Indulge in this Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
Silky, flavorful and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert embodies fall coziness. I avoid prepared pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I’ve taken the extra step baking fresh squash varieties. Roasting enhances the inherent sugars while evaporating extra liquid, producing a rich, tasty base which adds genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle completes the dessert: toasty, flavorful and with just the right amount of crunch to offset the cheesecake’s creamy softness.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
For about one cup of puree, cut 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin in sections, bake, loosely covered, in a hot oven until soft but not browned. Process in a high-speed blender.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 1 hour
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8 to 10
Crumb Crust
- 200g ginger nut biscuits
- rich butter, melted, with more for the tin
- a pinch of salt
Creamy Layer
- full-fat cream cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (as described above)
- cornstarch
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- warm ginger
- nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- fresh eggs, at room temperature
- tangy cream
- vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- sugar
- chopped pecans, coarsely cut
- sea salt flakes
- whipping cream
Heat the oven to 365F coat the base and sides of a 20cm round springform tin. Pulse the cookies until crumbly, then tip into a medium bowl. Add the butter and salt, and mix until moistened. Place in the greased tin, press down firmly, bake for 10 minutes, set aside to cool.
Turn down the oven temperature to 175C (155C fan). At the same time, put the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer, whip using the paddle on medium-low until well blended. Add the spiced pumpkin mix, then mix at low speed well mixed. Introduce the eggs separately, mixing thoroughly between each addition, then add the soured cream and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
Scoop the spiced cream on to the cooled biscuit base even the surface with a tool. Give it a gentle shake on the counter to release trapped air, then bake the cheesecake on the middle rack for 45 minutes with set edges and the centre is slightly wobbly. Switch off the heat, crack the door open and leave the cheesecake to cool for an hour. After cooling, cool in the fridge (or for days), until fully chilled.
In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Heat the oven to 410F and prepare a baking sheet using liner. Combine the syrup and sweetener in a small saucepan and heat slowly gently briefly. Add in the nuts and salt, then remove from the heat transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, take out and cool. When fully hardened, cut roughly and store in a sealed jar chilled.
Release the cheesecake from the pan move to a plate. Whisk the cream to a light consistency, then spoon over the center with a clear edge. Sprinkle the brittle across the surface, with additional brittle for serving.
