Pumpkin Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse Topped with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Each forkful delivers a bite of fabulous pumpkin cheesecake, crust made from ginger flavored speculoos biscuits, and dark, silky ganache which coats the airy, chocolate mousse. This dessert is serious decadence! It’s rich, but not cloyingly sweet, and definitely worth the time it takes to make it.

If you’re looking for a dessert which will upstage the turkey this Thanksgiving, this pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate mousse dessert is what you’ve been looking for.

The most important thing I want you know is that there’s no need to be intimidated. You can make this! If you are have any qualms, read on. Even though this recipe is clearly time and labor intensive, it’s truly not difficult. If you can follow my step by step directions, and start a day or two before you want to serve the dessert, it’s very straightforward.

Can I Freeze this Thanksgiving Dessert?

This cheesecake and mousse dessert freezes perfectly, so that’s an option too. Please feel free to send me any questions in the comment section below or on my Facebook page.

Last, but not least, I bet you not to use inferior quality ingredients. For example, using Hershey’s chocolate will completely ruin this pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate mousse dessert. I can promise you that. If you’re going to go to the effort to make this beauty, please use the best ingredients you can find. It’s very important for the end result. Regardless of how it looks, the taste is what really matters.

Follow directions to make mousse here, but make it when the cheesecake has been refrigerated for one or two hours.

Once the mousse is ready, pour it onto the cheesecake and freeze for at least 12 hours; I freeze it overnight.

When you are ready to finish the dessert, prepare the ganache. Remember the pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate mousse is frozen, so plan to have it in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.

Place cream and chocolate in a small pan together, then heat over low temperature until the chocolate is melted and is very smooth and shiny.

Remove the dessert from the freezer and run a very thin knife around the inside of the springform pan, then release the side and remove carefully. Next, place the dessert on a serving platter, plate or tray.

TIP: I used a strong piece of tape under the bottom of the pan to attach it to the cake plate so it wouldn’t slip. You must attach the cake bottom to the plate somehow. If not, you won’t be able to tip it to have the ganache run off evenly (next step).

Decorate the Pumpkin Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse

Quickly pour the ganache onto the center of the pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate mousse. Gently tip the cake from side to side to allow the ganache to start to run off the sides.

Do not touch the ganache with any utensil or tool or it will ruin the smooth finish. Refrigerate the dessert until ready to serve, or you can do a few more things  to really make it look top-notch.

For example, make a simple chocolate buttercream frosting and pipe it around the bottom.

If you don’t know how to pipe shells, just do what ever you can (like rosettes) as it will still look good.

Chocolate Leaves (optional)

Make three chocolate leaves. Choose three older rose leaves (untreated with pesticides), as they are more hardy. Wash and dry them, then coat the UNDERSIDE of each leaf with melted chocolate. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Next, carefully peel the leaf away from the chocolate, and you have a chocolate leaf! Very easy!

TIP: Don’t handle the chocolate too long or the heat from your hand will melt the leaf.

Lastly, place the chocolate leaves on the center of the pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin mousse dessert. Insert a fresh rose, or decoration of your choice, in the center of the leaves. I wish I had something more fall-like to use as a centerpiece, but my orange pyracanthus berries are poisonous and a mini pumpkin won’t work. If you think of something, let me know. Maybe some fallen, maple leaves?

Additionally, you can use the ganache and chocolate roses on any cake you want to decorate. No messing around with smoothing out frosting; just pour it on and you’ve got an impressive cake.

Obviously, if you don’t have a rose, just add some chocolate curls or something similar. Be creative, but remember to only use edible and/or non toxic items.

Finally, please let me know if you make this pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate mousse dessert in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

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Pumpkin Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse Topped with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Yield: 16 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

A pumpkin and chocolate flavored dessert that is sure to WOW everyone at the table! Labor intensive, but easy to make with my step by step directions.

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Ingredients

Base:

• 20 speculoos cookies (1 3/4 cups or 8 oz) alternately use graham crackers or Digestives
• 2 tbsp butter (1/2 oz) butter, melted (use a little more butter if using graham crackers)

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

• 20 oz (2 1/2 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 oz Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 15 oz pumpkin (pureed) I used canned organic pumpkin
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Mousse:

• 2 cups (16 oz) heavy whipping cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup (8 oz) good quality chocolate broken into pieces, or chips
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar
• 2 tbsp water

GANACHE:

• 6 oz heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz (3/4 cup) dark chocolate pieces or chips (good quality)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC)

BASE

1. Crush the cookies between two sheets of wax paper with a heavy rolling pin.
2. Place in 10.5" springform pan and sprinkle melted butter over top, mix well and push into pan. Set aside.

CHEESECAKE

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth, then add Greek yogurt and sugars.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, clearing after each addition and scraping bowl with spatula.
3. Blend in pumpkin and spices, scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the cream.
4. Pour into pan with Biscoff cookie base, and bake for 90 minutes or until the center just sets. Do not overcook the cheesecake or it will pull away from the pan.
5. Once cheesecake is cooked, let it cool, then chill in fridge for an hour or two.
6. DO NOT TAKE THE SIDE OFF OF THE SPRINGFORM PAN OR RUN A KNIFE AROUND THE CHEESECAKE!

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

1. Follow directions to make mousse here: http://goo.gl/CGKNkv, but make it when the cheesecake has been refrigerated for one or two hours.
2. Once the mousse is ready, pour it onto the cheesecake and freeze for at least 12 hours; I freeze it overnight. When you are ready to finish the dessert, prepare the ganache. (Remember the dessert is frozen, so plan to have it in the fridge for at least 8 hours before serving.)

GANACHE:

1. Place cream and chocolate in a small pan together, then heat over low temperature until the chocolate is melted and is very smooth and shiny.
2. Remove the dessert from the freezer and run a very thin knife around the inside of the springform pan, then release the side and remove carefully. Place the dessert on a serving platter, plate or tray.
3. Pour the ganache quickly onto the center of the cake, then tip the cake from side to side to allow the ganache to start to run off the sides TIP: I used a strong piece of tape under the bottom of the pan to attach it to the cake plate so it wouldn't slip.
4. Do not touch the ganache with any utensil or tool, or it will not have a smooth finish. Refrigerate the dessert until ready to serve, or you can do a few more things to really make it look top-notch such as piping buttercream around the base and topping with a rose, and/or some chocolate leaves.

Notes

Nutrition info is using Speculoos biscuits and Callebaut dark chocolate.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 12g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

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