Savor this Smooth Autumn Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans
Silky, spiced and perfectly sweetened, this pumpkin cheesecake captures autumnal comfort. I skip tinned pumpkin – it lacks depth and flavor – so I recommend baking your own pumpkin. Roasting brings out the sweet flavor removing extra liquid, resulting in a rich, tasty base imparting genuine complexity. The maple pecan brittle provides the final flourish: golden, nutty and providing a textural contrast complementing the smooth filling.
Autumn Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
For about one cup of puree, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded into cubes, then roast, lightly covered, at 200C (180C fan) cooked through but not colored. Blend using a powerful blender.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 8-10
Base Ingredients
- spiced biscuits
- rich butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- full-fat cream cheese
- fine sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- 200g pumpkin puree (as described above)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- cinnamon spice
- ginger powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 100ml soured cream
- vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- chopped pecans, in chunks
- 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
- 150ml double cream
Set the oven to 365F then butter the bottom and edges with a springform pan. In a food processor the cookies to fine crumbs, place in a medium bowl. Mix in the melted butter and salt, combine coating the crumbs. Place in the prepared pan, press down firmly, bake for 10 minutes, take out and cool.
Reduce the heat to a lower temp. In the meantime, place the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest into a mixer bowl, mix with the paddle attachment at a gentle pace to a creamy texture. Incorporate the spiced pumpkin mix, blend on medium-low until combined. Introduce the eggs separately, incorporating fully between each addition, next include the cream and extract, whip until fully incorporated.
Transfer the cheesecake mixture over the cooled biscuit base even the surface with a small spatula. Tap the tin gently on the counter to remove bubbles, then bake the dessert in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes with set edges with a jiggly middle. Switch off the heat, keep the oven slightly open and let it cool down for an hour. After cooling, cool in the fridge (and up to three days), until firm.
In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (up to three days ahead). Set the oven to a high temperature cover a tray with baking paper. Stir together the syrup and sweetener in a small saucepan and stir gently over a low heat for about a minute. Stir in the nuts and salt, then remove from the heat and spread on the tray. Cook for 8 minutes, until caramelized, take out and cool. When fully hardened, cut roughly keeping in a container in the freezer.
Open the cheesecake from the pan place on a serving dish. Whisk the cream to a light consistency, then place over the center leaving space around. Sprinkle the brittle on top, offering more on the side.
