Upjohn Pumpkin Torte

Looking for a wonderful holiday dessert?

Back in the 80s when I started working for The Upjohn Company, the cafeteria had a chef who made wonderful things from scratch. The Upjohn Pumpkin Torte is one of those wonderful things. It's a rich, heavenly dessert. Takes a little effort to make but it's not difficult and well worth the effort.

I'm posting this well advance of the holidays so you'll have a good excuse to make it twice. After all, you do have to make it once to try it out before the big dinner. Right?

This recipe was created to be sinful. Don't try to change it into something healthy. For the intended results you need real butter, real sugar, real cream cheese (not lowfat), real eggs, and whole milk.

This is the original recipe with my changes, suggestions and notes in parens.

Mix the following 3 ingredients together. Press into a 9 x 13 pan.

• 1 pkg graham crackers - about 10 (I use 1-1/4 cup packaged crumbs.)
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup melted butter (Use the real stuff.)

Mix the following 3 ingredients together and pour on crust. (I use electric mixer to get it smooth.) Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

• 2 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 8 oz. cream cheese (pre-softened to room temperature)

Cook the following ingredients to a boil. (I microwave it two minutes at a time, whisking after each two minutes. It's hard to tell when "boil" happens in the microwave. Mixture will be noticeably thicker.)

• 2 cups pumpkin (I use 15 oz can pumpkin. NOT pumpkin pie mix.)
  
• 3 egg yolks
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• dash salt

Stir the following into the pumpkin mixture while it is still hot. Let pumpkin mixture cool.

• 1 envelope plain gelatin
  
• 1/4 cup cold water

Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Fold gently into pumpkin mixture.

• 3 egg whites
  
• 1/4 cup sugar

Spread pumpkin mixture onto cheese layer.
Top with whipped cream.
Chill.

(I use real whipping cream whipped with a couple of tablespoons sugar and a teaspoon vanilla.)

No nutritional information. If you have to know, you shouldn't be eating this.