This recipe is ideal if you are tasked with bringing a dessert to the holiday gathering. It’s beautiful and looks like you spent hours preparing it, while actually being quite easy. If you don’t want to fuss with the popcorn, you can also leave the cheesecake unembellished. It has a creamy texture and is lighter than a traditional dense cheesecake.
On the Ingredients
- Pumpkins are a highly delicious and nutritious winter squash variety. Unlike other varieties, they aren’t particularly sweet on their own but have been used in sweet preparations predominately. Pumpkin is especially high in vitamin A, which helps with a strong immune system. Aside from vitamins, pumpkins are also high in antioxidants. (Read more about the health benefits.)
- Ricotta is a whey cheese that is extremely easy to make at home. All you need is milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Ricotta is very mild and fresh, with a soft and slightly grainy texture. It’s perfect for pasta dishes like stuffed shells and lasagna but also suites a myriad of other dishes. Ricotta is a good source of protein and calcium. It’s also high in vitamin A, vitamin B12, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. (More on the health benefits).
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
It’s important to make the caramel popcorn an hour before serving so it’s still crisp. If you’re bringing it to someone else’s house, prepare it as late as possible.
Ricotta Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Popcorn
10
servings30
minutes1
hour5
minutesThis recipe is ideal if you are tasked with bringing a dessert to the holiday gathering. It’s beautiful and looks like you spent hours preparing it, while actually being quite easy. If you don’t want to fuss with the popcorn, you can also leave the cheesecake unembellished. It has a creamy texture and is lighter than a traditional dense cheesecake.
Ingredients
16 oz cream cheese (room temp)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (room temp)
3 large eggs + 2 egg yolks (room temp)
15 oz can of pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar OR monkfruit sweetener
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups freshly made caramel popcorn (no-sugar OR traditional)
Directions
- Lightly grease a 9” springform pan. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Beat together the cream cheese and ricotta into a smooth batter. Add the pumpkin, eggs, and spices and combine. Sift the flour over the batter, add the vanilla, and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan and place inside a cooking pan that will fit it. Pour hot water into the larger pan to come halfway up the springform.
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and the water bath. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake, then let it sit for another 15 minutes before putting it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or until an hour before serving).
- An hour before serving, prepare your caramel popcorn, using either our no-sugar recipe or a traditional recipe. The popcorn recipe will make more than needed, but you can save the extra for later snacking.
- While the popcorn is still warm, pack 3 cups on the top of the cheesecake (still in the spring form). Let the cheesecake sit at room temp for an hour while the popcorn hardens. Remove the springform carefully and serve.
