Indulge in this Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Maple Pecan Brittle

Smooth, aromatic and just sweet enough, this pumpkin cheesecake is a celebration of autumnal comfort. I’m not a fan of tinned pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I recommend to roast your own pumpkin. Roasting brings out its natural sweetness removing excess moisture, yielding a rich, tasty base imparting authentic character. Golden nut brittle adds the perfect finish: toasty, flavorful and with just the right amount of crunch complementing the smooth filling.

Autumn Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping

Prepare 200g pumpkin puree, cut fresh pumpkin pieces into cubes, cook, loosely covered, in a hot oven until soft but not browned. Process using a powerful blender.

Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill overnight
Serves about 10 people

Base Ingredients

• spiced biscuits
• rich butter, liquefied, and some for coating
• a pinch of salt

For the Filling

• soft cheese
• fine sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• squash mash (as described above)
• 2 tsp cornflour
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• freshly grated nutmeg
• clove spice
• 2 large eggs, not cold
• 100ml soured cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping

• maple sweetener
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• chopped pecans, in chunks
• sea salt flakes
• 150ml double cream

Set the oven to 185C (165C fan) and lightly grease the base and sides of a 20cm round springform tin. Pulse the ginger nuts into crumbs, transfer to a container. Add the melted butter and salt, and mix until moistened. Transfer to the buttered container, even it out, bake for 10 minutes, take out and cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 355F. At the same time, place the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer, whip using the paddle at a gentle pace until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, and beat gently until incorporated. Add the eggs individually, beating in well between each addition, next include the tangy cream and flavoring, mix until fully incorporated.

Transfer the pumpkin filling on to the prepared crust level it out using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on the counter to release trapped air, then cook the cake on the middle rack for about three-quarters of an hour until the sides are firm with a jiggly middle. Stop baking, leave the door ajar allowing it to cool for one hour. When cooled, cool in the fridge (or longer), until firm.

Meanwhile, prepare the brittle (ahead of time). Heat the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan mixing on low briefly. Stir in the pecans and sea salt, stop heating and scrape into the lined tray. Cook for 8 minutes, until crisp, take out and cool. When fully hardened, cut roughly and store in an airtight container frozen.

Open the dessert from the pan place on a serving dish. Whisk the cream until fluffy, then spoon over the center with a clear edge. Scatter most of the pecan brittle over the top, offering more on the side.