Savor this Smooth Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans
Velvety, flavorful and not overly sugary, this seasonal treat is a celebration of fall coziness. I avoid prepared pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I prefer baking fresh squash varieties. Baking enhances its natural sweetness while evaporating unwanted water, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree that gives the cheesecake real depth. The maple pecan brittle provides the final flourish: caramelized, rich and providing a textural contrast complementing the cheesecake’s creamy softness.
Autumn Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle
Prepare 200g pumpkin puree, chop 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin in sections, bake, lightly covered, at 390F until soft but not browned. Process until smooth.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill 6 hr+
Serves about 10 people
Crumb Crust
- spiced biscuits
- melted butter, melted, and some for coating
- a pinch of salt
For the Filling
- 500g cream cheese
- 150g caster sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (prepared earlier)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- aromatic cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- nutmeg
- clove spice
- room-temperature eggs, warmed slightly
- tangy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- pure maple syrup
- sugar
- chopped pecans, roughly chopped
- a pinch of salt
- whipping cream
Heat the oven at a moderate heat coat the entire interior of a 20cm round springform tin. Using a processor the biscuits to fine crumbs, place in a container. Mix in the salty butter, stir so the crumbs are evenly damp. Tip into the prepared pan, compact it well, cook briefly, then remove and leave to cool.
Lower the setting to 175C (155C fan). Meanwhile, put the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest into a mixer bowl, mix on low speed slowly to a creamy texture. Incorporate the spiced pumpkin mix, blend gently well mixed. Introduce the eggs individually, mixing thoroughly one by one, follow with the tangy cream and flavoring, mix until smooth.
Scoop the spiced cream onto the set base and smooth the top with a tool. Give it a gentle shake on a surface to release trapped air, then cook the dessert in the middle of the oven for about three-quarters of an hour until the edges are set and the centre is slightly wobbly. Stop baking, leave the door ajar allowing it to cool for 60 minutes. Once it’s at room temperature, cool in the fridge (and up to three days), until completely set.
Meanwhile, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Set the oven to 210C (190C fan) and prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Mix the ingredients in a pot mixing on low for about a minute. Mix the nuts and salt, take off the stove transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. Once the brittle is completely hard, break into chunks place in a sealed jar frozen.
Open the dessert from the pan place on a serving dish. Whip the cream until fluffy, then add on top of the cake leaving a 3-4cm border. Scatter most of the pecan brittle across the surface, then serve with extra pecan brittle alongside.
