Discover this Silky Autumn Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans

Smooth, aromatic and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert embodies autumnal comfort. I avoid canned puree – the taste is bland and thin – so I recommend baking your own pumpkin. Roasting brings out the sweet flavor while evaporating extra liquid, producing a deep, aromatic mash imparting authentic character. Golden nut brittle provides the final flourish: golden, nutty and with just the right amount of crunch against the smooth filling.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle

Prepare 200g pumpkin puree, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded into cubes, bake, lightly covered, at 390F until tender without browning. Puree until smooth.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Cool 60 minutes
Chill overnight
Serves 8 to 10

For the Base

• 200g ginger nut biscuits
• melted butter, liquefied, with more for the tin
• a pinch of salt

Creamy Layer

• soft cheese
• 150g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 200g pumpkin puree (as described above)
• 2 tsp cornflour
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• room-temperature eggs, at room temperature
• 100ml soured cream
• vanilla

Pecan Garnish

• maple sweetener
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• chopped pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
• whipping cream

Set the oven at a moderate heat coat the bottom and edges using a cake tin. In a food processor the cookies until crumbly, place in a medium bowl. Add the salty butter, combine until moistened. Place in the greased tin, compact it well, bake for 10 minutes, take out and cool.

Lower the setting to a lower temp. In the meantime, put the cheese, sweetener, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer, whip with the paddle attachment slowly to a creamy texture. Incorporate the puree, thickener, and seasonings, and beat gently until combined. Mix in eggs individually, beating in well after each one, follow with the soured cream and vanilla, and beat until smooth.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the prepared crust even the surface using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to dispel any air bubbles, then bake the cake centered in the oven until set with set edges and a soft center. Switch off the heat, leave the door ajar allowing it to cool for 60 minutes. When cooled, cool in the fridge (and up to three days), until completely set.

In the meantime, create the topping (up to three days ahead). Preheat the oven to 410F and line a small oven tray with parchment. Combine the syrup and sweetener over heat and stir gently gently until dissolved. Mix the pecans and sea salt, then remove from the heat transfer to the sheet. Heat until golden, until golden and bubbly, take out and cool. Once the brittle is completely hard, cut roughly place in an airtight container frozen.

Open the cheesecake from its tin move to a plate. Beat the cream to soft peaks, then add into the middle of the cheesecake leaving space around. Sprinkle the brittle on top, offering more on the side.