Discover a Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle

Smooth, aromatic and just sweet enough, this seasonal treat captures autumnal comfort. I’m not a fan of prepared pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I prefer of roasting fresh squash varieties. Roasting enhances its natural sweetness removing unwanted water, resulting in a smooth, flavourful puree that gives the cheesecake genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle completes the dessert: toasty, flavorful and providing a textural contrast against the cheesecake’s creamy softness.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping

Prepare about one cup of puree, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded in sections, then roast, with a cover, in a hot oven cooked through but not colored. Blend in a high-speed blender.

Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hr
Chill 6 hr+
Serves about 10 people

Base Ingredients

• 200g ginger nut biscuits
• rich butter, melted, with more for the tin
• sea salt

Cheesecake Mixture

• soft cheese
• fine sugar
• citrus peel
• 200g pumpkin puree (prepared earlier)
• thickener
• aromatic cinnamon
• warm ginger
• freshly grated nutmeg
• hint of cloves
• 2 large eggs, not cold
• 100ml soured cream
• vanilla

For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping

• pure maple syrup
• fine sugar
• chopped pecans, roughly chopped
• a pinch of salt
• 150ml double cream

Preheat your oven at a moderate heat and lightly grease the base and sides of a 20cm round springform tin. Using a processor the ginger nuts into crumbs, place in a container. Add the salty butter, stir so the crumbs are evenly damp. Tip into the prepared pan, press down firmly, bake for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool.

Turn down the heat to a lower temp. In the meantime, add the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer, whip using the paddle at a gentle pace until smooth and creamy. Incorporate the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, and beat on medium-low well mixed. Add the eggs individually, beating in well between each addition, then add the cream and extract, mix until combined.

Transfer the pumpkin filling on to the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top using a spatula. Lightly tap the pan on a surface to release trapped air, then bake the cake on the middle rack until set until the edges are set and a soft center. Stop baking, crack the door open and leave the cheesecake to cool for an hour. Once it’s at room temperature, chill for at least six hours (or for days), until fully chilled.

In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (ahead of time). Heat the oven to 410F and line a small oven tray with parchment. Combine the ingredients over heat and stir gently gently for about a minute. Stir in the pecans and sea salt, stop heating transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, take out and cool. After cooling completely, cut roughly keeping in a container frozen.

Remove the cake from its tin move to a plate. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then spoon into the middle of the cheesecake leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle across the surface, with additional brittle for serving.