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Adventures in babysitting…

There are many times in my life that I am glad that I am a fattie. Just like in my adult life, in my childhood I was less than a petite flower.
Growing up my BFF was DB, those were her initials and that is what I called her. We became bff’s because our parents were bff’s and when they would go out for an evening among adults I would sleep over at DB’s house. Why not at mine? Simple. Number one, their pool had the slide, mine did not. Second, she had an older brother who would watch us. Though watch isn’t really what I would call it. More like sibling and sibling friend torture. This is where my chunkiness worked for me.
See, DB was small. Really small, both height and weight. I would say at the time she was about 70 pounds (to this day she is probably not over 100…she eats, she is just tiny… bitch). Her brother was a good sitter when it was just him. He left us alone and that was about it. Trouble stirred when his friends would come over, then we were fair game. Well, DB was. See I bit them when the messed with me. 😛 That will teach them.
But, DB, poor DB would get hung upside down in the closet by her feet. They tried it once with me, did not go over well at all. Visualize if you will a hefty 12 year old falling onto the groin of DB’s brother’s friend. 😉 Oops, sorry about that…not.
One time, it was right after Thanksgiving and we were to eat leftovers for our dinner. DB’s brother’s friend told us to save him a piece of pie. I ate it. That’s right, take that. I was chased around a lot that night, got piled on and given Indian burns and what not on my skin. No worries though, I got my revenge. See I had to eat 4 pieces of pie to insure that DB’s brother and friends got no pie. Needless to say my tummy was a tad queasy. My revenge…vomit in his sleeping bag.
Amazingly enough I didn’t get an aversion to pumpkin after that…thank goodness.
When talking to my mom the other day she mentioned seeing a Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake in some magazine. It sounded so good and so I was off to make some, mini ones in fact. This is basically just a pumpkin cheesecake topped with pecans, chocolate glaze and caramel. But oh my, does it make pumpkin cheesecake taste all that much better.

Mini Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecakes

1 cup pumpkin puree
½  cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 ¼  pounds cream cheese
½  cup granulated sugar
½  cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 TBSP cornstarch
4 large eggs

12 vanilla or chocolate wafers (if not making mini cheesecakes, you will need to use a crust of your choice)
chocolate glaze
caramel sauce
1 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, vanilla extract, spice and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Gradually add the sugars and beat until blended.
Add the pumpkin mixture and mix till blended.
Add the cornstarch and mix just until combined. Add the eggs on at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each of a prepared mini cheesecake pan.
Scrape the batter evenly among the pan ( you can fill them all the way to the top).
Wrap bottom of pan in aluminum foil.
Place the wrapped pan in a roasting pan or large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
Bake the cheesecakes in the water bath for 40 minutes(60 for 4 ½ -inch diameter, and 70 minutes for full size cheesecake) @ 350F, until the center of the cake is set but slightly wobbly(the cake will completely set as it cools).
Remove the cake pan from the water bath, place the pan on a wire rack, and carefully loosen the foil.  Let the cake cool completely.
Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours.
Top each mini cheesecake with pecans. Drizzle both chocolate glaze and caramel glaze on each one as well.

Source: Adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle 2006

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

First, turn the cooled cake over onto another rack so you¢â¬â„¢ll be glazing the flat bottom, and place the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper to catch any drips.

Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl.

Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave oven ¢â¬â€œ the chocolate should be just melted and only warm, not hot.  Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small sauce pan.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth and shiny.  Stir in the corn syrup.

Glaze adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
½ cup water
1 ½ TBSP light corn syrup
½  cup heavy cream plus 1 TBSP
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

To make the topping:
Put the sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, stir just to combine the ingredients and then put the pan over medium-high heat.
Heat, without stirring , until the caramel turns deep amber, 5-10 minutes.
Take the pan off of the heat and, standing back from the saucepan add the cream and butter. When the spatters are less vehement, stir to calm down the caramel and dissolve any lumps. Add in the vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

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Comments

  4. Woa, that cheesecake is fantastic! Such a scrumptious treat with all that ooey gooey caramel sauce and chocolate glaze! A real sin…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply

  8. Oh my gosh that is a hilarious story! Mad points for the chunky girls on that night for sure!

    Delicious looking cheesecakes. Beautiful photography.

    Reply

  12. Ha! That is funny. Reminds me of the time when my friend and I made blueberry muffins for breakfast at her house. I think I had four (never did I eat more than 2) and she had either 6 or 7…wow!

    Reply

  18. Gee, I wonder if DB is now a successful entrepreneur, ha ha ha 🙂 That sounds scary– I think I would have run for my life! (Obviously as a kid I engaged in no horseplay)

    I saw this too, when I was browsing The Cake Book at the bookstore. It looks so smooth and rich! I want one!

    Reply

  19. those look great. unfortunagtly i don’t have a mini-pan, will this recipe work ok in a regular springform pan? or does it need to be doubeled?

    thanks.

    Reply

  20. Loved reading this post.
    I fetl so sad for DB, hanging upside down in the clostet and what a nice way to take revenge eating 4 slice of pie.
    This cheese cake looks so gergeous and delicious. Now i have no idea if i am temted with the cake or those two different kind of sauces.
    I guess i will take the whole lot.

    Reply

  21. Oh, we have equal “S” little plates! 🙂
    Mine were a wedding gift I got from a dear student of mine.

    Pea, your story made me laugh. I was petite like your friend – not anymore, I have to say – and my brother, even though almost 3 years younger, was 3 times my size. But I had my moves, you know. I would bite all the time, too. 🙂

    Your little cheesecakes are so adorable! That shiny icing is driving me crazy.

    Reply

  23. LOL! What a great story. I’ll be sure not to eat too many of these since I don’t have an enemy’s sleeping bag to throw up in. 🙂

    Reply

  25. So my boyfriend loves pumpkin cheese cake, and for his birthday last year I made him Oreo Pumpkin Cheese Cake, and he wanted the same for this year, but this recipe might win out. They look amazing.

    Reply

  27. Ha! The story is just as sweet as the cakes. Well, then again, I haven’t had a bite yet. 🙂 You crack me up–“bitch!”. As the kids would say — LOL.

    Reply

  29. haha, sibling babysitters never really babysit do they? i know i always battled with my brother rather than watched after him. luckily for me, i am the chunky sibling and my brother is pretty much a stick figure.

    i saw this cheesecake idea somewhere recently too…glad you tried it out for us!

    Reply

  32. What a fun read…you were such a great BFF to DB…good for you! Love the new look you’ve got here…& these mini cheesecakes are gorgeous. The toppings make them look precious…can only dream about how good they must have tasted! Very yum!!

    Reply

  33. Those look lovely, like they should be served in a restaurant!

    But I still say fat is an ingredient, not a characteristic that should be used to describe any human being, even in jest. You are an athlete–I run but I’m totally in awe of anyone who can play hockey!

    Reply

  34. Ha ha, I love that story! I fear my friends and I treated my younger (and forever littler) sister in much the same way. But it was all in good fun. But I think giving her a few of these would certainly make up for it!

    Reply

  39. What a great story! I remember similar problems when a few of us would stay over at one of my friend’s house… one night, we shaved a strip of hair off of her brothers leg while he was sleeping for revenge! He was in track, so he had to explain that one when he went back to school!
    That dessert looks like heaven on a plate!

    Reply

  41. Ha ha you really made me smile while reading your post 🙂 I was never peitite either sometimes it is worth it though 🙂 this cheesecakes look amazing . I m drooling 🙂

    Reply

  42. I was tortured many a time too. When I was seven, my step brother hung me upside down and tickled me within an inch of peeing in the pants. I screamed out, “Stop it, you bastard!” Right as my dad came around the corner. Everyone laughs about it now, but I didn’t not enjoy my “Ralphie from The Christmas Story” moment with the bar of soap hanging from my mouth.

    Reply

  47. Oh My GOD

    These are gorgeous!! Your photos are amazing, I am adding you to my blogroll RIGHT NOW. 🙂

    BTW your story totally cracked me up! And the vomit thing, HA! 😀

    Reply

  50. can’t wait to try these lovely cheesecakes…I just found your site and its wonderful and full of recipes I can’t wait to try. thanks, from a detroit red wing fan, who lives in windsor ontario canada

    Reply

  51. Do you think I can skip the water bath? The topping will cover any cracks, right? Thanks… I just got my mini-cheesecake pan!!!

    Reply

    • If you want but you will not get the same creamy consistency. A water bath is not to prevent cracks in a cheesecake, it’s purpose if for a texture that the cheesecake produces.

      Reply

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