Savor a Silky Autumn Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans
Velvety, flavorful and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert embodies autumnal comfort. I skip tinned pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I prefer to roast some butternut or Kent squash. Roasting enhances its natural sweetness removing extra liquid, producing a deep, aromatic mash imparting authentic character. Golden nut brittle provides the final flourish: toasty, flavorful and with just the right amount of crunch complementing the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
To make about one cup of puree, dice fresh pumpkin pieces into chunks, cook, with a cover, at 390F until tender without browning. Puree using a powerful blender.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Cool 60 minutes
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8-10
Base Ingredients
- 200g ginger nut biscuits
- melted butter, melted, with more for the tin
- sea salt
Creamy Layer
- 500g cream cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- 200g pumpkin puree (as described above)
- cornstarch
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- warm ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- fresh eggs, not cold
- tangy cream
- pure vanilla
Pecan Garnish
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 90g pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
- 150ml double cream
Set the oven at a moderate heat then butter the entire interior of a 20cm round springform tin. In a food processor the biscuits to fine crumbs, place in a mixing bowl. Incorporate the salty butter, and mix coating the crumbs. Transfer to the buttered container, press down firmly, cook briefly, then remove and leave to cool.
Lower the heat to 355F. In the meantime, place the base ingredients in a stand mixer, then beat on low speed at a gentle pace until well blended. Mix in the spiced pumpkin mix, and beat on medium-low well mixed. Add the eggs individually, beating in well between each addition, then add the tangy cream and flavoring, and beat until fully incorporated.
Scoop the spiced cream onto the set base and smooth the top with a tool. Lightly tap the pan on a surface to remove bubbles, then heat the cake centered in the oven until set with set edges and the centre is slightly wobbly. Switch off the heat, keep the oven slightly open and leave the cheesecake to cool for an hour. When cooled, cool in the fridge (or longer), until completely set.
In the meantime, prepare the brittle (ahead of time). Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Stir together the ingredients in a pot mixing over a low heat briefly. Mix the pecans and sea salt, stop heating transfer to the sheet. Cook for 8 minutes, until golden and bubbly, set aside. Once the brittle is completely hard, cut roughly place in an airtight container frozen.
Release the dessert from the pan move to a plate. Whisk the cream to soft peaks, then place into the middle of the cheesecake leaving a 3-4cm border. Add the crunchy bits across the surface, offering more on the side.
