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Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins in Brilliant Autumn Colors

November 12, 2012 This post may contain affiliate links.

This fall create beautiful Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins to celebrate the season. Each individually sized dessert is colorfully decorated using brilliant autumn colors.

This fall create beautiful Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins to celebrate the season. Each individually sized dessert is colorfully decorated using brilliant autumn colors.

The sound of leaves crunching under my feet is music to my ears.

Every fall, I find myself purposefully walking through every pile of leaves I can find, as I did yesterday during a visit to Columbus, Ohio.

This fall create beautiful Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins to celebrate the season. Each individually sized dessert is colorfully decorated using brilliant autumn colors.

We drove to our state’s capital to pick up some cases of chocolate yesterday but took the opportunity to do some sightseeing with our exchange student while we were there. I had no idea the waterfront in the city was so lovely.

It was really wonderful to stroll along the river watching the rippling water flowing quickly past us while crunching through leaves that had fallen from nearby trees which were still ablaze with ruby red, pumpkin orange, and sunshine yellow leaves.

This fall create beautiful Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins to celebrate the season. Each individually sized dessert is colorfully decorated using brilliant autumn colors.

Inspired by the beauty that is all around me this fall, I created these festive fall leaf and pumpkin cheesecakes for Thanksgiving.

They are nice individual-sized desserts that will certainly dress up any table.

This fall create beautiful Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins to celebrate the season. Each individually sized dessert is colorfully decorated using brilliant autumn colors.

Check out my tips and tricks for making the creamiest Classic Cheesecake ever!

Festive Fall Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins in Brilliant Autumn Colors

Special Supplies Needed:

 

food processor or a mixing spoon
baking sheets
2 or 3 Wilton leaf and pumpkin silicone mold (you’ll get 8 cheesecakes, so if you want all leaves you’ll need 3 molds, otherwise you can make a few pumpkins)

UPDATE: This Wilton Mold has been discontinued, but you can get a similar mold on Amazon.com (affiliate links)

 
 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Butter your leaf molds. For stability, I always set my silicone molds on a baking sheet before filling them.

Make cheesecake filling:

  • Beat the cream cheese on low until smooth.
  • Add sugar and beat until creamy.
  • Add whipping cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix just until combined.
  • DO NOT overmix the ingredients. You don’t want a lot of air bubbles in this cheesecake batter.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Divide cheesecake mixture into three or more bowls, depending on how many colors you’d like in your leaves.
  • Color each small amount with food coloring.
  • To create orange, make yellow then add a bit of red coloring.
  • To deepen the red color, you can add one small drop of green food coloring.
  • In a bowl, pour in about a 1/4 cup of two of your cheesecake colors side by side, leaving room for the third color. Add the third color.

NOTE: You do not want to swirl your colors in the bowl nor do you want to fill one big bowl with all of the colored fillings. They will get swirled as you pour them into the leaf mold. If you were to swirl them while they were in the bowl, by the time you made a few leaves the colored would look muddy.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Use a spoon to scoop out some of your cheesecake colors from the center of the bowl.

See how each of the colors is still pretty separate?

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • As you spoon the filling into the silicone leaf molds, the colors will swirl.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Tap the mold several times to remove excess air bubbles after each scoop of cheesecake filling you add.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Fill the mold so that it isn’t completely full, so there is room for the cheesecake leaves to expand while baking. I filled this one too full and ended up scooping some out.
  • You can see that I don’t have a lot of cheesecake filling left in the bowl and that is good, as it gets swirled as the spoon goes in and out of the bowl and will start to blend all together.
  • Top it off with your three cheesecake colors and repeat the process.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

If you have two molds and want to make some pumpkins with your excess cheesecake filling, mix what you have remaining together. You should get an orange color. Adjust the color using food coloring if desired.

Remove a teaspoonful and put in another bowl. Add a small drop of red and a small drop of green. Mix to get brown. Use a spoon to paint the brown cheesecake filling into the stem area of the pumpkin cavity. Pour the orange cheesecake filling into the pumpkin cavity.

You should have enough cheesecake filling to make 6 leaves and two pumpkins, or any combination, you choose.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Bake your cheesecakes for 20-24 minutes until the top forms a smooth film and the center is still giggly but not wet.
  • Allow your cheesecakes to cool for an hour then freeze for at least 3 hours.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

  • Carefully turn the silicone mold upside down and set it over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a cutting board and gently tug at the mold pulling it away from the cheesecake, allowing the cheesecake leaf to fall out of the mold.
  • You will want the cheesecakes cold in order to move them onto dessert plates, so do it now, or refrigerate the tray of cheesecakes and plate them later.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

NOTE: I made these leaf and pumpkin shaped cheesecakes twice while developing this project.

The picture above was my first batch of cheesecake leaves and pumpkins. I wasn’t happy with all of the air bubbles and the texture of the cheesecakes were a bit dry, but I had taken all of my step-by-step pictures during this process, so I wanted you to see the first batch.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

When I made the second batch, I added whipping cream to the recipe, which really made them much creamier, I intensified the colors a bit, I shortened the baking time, and I really tapped my molds to remove all the air bubbles.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

They are ready to serve, but can be kept in the refrigerator for several days.

Place them in an airtight container.

To keep moisture from forming on your cheesecakes you can use this trick – place a piece of paper towel over the opening of your container and set the lid on top.

Seal the container leaving paper towel showing all around the outside edge. Don’t lay the paper towel directly on the cheesecakes.

How to make cheesecake leaves and pumpkins.

Allow cheesecakes to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Printable Recipe

Print
Festive Fall Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins in Brilliant Autumn Colors
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Beautiful cheesecake leaves swirled in red, orange, and yellow colors.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fall cheesecake, leaf cheesecake
Servings: 8
Author: Beth Jackson Klosterboer
Ingredients
  • butter to coat the inside of your leaf mold
  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • red yellow, green food coloring (orange, optional) - you can use natural food coloring, if you prefer
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Butter leaf molds.
  3. Combine cream cheese, sugar, heavy whipping cream, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor, pulse until smooth.
  4. Divide cheesecake mixture into three or more bowls.
  5. Color one bowl orange, red, and yellow.
  6. Fill each leaf mold with a swirl of orange, red, and yellow filling.
  7. Tap the mold several times to remove excess air bubbles after each scoop of cheesecake filling you add.
  8. Bake your cheesecakes for 20-24 minutes until the top forms a smooth film and the center is still giggly but not wet.
  9. Allow your cheesecakes to cool for an hour then freeze for at least 3 hours.
  10. Un-mold cheesecakes directly onto a serving dish.
  11. Allow to defrost in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

More Fall and Thanksgiving Recipes

Be sure to check out all of my amazing Thanksgiving Recipes

Cheesy Crescent Roll Leaves

Chocolate Pilgrim Hats

Veggie Pizza Leaves

Cheesecake Leaves and Pumpkins

Cheese Slice Owl

SaveSave

Filed Under: Cheesecake Recipes, Halloween Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes Tagged With: Cake, Cheesecake, Fall, holiday food, party, pumpkin

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Annie

    November 17, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    I made this last year for Thanksgiving and my family loved it! I'm making it again this year. The recipe was super easy to follow – the pictures really helped! I found the mold on amazon last November, but can't remember how much I got it for.

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:23 pm

      I'm so happy to hear you made these and they were a hit with your family. It's one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Have a wonderful holiday season.

      Reply
  2. Jodi

    September 28, 2014 at 2:21 am

    i've been searching for hours to find a recipe for these molds! i bought the molds at salvation army for just .10 cents each!!

    Reply
    • beth

      September 28, 2014 at 3:31 am

      Wow, what a bargain! I've also made a savory recipe using the molds too – https://hungryhappenings.com/2013/11/Thanksgiving-leaf-and-pumpkin-dinner-rolls.html.

      Have fun.

      Reply
  3. Bethany

    November 7, 2013 at 12:42 am

    Wow! These cheesecakes are gorgeous!! Very clever idea, i love it!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:24 pm

      Thanks, Bethany. I love it too!

      Reply
  4. Carrie This Home

    November 6, 2013 at 11:20 pm

    These are almost too cute to eat! I love them! They really capture the essence of fall. Plus I love cheesecakes so this would be the perfect fall dessert project for me! I'm visiting from Moonlight and Mason Jars (my link ups were #10 and 12)

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:24 pm

      Thanks for stopping by, Carrie. Fall is my favorite time of year and I love creating desserts using the red, orange, and yellow hues of autumn.

      Reply
  5. Trish - Mom On Timeout

    November 20, 2012 at 10:29 pm

    Featuring tonight Beth! Thanks for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Thanks for the feature, Trish.

      Reply
  6. Jenn [With Luck]

    November 20, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    These look so delicious. I'll be pinning them for later!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      Thanks for the pin. I hope they inspire you!

      Reply
  7. Trish - Mom On Timeout

    November 19, 2012 at 3:43 am

    I just featured your delicious recipe in my Thanksgiving round up post Beth! Thank you so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

    Reply
  8. Art By ASM

    November 18, 2012 at 9:10 am

    These look great! Please come by and post on our blog party! Thank you! Please help spread the word!

    http://artbyasm.blogspot.com/search/label/Blog%20Party

    Warmest Regards,
    Annamaria

    Reply
  9. Gina@Cateror

    November 17, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    What a *fantastic* idea! With different molds and colors there's unlimited potential. A perfect treat for any event, thank you for the awesome ideas!

    Reply
  10. 4 You With Love

    November 16, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    These are amazing. I pinned and tweeted this so I can find it again later…also too good not to share!

    Reply
  11. Emily

    November 15, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    cheesecake???? Yum, and yes, please! I came over from ginger snap crafts to invite you to join my month long Thanksgiving link party. It will be open for one more week, with fabulous features on Thanksgiving day! I would love for you to join us!
    http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2012/11/some-fall-baking-tasteful-tuesday-party.html

    Reply
  12. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust

    November 15, 2012 at 3:21 am

    Those are so cute! I love the leaf time of year – but my husband hates it for all the raking, lol!

    Reply
    • Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      November 15, 2012 at 9:13 pm

      Our last house had lots of trees and we spent days raking, so I can sympathize with your hubby. We only have one small tree now, so I can totally enjoy the leaves of fall with no work at all!

      Reply
  13. Walking on Sunshine

    November 15, 2012 at 2:39 am

    These look amazing!!! I love how the colors mix together so beautifully. Would love for you to link up with our Foodie Friends Friday linky party tomorrow night! I'm your latest follower!

    Reply
  14. HungryLittleGirl

    November 14, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    This is one of the most beautiful ideas I've seen in a while!
    I would love to have you share this, or any other recipe of your at Wednesday Extravaganza – my Foodie Link Party with the chance to get a lifetime feature on my Wall of Fame. Here is the link:
    http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/1/post/2012/11/wednesday-extravaganza-4.html

    Can't wait to see you there!

    Reply
  15. Winnie

    November 14, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    These are simply amazing!!
    They look super difficult to make but actually it's quite easy
    Fabulous !

    Reply
  16. Emma Green

    November 14, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    I love this idea so much! I think I will make them next week when my family is in town for thanksgiving. My question is about adding a crust.. Do you think that you could add some sort of crumbled graham cracker crust to the tops of the molds after they are filled (so that when you flip them out, the crust is on the bottom?) I just can't decide if things would cook evenly if that happened. I may try doing it though when I make mine and I will let you know how it goes!

    Reply
    • Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      November 14, 2012 at 11:42 pm

      Hi Emma,

      I thought about adding a crust, but worried that the crumbs would just sink into the cheesecake. I even toyed with the idea of baking cookies that would be cut into the leaf shape and setting them on the top in order to form a crust. In the end, I just opted for no crust at all, but I do love a crust on my cheesecake. I would love to hear if adding a crust works for you, so please let me know!

      Reply
  17. CuteEverything.com

    November 14, 2012 at 2:06 am

    Wow, these are gorgeous! They look like something I could actually make, too. I love how easily they seem to pop out of the silicone molds.

    Reply
  18. Megan@Whimsically Homemade

    November 13, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Oh, I love these! Very festive and the colors are awesome. The cheesecake recipe look super simple too! I would love for you to stop and link this up at Whimsically Homemade's Mixer Monday! http://whimsicallyhomemade.blogspot.com/2012/11/mixer-monday-9.html

    Reply
  19. tumbleweed-contessa

    November 13, 2012 at 4:03 am

    How pretty! I am pinning these right now. I hope that you will share them at my holiday cookie exchange: http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/2012-cookie-exchange-cookies-and-memories/ I am so glad to have seen these at Crazy for Crust. Have a great week!

    Reply
    • Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      November 13, 2012 at 11:20 am

      I'd love to join in your link party, but I feel strange adding these as they aren't cookies!

      Reply
  20. Lindsay Ann

    November 13, 2012 at 2:30 am

    So cute, Beth. The little pumpkins are my favorite!

    Reply
  21. Diana - FreeStyleMama

    November 12, 2012 at 8:06 pm

    Brilliant is right. I love how you blended the colors. Thanks for linking up to Pin Me! I've pinned it!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:27 pm

      Thanks for the pin, Diana.

      Reply
  22. Brenda

    November 12, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    Colorful cute cheesecakes … simply wonderful!

    Reply
  23. Jill @ KitchenFunWithMy3Sons.com

    November 12, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    These are so pretty!

    Reply
  24. Michelle | Creative Food

    November 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    This is brilliant!! I love these 🙂 They look beautiful!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:26 pm

      Thanks, Michelle.

      Reply
  25. Janine (sugarkissed.net)

    November 12, 2012 at 3:20 pm

    I gotta get me some silicone molds! I love how easy this is!

    Reply
    • beth

      November 17, 2014 at 4:26 pm

      Yes, you do. I love using them.

      Reply
  26. The Partiologist

    November 12, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    What wonderful little cheesecakes – I just love the swirl, just perfect!

    Reply
  27. Mamma Cass

    November 12, 2012 at 7:05 am

    Those look delicious but have you ever tried using some kind of food coloring that wasn't artificial? Have any tips?

    Reply
    • Beth Jackson Klosterboer

      November 12, 2012 at 11:26 am

      Oh, thanks for reminding me. I meant to add a comment about that in the post. Yes, there are natural food coloring you can use instead. They are pricey, but do a good job at coloring food naturally.

      Reply

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