Savor this Creamy Autumn Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans
Velvety, aromatic and perfectly sweetened, this seasonal treat embodies autumnal comfort. I avoid tinned pumpkin – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I prefer to roast fresh squash varieties. Baking coaxes out the sweet flavor removing excess moisture, producing a rich, tasty base which adds real depth. Golden nut brittle provides the final flourish: toasty, flavorful and providing a textural contrast complementing the cheesecake’s creamy softness.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping
Prepare the pumpkin base, dice fresh pumpkin pieces in sections, bake, lightly covered, at 390F until soft but not browned. Puree in a high-speed blender.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 1 hour
Chill at least 6 hours
Serves about 10 people
Crumb Crust
- spiced biscuits
- melted butter, liquefied, plus extra for greasing
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Mixture
- full-fat cream cheese
- fine sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange
- squash mash (see introduction)
- thickener
- aromatic cinnamon
- warm ginger
- freshly grated nutmeg
- clove spice
- room-temperature eggs, warmed slightly
- sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- maple sweetener
- sugar
- 90g pecans, coarsely cut
- sea salt flakes
- heavy cream
Set the oven to 365F and lightly grease the base and sides with a springform pan. In a food processor the biscuits into crumbs, place in a mixing bowl. Mix in the butter and salt, combine until moistened. Place in the buttered container, compact it well, bake for 10 minutes, set aside to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to a lower temp. In the meantime, place the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer, whip using the paddle on medium-low until well blended. Mix in the puree, thickener, and seasonings, then mix on medium-low well mixed. Introduce the eggs separately, incorporating fully between each addition, then add the cream and extract, mix until fully incorporated.
Pour the pumpkin filling onto the set base and smooth the top with a tool. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to release trapped air, then bake the dessert centered in the oven until set until the sides are firm with a jiggly middle. Turn off the oven, crack the door open and let it cool down for one hour. After cooling, chill for at least six hours (and up to three days), until completely set.
Meanwhile, prepare the brittle (up to three days ahead). Set the oven to 410F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Stir together the syrup and sweetener over heat and stir gently over a low heat for about a minute. Stir in the chopped pecans, stop heating transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until golden and bubbly, take out and cool. After cooling completely, break into chunks keeping in an airtight container frozen.
Release the dessert from the springform place on a serving dish. Whip the cream until fluffy, then place over the center leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle over the top, offering more on the side.
