These homemade cheesecake squares by lifestyle blog Chocolate Covered Katie offer a seasonal spin on a popular dessert by adding pumpkin puree to give the bars a sweet squash taste. These treats would be ideal to bring to any party or family gathering during the festive autumn season.
Not only are these cheesecake bars delicious-looking, they're also healthy and vegan. Rather than using dairy cream cheese, the recipe calls for a lactose free cream cheese by brands such as Daiya. Added to the dairy-free cream cheese is pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cinnamon, stevia, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and GMO-free cornstarch. The pureed pumpkin mixture can be made into bars on its own or set overtop of a crust of your choice. Once the bars are baked they taste like a healthier pumpkin-infused cream cheesecake.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Plant-based Desserts
- The trend of creating vegan desserts, like these pumpkin cheesecake squares, presents an opportunity for businesses to tap into the growing demand for plant-based options.
- Seasonal Flavors
- The use of seasonal ingredients, such as pumpkin, offers a chance for businesses to create limited-time products that cater to consumers' desire for flavors that align with specific times of the year.
- Health-conscious Treats
- The incorporation of healthy ingredients, like lactose-free cream cheese and natural sweeteners, reflects the increasing interest in nutritious and guilt-free indulgences, presenting a market for businesses to innovate in the health-conscious dessert space.
Where This Applies
- Food and Beverage
- The food and beverage industry can capitalize on the trend of plant-based desserts by developing and marketing a variety of vegan sweets.
- Baking and Pastry
- The baking and pastry industry can leverage seasonal flavors by introducing limited-edition products that highlight the tastes and colors of each season, attracting customers seeking unique and timely treats.
- Healthy Living
- The healthy living industry can seize the opportunity to offer health-conscious consumers more options for guilt-free indulgences by developing and promoting nutrient-rich desserts like these pumpkin cheesecake squares.
