Discover this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Maple Pecan Brittle
Silky, spiced and not overly sugary, this pumpkin cheesecake is a celebration of fall coziness. I’m not a fan of tinned pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I prefer baking your own pumpkin. The oven’s heat enhances the sweet flavor and reduces excess moisture, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree which adds real depth. The maple pecan brittle provides the final flourish: toasty, flavorful and providing a textural contrast complementing the cheesecake’s creamy softness.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle
For 200g pumpkin puree, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded into chunks, then roast, with a cover, at 200C (180C fan) until soft but not browned. Process using a powerful blender.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hr
Chill overnight
Serves about 10 people
For the Base
- spiced biscuits
- 70g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- sea salt
For the Filling
- full-fat cream cheese
- fine sugar
- citrus peel
- 200g pumpkin puree (as described above)
- cornstarch
- aromatic cinnamon
- warm ginger
- freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- room-temperature eggs, at room temperature
- tangy cream
- vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- maple sweetener
- fine sugar
- chopped pecans, in chunks
- 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
- 150ml double cream
Heat the oven to 365F and lightly grease the entire interior of a 20cm round springform tin. In a food processor the cookies to fine crumbs, place in a container. Incorporate the salty butter, stir coating the crumbs. Place in the greased tin, press down firmly, heat until set, then remove and leave to cool.
Lower the heat to 175C (155C fan). Meanwhile, put the base ingredients into a mixer bowl, whip on low speed at a gentle pace until well blended. Incorporate the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, and beat at low speed until combined. Introduce the eggs individually, mixing thoroughly one by one, follow with the tangy cream and flavoring, mix until combined.
Transfer the spiced cream over the set base level it out with a small spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to remove bubbles, then bake the cheesecake on the middle rack for about three-quarters of an hour with set edges and the centre is slightly wobbly. Stop baking, leave the door ajar and let it cool down for one hour. When cooled, chill for at least six hours (or for days), until fully chilled.
While waiting, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Preheat the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Combine the ingredients over heat mixing gently briefly. Stir in the chopped pecans, then remove from the heat transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. After cooling completely, chop into irregular pieces keeping in a container in the freezer.
Release the dessert from its tin place on a serving dish. Whip the cream to a light consistency, then add over the center leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle on top, offering more on the side.
