Savor this Silky Autumn Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
Velvety, spiced and just sweet enough, this seasonal treat captures fall coziness. I’m not a fan of tinned pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I recommend to roast some butternut or Kent squash. Baking enhances the inherent sugars and reduces extra liquid, yielding a deep, aromatic mash imparting real depth. A crunchy pecan topping provides the final flourish: golden, nutty and providing a textural contrast complementing the velvety texture.
Pumpkin Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
For the pumpkin base, dice fresh pumpkin pieces into cubes, then roast, lightly covered, at 390F until tender without browning. Process until smooth.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hr
Chill overnight
Serves about 10 people
Base Ingredients
- gingersnap cookies
- rich butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Creamy Layer
- full-fat cream cheese
- white sugar
- citrus peel
- squash mash (see introduction)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- aromatic cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- room-temperature eggs, at room temperature
- tangy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- maple sweetener
- fine sugar
- 90g pecans, roughly chopped
- sea salt flakes
- heavy cream
Set the oven to 365F and lightly grease the bottom and edges of a 20cm round springform tin. In a food processor the ginger nuts until crumbly, transfer to a container. Add the salty butter, stir until moistened. Transfer to the greased tin, even it out, heat until set, then remove and leave to cool.
Turn down the oven temperature to 355F. Meanwhile, add the base ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer, whip with the paddle attachment on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Add the puree, thickener, and seasonings, blend gently until incorporated. Add the eggs individually, beating in well between each addition, then add the cream and extract, and beat until smooth.
Transfer the cheesecake mixture on to the set base and smooth the top using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to dispel any air bubbles, then cook the dessert in the middle of the oven for about three-quarters of an hour until the sides are firm and the centre is slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and leave the cheesecake to cool for 60 minutes. After cooling, chill for at least six hours (or for days), until firm.
In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Heat the oven to a high temperature and line a small oven tray with parchment. Stir together the syrup and sweetener over heat mixing gently until dissolved. Mix the chopped pecans, stop heating transfer to the sheet. Cook for 8 minutes, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. After cooling completely, chop into irregular pieces place in a sealed jar frozen.
Release the cheesecake from the pan move to a plate. Whisk the cream until fluffy, then spoon on top of the cake with a clear edge. Scatter most of the pecan brittle across the surface, offering more on the side.