Savor this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans
Silky, flavorful and just sweet enough, this delightful dessert embodies fall coziness. I’m not a fan of canned puree – it lacks depth and flavor – so I’ve taken the extra step of roasting your own pumpkin. The oven’s heat coaxes out the inherent sugars and reduces excess moisture, producing a smooth, flavourful puree imparting genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle adds the perfect finish: golden, nutty and with just the right amount of crunch complementing the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle
To make the pumpkin base, cut a medium squash, peeled and seeded in sections, bake, lightly covered, at 390F until soft but not browned. Process in a high-speed blender.
Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 1 hour
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8-10
Base Ingredients
- gingersnap cookies
- 70g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
For the Filling
- soft cheese
- white sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (prepared earlier)
- thickener
- aromatic cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- fresh eggs, not cold
- 100ml soured cream
- pure vanilla
Crunchy Finish
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- fine sugar
- 90g pecans, coarsely cut
- a pinch of salt
- heavy cream
Set the oven to 365F coat the bottom and edges with a springform pan. Pulse the cookies into crumbs, place in a container. Incorporate the butter and salt, and mix coating the crumbs. Place in the buttered container, even it out, bake for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool.
Reduce the heat to a lower temp. In the meantime, put the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest into a mixer bowl, mix using the paddle slowly until smooth and creamy. Add the spiced pumpkin mix, then mix gently until combined. Introduce the eggs separately, mixing thoroughly one by one, then add the tangy cream and flavoring, and beat until fully incorporated.
Scoop the cheesecake mixture onto the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top using a spatula. Lightly tap the pan on a surface to dispel any air bubbles, then cook the dessert centered in the oven for about three-quarters of an hour until the edges are set and a soft center. Turn off the oven, keep the oven slightly open and let it cool down for one hour. After cooling, chill for at least six hours (and up to three days), until fully chilled.
While waiting, prepare the brittle (in advance). Heat the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Stir together the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir gently gently until dissolved. Mix the pecans and sea salt, stop heating and scrape into the lined tray. Bake for about eight minutes, until caramelized, then remove and leave to cool. When fully hardened, chop into irregular pieces and store in a container in the freezer.
Open the dessert from the pan move to a plate. Whip the cream until fluffy, then add on top of the cake leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle over the top, offering more on the side.
