Savor this Silky Pumpkin Cheesecake featuring Maple Pecan Brittle

Smooth, flavorful and just sweet enough, this seasonal treat is a celebration of harvest warmth. I’m not a fan of canned puree – the taste is bland and thin – so I’ve taken the extra step baking some butternut or Kent squash. Baking coaxes out the sweet flavor while evaporating unwanted water, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree that gives the cheesecake real depth. A crunchy pecan topping completes the dessert: golden, nutty and with just the right amount of crunch to offset the cheesecake’s creamy softness.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping

For about one cup of puree, chop 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, then roast, lightly covered, at 390F until soft but not browned. Process in a high-speed blender.

Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill at least 6 hours
Serves about 10 people

Base Ingredients

• spiced biscuits
• melted butter, melted, and some for coating
• sea salt

Cheesecake Mixture

• full-fat cream cheese
• 150g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 200g pumpkin puree (prepared earlier)
• thickener
• aromatic cinnamon
• warm ginger
• freshly grated nutmeg
• clove spice
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• tangy cream
• vanilla

For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping

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

Preheat your oven to 185C (165C fan) coat the bottom and edges of a 20cm round springform tin. In a food processor the biscuits to fine crumbs, transfer to a container. Mix in the butter and salt, and mix so the crumbs are evenly damp. Transfer to the prepared pan, even it out, heat until set, take out and cool.

Reduce the oven temperature to a lower temp. Meanwhile, place the cheese, sweetener, and zest in a stand mixer, mix with the paddle attachment at a gentle pace until smooth and creamy. Mix in the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, then mix on medium-low well mixed. Add the eggs individually, incorporating fully one by one, next include the tangy cream and flavoring, and beat until combined.

Scoop the pumpkin filling over the prepared crust level it out using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to release trapped air, then cook the dessert on the middle rack for 45 minutes until the edges are set and the centre is slightly wobbly. Switch off the heat, crack the door open and leave the cheesecake to cool for an hour. After cooling, cool in the fridge (or longer), until completely set.

While waiting, create the topping (ahead of time). Set the oven to a high temperature cover a tray using liner. Mix the maple syrup and sugar in a pot and stir gently on low for about a minute. Stir in the pecans and sea salt, take off the stove and spread on the tray. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, take out and cool. After cooling completely, chop into irregular pieces place in a sealed jar chilled.

Open the cake from the pan place on a serving dish. Whisk the cream to soft peaks, then spoon into the middle of the cheesecake with a clear edge. Sprinkle the brittle on top, with additional brittle for serving.