Discover a Smooth Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Maple Pecan Brittle
Silky, aromatic and perfectly sweetened, this seasonal treat embodies autumnal comfort. I skip tinned pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I prefer baking some butternut or Kent squash. Roasting enhances the sweet flavor while evaporating extra liquid, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree which adds real depth. The maple pecan brittle completes the dessert: golden, nutty and offering a satisfying crisp complementing the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
To make the pumpkin base, dice 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, bake, loosely covered, at 200C (180C fan) until soft but not browned. Process using a powerful blender.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 1 hr
Chill overnight
Serves 8-10
For the Base
- 200g ginger nut biscuits
- melted butter, softened, with more for the tin
- sea salt
For the Filling
- soft cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- homemade puree (see introduction)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- cinnamon spice
- warm ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- clove spice
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- sour cream
- vanilla
Crunchy Finish
- pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- nut pieces, coarsely cut
- 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
- 150ml double cream
Heat the oven to 185C (165C fan) then butter the base and sides with a springform pan. In a food processor the ginger nuts to fine crumbs, then tip into a medium bowl. Incorporate the salty butter, stir coating the crumbs. Place in the buttered container, even it out, heat until set, take out and cool.
Lower the setting to a lower temp. Meanwhile, add the cheese, sweetener, and zest into a mixer bowl, whip with the paddle attachment on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Incorporate the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, then mix at low speed well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well between each addition, then add the cream and extract, whip until smooth.
Transfer the spiced cream onto the set base level it out with a small spatula. Tap the tin gently on a worktop to release trapped air, then heat the cheesecake on the middle rack for 45 minutes until the edges are set and a soft center. Turn off the oven, keep the oven slightly open allowing it to cool for 60 minutes. When cooled, refrigerate for 6+ hours (or longer), until completely set.
While waiting, create the topping (in advance). Preheat the oven to 410F and line a small oven tray with parchment. Mix the syrup and sweetener over heat and heat slowly gently for about a minute. Mix the chopped pecans, then remove from the heat and spread on the tray. Bake for about eight minutes, until golden and bubbly, take out and cool. When fully hardened, break into chunks keeping in a sealed jar in the freezer.
Open the cheesecake from the springform place on a serving dish. Beat the cream to a light consistency, then spoon over the center leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle on top, with additional brittle for serving.
