Discover this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans
Velvety, flavorful and perfectly sweetened, this delightful dessert is a celebration of harvest warmth. I avoid tinned pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I prefer to roast your own pumpkin. Roasting coaxes out its natural sweetness removing unwanted water, yielding a deep, aromatic mash imparting genuine complexity. Golden nut brittle completes the dessert: caramelized, rich and with just the right amount of crunch complementing the velvety texture.
Autumn Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
For the pumpkin base, cut fresh pumpkin pieces in sections, then roast, loosely covered, at 200C (180C fan) cooked through but not colored. Process using a powerful blender.
Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Cool 1 hr
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8 to 10
For the Base
- gingersnap cookies
- melted butter, melted, and some for coating
- a pinch of salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- full-fat cream cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- 200g pumpkin puree (prepared earlier)
- thickener
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- warm ginger
- freshly grated nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- 2 large eggs, warmed slightly
- tangy cream
- pure vanilla
Crunchy Finish
- pure maple syrup
- sugar
- 90g pecans, roughly chopped
- sea salt flakes
- 150ml double cream
Preheat your oven at a moderate heat then butter the base and sides using a cake tin. In a food processor the cookies to fine crumbs, transfer to a container. Add the salty butter, stir until moistened. Tip into the buttered container, even it out, cook briefly, set aside to cool.
Turn down the heat to a lower temp. Meanwhile, put the cheese, sweetener, and zest in a stand mixer, whip with the paddle attachment on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Incorporate the spiced pumpkin mix, then mix gently until combined. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one, then add the cream and extract, mix until fully incorporated.
Pour the spiced cream on to the set base level it out with a tool. Tap the tin gently on a worktop to dispel any air bubbles, then heat the cheesecake centered in the oven for about three-quarters of an hour until the sides are firm with a jiggly middle. Switch off the heat, crack the door open and let it cool down for an hour. When cooled, cool in the fridge (or for days), until completely set.
Meanwhile, prepare the brittle (up to three days ahead). Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan) and line a small oven tray with parchment. Mix the maple syrup and sugar in a pot and heat slowly on low for about a minute. Stir in the chopped pecans, then remove from the heat and scrape into the lined tray. Heat until golden, until golden and bubbly, then remove and leave to cool. After cooling completely, chop into irregular pieces place in an airtight container in the freezer.
Open the cheesecake from its tin and transfer to a platter. Beat the cream to a light consistency, then add into the middle of the cheesecake leaving space around. Sprinkle the brittle on top, then serve with extra pecan brittle alongside.
