk do you like more?

Step 11: Did Someone Say… Cheesecake?!

In a mixer, mix your eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add your softened cream cheese. When combined, slow down the mixer speed and slowly add your cassava flour. This mixture should be thick and not lumpy. If it is not thick enough, try more flour or cream cheese.

Step 12: Generosity

Take a 9x5 loaf pan and generously- I mean GENEROUSLY butter it. Softened butter to room temperature works best. If you’re still having trouble try melting some of it too!

Step 13: You Batter Say Yes!

Add half of your pumpkin batter to the bottom of the pan. You can gently tap it against a hard surface to get it to smooth out. Then, add dollops of your cheesecake mixture on top. Use a spatula to smoothen out.Try to evenly smooth out, especially getting the corners. Add your final layer to the rest of the bread batter on top. Smooth out!

Step 14: Just Poppin’ By

Pop your bread in the oven for about 45 minutes or until edges are golden!

Step 15: In the Meantime…

In the meantime you can make your caramel drizzle! Add your water and sugar to a small pot and let it sit there on medium heat. You want your sugar to dissolve into the water. This is sort of like a simple syrup or hummingbird food! It may take around five minutes. It will look clear!

Step 16: Bubbles

Let this sit for eight more minutes on heat. When it is ready, it will look like amber bubbles! Only stir to stop the sugar from crystallizing!

Step 17: Butter…

Slice your butter and add to the mix. Continuously whisk until the butter has melted. Remove from heat.

Step 18: Cream of the Whip

Stir your heavy cream into the batter. When fully combined add your vanilla and salt. Let it cool.

Step 19: Well, Thats Cool!

Get a jar out. Put a mini sieve on the jar to take out remaining sugar crystals. Put in the fridge to cool even LONGER!

Step 20: I Say Pecan, You Say Pecan.

Your bread should be done by now! While you wait for the caramel to thicken with the cooling, take your pecans and put them in a small bowl. Add your maple syrup! Combine until you can see the pecans being SHINY “like a treasure from a sunken pirate wreck…” -Tamatoa, Moana. Anyways, now I won’t get the song to stop! You should be able to see the shininess of it on the pecans. Get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.

Step 21: Scatter

Put your pecans randomly along the tray. It should be scattered. Put them in your 350°F oven for ten minutes!

Step 22: Flip Flop!

No, there aren’t any actual flip flops! Wait until your loaf is cooled enough that you can touch the pan. When you can, flip! Try to flip onto a wire rack for the f u t u r e ! You will see a thin lighter line in your loaf, this is the cheesecake!

Step 23: Drizzle…

Your loaf is now about to experience a slight rain shower of caramel! You will have extra… (not for long though!) drizzle about half a cup or however much you like of the caramel onto the bread!

Step 24: CHOP!

Now, while your caramel is busy sticking to the loaf, take your pecans and transfer to a cutting board. Man, I’m not cut out for this! Chop at least half of your pecans. The way to do this could be like a see-saw!

Step 25: Plop?!

Plop your pecans on top of your bread however you like!

Step 26: Enjoy!

Thank you very much for looking at this! It takes effort to make but is worth it! This is a great family sharer for anything fall related! When it’s all fresh, it makes all the difference! I hope that you try it and enjoy! Have a great fall to all and to all a good… day! :)

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