Pumpkin Cheesecake (Karpatka-Style)
Inspired by Polish Karpatka cakes, this no-bake-ish pumpkin cheesecake is nestled between two layers of spiced pâte à choux and topped off with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Hi!
Did you know that October 21st is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! Well, if you didn't, you do now!
I recently partnered with Eagle Brand® to bring you my take on pumpkin cheesecake for #NationalPumpkinCheesecakeDay. I love pumpkin desserts, and I have for as far as I can remember. When I was offered this opportunity to create something for national pumpkin cheesecake day, I knew this was going to be great fun!
Karpatka is a traditional Polish cream pie filled with russel cream or vanilla milk pudding cream. It is made of one sheet of short pastry covered with a layer of choux pastry or two layers of the second with a layer of the cream in between. It probably takes its name from the mountain-like shape of the pastry (after the Carpathian Mountains – Karpaty in Polish). The cake is dusted with icing sugar.—Wikipedia
I have been obsessed with Polish Carpathian Mountain cream cake (Karpatka) for a while now, after seeing it on Anita’s Kitchen youtube a few years ago. This cake has been in the back of my head, tucked away, waiting for the perfect moment to develop my version. Traditionally made with a pudding or whipped cream style filling and this set in the refrigerator overnight, I felt this cake could lend itself to a no-bake cheesecake very nicely.
I am calling this recipe No-Bake-ish as there is some baking involved with the pâte à choux. If you've baked pâte à choux before, this is a relatively straightforward recipe. If this is going to be your first time baking choux pastry, you're in luck as this is honestly a no-fail time for trying something new; the choux pastry here doesn't need to hold its shape. It's actually meant to deflate/collapse after baking, so it's perfect for a first time attempt! For the no-bake part of this recipe, I went with a more classic pumpkin cheesecake: whipping cream cheese, pumpkin purée, Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk, and whipped cream. Sometimes you can't mess around with perfection!
Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk lends itself to this no-bake pumpkin cheesecake beautifully, adding the right balance of sweetness to the tartness of the cream cheese and earthiness of the pumpkin purée.
I love Eagle Brand®, and it's genuinely one of my staple pantry items. If Eagle Brand® isn't already a mainstay in your pantry, after baking this cake it will surely become one!
If you do make this no-bake-ish pumpkin cheesecake, and I hope you do, I'd love to share in that moment with you. Tag me on Instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your baking adventures!
xo -Jase
Paid Partnership
I want to give a huge thank you to Eagle Brand® for sponsoring this post! All my thoughts/opinions in this post are my own.
…Good to Knows…
Cream Cheese
Must be used at room temperature. Allow time for it to warm up naturally—do not microwave!
Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk in a cake recipe?
I've fallen in love with using Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk in cake recipes, especially when the recipe calls for dairy and sugar. The concentration of dairy and sugar lends such a balanced sweetness to the tartness of the cream cheese and mellowness of the pumpkin purée, and allows the cheesecake to set up beautifully.
Freezing
The filling takes a good 8 hours to completely firm up in the freezer. Because of this, you'll also want to freeze any leftover filling right away. Cover with plastic wrap and then foil to avoid freezer burn.
Serving
This cheesecake is very sticky and firm! Use a sharp knife for cutting slices. I like to run the knife under hot water, quickly dry it off, and then make a cut. Repeat for each cut.
Full-fat products
Reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat/sugar-free/fat-free Cool Whip will result in a wet and melty cheesecake that might not set up properly. I recommend sticking with full-fat here.
…Provisions…
Surface: My Studio
Dish-ware: East Fork Pottery
Spring Form Pan: Vintage Ovenex
For a full list of recipes, check out the Recipe Index
Pumpkin Cheesecake (Karpatka-Style)
…makes one 9" round cake…
serves 6-12 people
Pâte à Choux
120ml (1/2 cup) water
120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
113g (4oz, or one stick) room temp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
150g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground pumpkin spice
pinch of kosher salt
4 large brown eggs
Pumpkin Cheesecake
240ml (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
2-8oz packages of full-fat cream cheese
220g (1 cup) pumpkin puree
4 tsp ground pumpkin spice
1 tsp kosher salt
396g (14oz or 1 can) Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
Topping
powdered sugar
…METHOD…
PÂTE À CHOUX
As always, gather, weigh out, and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. Preheat the oven to 375˚f/190˚c with the rack in the center position. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, add water, milk, and butter. Set over medium heat until the butter has completely melted. Remove from heat and add your flour, pumpkin spice, and salt. Place the pan back on to the burner, and stir, using a wooden spoon, over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the dough cleans the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat and allow dough to cool for 2-3 minutes. Once the dough is slightly cooler, stir in your eggs one at a time, beating well, either by hand or with an electric mixer, after each addition. The batter should be smooth, glossy, and cling to the spoon.
Divide dough between your two lined 9-inch cake pans. With an offset spatula, evenly spread the dough to cover the bottom of the pans. The dough doesn’t need to be perfectly distributed, especially if you're looking to achieve the look of a rugged mountain. Bake for 30-33 minutes, or until the pâté à choux has puffed up and the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and pierce the top with a knife or wooden skewer to release any steam. Remove pâté à choux from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. The pâté à choux rounds will deflate as they cool. This is exactly the effect you want.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
As always, gather, weigh out, and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. Start by adding your chilled whipping cream to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip on high speed until you’ve reached stiff peaks. Place whipped cream into a small bowl and set aside.
In that same bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese and whip for about 2 mins, or until smooth and creamy. Add pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice and whip until combined, approx. 2-3 minutes.
Set your mixer on medium speed and slowly add in the Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk. Whip until the mixture is completely combined and smooth. Make sure to scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula. Once the pumpkin mixture is fully combined, incorporate the whipped cream, by hand, until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix and deflate the whipped cream.
…ASSEMBLY & SERVING…
Once you have your cooled pâte à choux and pumpkin cheesecake mixture ready, line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Place one pâte à choux round on the bottom of the lined springform pan and pour in the cheesecake mixture on top of this pâte à choux layer. With an offset spatula, smooth out the cheesecake mixture, and top with the second pâte à choux round. Now cover your cake securely with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 6-8 hours, ideally overnight, until the cheesecake has become firm to the touch.
An hour before you're ready to serve, transfer cheesecake from the freezer to the refrigerator to slightly thaw. When ready to serve, remove from the springform pan and place onto a serving dish. Heavily dust the top of the pumpkin cheesecake with powdered sugar to create your snow-covered mountain peaks. Slice, and enjoy!
…AFTERMATH…
If there are any leftover slices of cheesecake by chance, you may store them in an airtight container in the freezer. But trust me, there will be nothing remaining — this pumpkin cheesecake causes you to ask for seconds, sometimes thirds!
Easiest skillet recipe, although a handful of steps, that will impress your dinner guests every time!