Savor this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans
Silky, aromatic and just sweet enough, this seasonal treat embodies harvest warmth. I skip tinned pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I’ve taken the extra step to roast some butternut or Kent squash. The oven’s heat enhances the inherent sugars and reduces extra liquid, resulting in a deep, aromatic mash which adds genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle completes the dessert: golden, nutty and providing a textural contrast to offset the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
For 200g pumpkin puree, chop 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, then roast, loosely covered, at 200C (180C fan) until tender without browning. Process using a powerful blender.
Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 60 minutes
Chill 6 hr+
Serves about 10 people
Base Ingredients
- spiced biscuits
- melted butter, melted, with more for the tin
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- full-fat cream cheese
- white sugar
- orange zest
- homemade puree (see introduction)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- aromatic cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- fresh eggs, not cold
- tangy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crunchy Finish
- maple sweetener
- fine sugar
- 90g pecans, in chunks
- a pinch of salt
- 150ml double cream
Heat the oven at a moderate heat then butter the entire interior using a cake tin. In a food processor the ginger nuts to fine crumbs, transfer to a medium bowl. Add the salty butter, stir so the crumbs are evenly damp. Tip into the buttered container, press down firmly, cook briefly, then remove and leave to cool.
Turn down the heat to 355F. In the meantime, place the cheese, sweetener, and zest into a mixer bowl, mix using the paddle slowly to a creamy texture. Mix in the puree, thickener, and seasonings, then mix at low speed well mixed. Add the eggs individually, beating in well after each one, next include the tangy cream and flavoring, whip until combined.
Transfer the pumpkin filling onto the set base even the surface using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to dispel any air bubbles, then cook the dessert on the middle rack for about three-quarters of an hour until the edges are set with a jiggly middle. Turn off the oven, keep the oven slightly open and leave the cheesecake to cool for one hour. After cooling, cool in the fridge (or longer), until fully chilled.
In the meantime, prepare the brittle (in advance). Set the oven to a high temperature and line a small oven tray using liner. Combine the maple syrup and sugar over heat mixing gently for about a minute. Stir in the nuts and salt, take off the stove and scrape into the lined tray. Cook for 8 minutes, until caramelized, take out and cool. When fully hardened, cut roughly place in an airtight container frozen.
Remove the cake from the springform and transfer to a platter. Beat the cream until fluffy, then add into the middle of the cheesecake leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle over the top, with additional brittle for serving.
