Discover a Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans
Smooth, flavorful and perfectly sweetened, this delightful dessert captures harvest warmth. I skip prepared pumpkin – it lacks depth and flavor – so I recommend of roasting some butternut or Kent squash. Baking coaxes out the inherent sugars while evaporating extra liquid, producing a smooth, flavourful puree which adds real depth. The maple pecan brittle adds the perfect finish: toasty, flavorful and offering a satisfying crisp complementing the cheesecake’s creamy softness.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle
To make the pumpkin base, dice 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, bake, lightly covered, in a hot oven until tender without browning. Puree until smooth.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Cool 1 hour
Chill overnight
Serves 8-10
Crumb Crust
- spiced biscuits
- melted butter, softened, and some for coating
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- soft cheese
- white sugar
- orange zest
- 200g pumpkin puree (as described above)
- cornstarch
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- room-temperature eggs, not cold
- 100ml soured cream
- pure vanilla
Crunchy Finish
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- nut pieces, in chunks
- a pinch of salt
- heavy cream
Set the oven to 185C (165C fan) coat the bottom and edges with a springform pan. Using a processor the biscuits into crumbs, place in a container. Mix in the salty butter, and mix so the crumbs are evenly damp. Tip into the buttered container, even it out, cook briefly, then remove and leave to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 175C (155C fan). Meanwhile, put the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix with the paddle attachment on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Mix in the spiced pumpkin mix, then mix gently until combined. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one, then add the soured cream and vanilla, mix until combined.
Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top with a small spatula. Tap the tin gently on a surface to release trapped air, then bake the dessert in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes until the edges are set and a soft center. Switch off the heat, crack the door open and leave the cheesecake to cool for one hour. After cooling, refrigerate for 6+ hours (or for days), until firm.
While waiting, make the pecan brittle (up to three days ahead). Heat the oven to a high temperature and line a small oven tray using liner. Mix the syrup and sweetener over heat and heat slowly over a low heat for about a minute. Mix the nuts and salt, then remove from the heat and spread on the tray. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, set aside. Once the brittle is completely hard, cut roughly keeping in an airtight container in the freezer.
Release the cheesecake from the springform and transfer to a platter. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then place on top of the cake leaving a 3-4cm border. Add the crunchy bits over the top, with additional brittle for serving.
