Discover this Smooth Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans
Silky, flavorful and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert is a celebration of fall coziness. I skip tinned pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I’ve taken the extra step to roast fresh squash varieties. The oven’s heat brings out the inherent sugars removing unwanted water, yielding a deep, aromatic mash that gives the cheesecake genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle adds the perfect finish: caramelized, rich and with just the right amount of crunch to offset the smooth filling.
Autumn Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping
Prepare the pumpkin base, chop 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, then roast, loosely covered, at 200C (180C fan) until tender without browning. Puree in a high-speed blender.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Cool 60 minutes
Chill at least 6 hours
Serves 8 to 10
Base Ingredients
- spiced biscuits
- rich butter, melted, and some for coating
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- soft cheese
- white sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (prepared earlier)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- aromatic cinnamon
- ginger powder
- freshly grated nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- room-temperature eggs, not cold
- tangy cream
- pure vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- sugar
- nut pieces, coarsely cut
- a pinch of salt
- 150ml double cream
Heat the oven at a moderate heat and lightly grease the bottom and edges with a springform pan. In a food processor the biscuits until crumbly, then tip into a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and salt, combine until moistened. Place in the buttered container, even it out, cook briefly, take out and cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to a lower temp. Meanwhile, place the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix using the paddle slowly until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, and beat gently until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully after each one, follow with the cream and extract, mix until smooth.
Transfer the spiced cream over the set base and smooth the top with a tool. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to release trapped air, then bake the cheesecake centered in the oven until set until the sides are firm and a soft center. Stop baking, crack the door open allowing it to cool for an hour. Once it’s at room temperature, refrigerate for 6+ hours (and up to three days), until fully chilled.
Meanwhile, make the pecan brittle (up to three days ahead). Preheat the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Mix the syrup and sweetener in a pot and stir gently on low briefly. Mix the pecans and sea salt, stop heating transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, set aside. When fully hardened, cut roughly keeping in a container in the freezer.
Remove the cake from its tin move to a plate. Beat the cream until fluffy, then add on top of the cake leaving a 3-4cm border. Scatter most of the pecan brittle over the top, with additional brittle for serving.
