A number of years ago I was asked to do the rehearsal dinner for a gluten-intolerant bride. I wanted to make a dessert that she could eat, and I was told that she liked chocolate and pumpkin. Hmmm. I hadn’t ever really thought of that flavor combination, but it sounded pretty good. So I went online to see what ideas were out there, and I came up with a pumpkin-chocolate pie, basically a two-layer cheesecake baked as a pie. It had a crumb crust, which I couldn’t use, so I needed a way to make it easy to slice and eat without one. That’s how I came up with the idea of making it in muffin cups, and I called them “timbales.” Sounded pretty classy, and they were a great hit. Awhile after the dinner we were told that what the bride actually liked was raw pumpkin from the can mixed with chocolate chips! (I could have saved myself a lot of work by just serving a bowlful of that combination.) You’ll note that the picture doesn’t have the muffin liners, and that the timbales look a bit messy. That’s because I discovered at 6:15 AM that I didn’t have any liners. They are definitely easier and neater with the liners. Since I’m not making these gluten-free any more, I’ve added the chocolate-graham-cracker crust.
Chocolate-Pumpkin Timbales
I have written this recipe to be made as individual servings in muffin tins. To quote Ann Hodgman, "I rarely make regular cheesecake anymore; it's just so massive." And slicing cheesecake neatly, especially when you're trying to serve a lot of people at once, is a massive pain. Ann says to make cheesecake recipes as bars, but I think my idea is better. This method makes for a little more fiddling to begin with, but the end result is way more manageable. And you don't have to worry about the whole water-bath business, which always results, no matter how much foil you wrap around the springform pan, in soggy crust because the pan has leaked.
My best guess for added sugar content if 18 timbales are made is right at 20 grams, or 80 calories, 20 below the limit of 100, so not bad.
Ingredients
For crust:
- 6 full sheet chocolate graham crackers, or 12 halves
- 1/2 stick butter melted
For filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate This is what the recipe calls for but I actually used bittersweet chocolate--good quality chocolate is a key to this recipe.
- 12 oz . cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs The recipe says "at room temperature" but I didn't worry about that)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 tsp . vanilla
- 1/2 tsp . cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp . nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp . cloves
- 1/4 tsp . salt
For topping:
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
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Heat oven to 325.
For crust:
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Process graham crackers in food processor until finely ground, then pour in melted butter, process until clumpy. Put a heaping tablespoon of this mixture in each muffin cup lined with a foil liner. This recipe makes about 18 timbales.
For Filling:
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Melt butter and chocolate together--easiest way to do this is in the microwave at 50% power for 2-3 minutes, then stir. If chocolate is partially melted it will usually complete melting as you stir. You just don't want to scorch it. Let cool while you do the rest of the batter. If you melt the chocolate in the bowl you're going to use to mix it with the pumpkin batter you'll save yourself one dirty bowl.
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Beat cream cheese with a mixer and gradually add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Blend in pumpkin, vanilla and spices. Pour slightly less than half of the batter into the melted chocolate mixture and mix well--a spatula works well.
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Scoop in the chocolate filling about halfway up each muffin cup and then fill to about 1/8" or so from the top with the plain pumpkin filling. (The chocolate filling is stiffer than the plain pumpkin.) Don't overfill, as you want to have room for the topping. Bake for 15 minutes, then take a look. They shouldn't be completely firm but still a little jiggly in the middle, with a little cracking and puffing around the edges. You don't want to overbake them. You can also test the temperature--a thermometer inserted into the middle of the middle timbale should read at least 160. Remove from oven and cool enough so they sink in the middle. (See below.)
For topping:
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Meanwhile, mix sour cream with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and heat slightly, just enough to warm it and thin it somewhat. You don't want it to boil! Again, a microwave is the best way to do this--start with a minute on 50% power, then see if it's warm. As the timbales cool they will sink in the middle, so you'll basically fill in that sunk center with the sour cream. Chill thoroughly before serving.
Recipe Notes
These really should be served cold. So if you're serving them at some sort of buffet or other event where they'll be sitting out for awhile, I would suggest rigging up some way to keep them chilled. What I've often done is to put two serving trays together with ziploc bags of water between them, making sure to get air out of the bags, Put them in the freezer, trying to have them as level as possible. This little trick will keep the timbales cold for a surprising length of time, and since the ice will be in sealed bags you don't have to worry about leakage when it starts to melt. There are also nice flat little freezer pacs that you can use. Whatever works!
