Savor a Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
Silky, aromatic and perfectly sweetened, this delightful dessert captures harvest warmth. I avoid canned puree – the taste is bland and thin – so I’ve taken the extra step to roast your own pumpkin. Baking brings out the inherent sugars while evaporating extra liquid, yielding a deep, aromatic mash imparting genuine complexity. A crunchy pecan topping adds the perfect finish: golden, nutty and offering a satisfying crisp complementing the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping
For the pumpkin base, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded into chunks, bake, with a cover, at 200C (180C fan) until tender without browning. Blend until smooth.
Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hour
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8-10
Base Ingredients
- 200g ginger nut biscuits
- rich butter, softened, with more for the tin
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- 500g cream cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (prepared earlier)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- warm ginger
- nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- fresh eggs, not cold
- tangy cream
- pure vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- fine sugar
- chopped pecans, coarsely cut
- sea salt flakes
- 150ml double cream
Set the oven to 185C (165C fan) coat the entire interior of a 20cm round springform tin. In a food processor the cookies into crumbs, place in a container. Incorporate the butter and salt, and mix coating the crumbs. Place in the greased tin, even it out, heat until set, take out and cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 355F. In the meantime, put the cheese, sweetener, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer, then beat using the paddle at a gentle pace until well blended. Add the spiced pumpkin mix, then mix at low speed well mixed. Introduce the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one, follow with the soured cream and vanilla, whip until combined.
Pour the pumpkin filling onto the set base and smooth the top with a tool. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to release trapped air, then cook the dessert on the middle rack until set until the sides are firm and the centre is slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar allowing it to cool for an hour. After cooling, refrigerate for 6+ hours (or for days), until fully chilled.
Meanwhile, prepare the brittle (ahead of time). Heat the oven to 410F and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat slowly over a low heat until dissolved. Mix the nuts and salt, take off the stove and scrape into the lined tray. Cook for 8 minutes, until golden and bubbly, set aside. After cooling completely, chop into irregular pieces keeping in an airtight container in the freezer.
Open the cake from the springform move to a plate. Whip the cream until fluffy, then add into the middle of the cheesecake with a clear edge. Add the crunchy bits over the top, with additional brittle for serving.
