Discover a Creamy Autumn Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle
Velvety, spiced and perfectly sweetened, this pumpkin cheesecake captures fall coziness. I avoid canned puree – the taste is bland and thin – so I recommend baking some butternut or Kent squash. The oven’s heat enhances the inherent sugars removing extra liquid, resulting in a deep, aromatic mash imparting genuine complexity. Golden nut brittle completes the dessert: golden, nutty and with just the right amount of crunch to offset the smooth filling.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Crunchy Pecan Topping
Prepare 200g pumpkin puree, chop fresh pumpkin pieces into chunks, bake, loosely covered, at 390F until soft but not browned. Blend in a high-speed blender.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hr
Chill overnight
Serves 8-10
Crumb Crust
- spiced biscuits
- 70g unsalted butter, liquefied, and some for coating
- a pinch of salt
Creamy Layer
- full-fat cream cheese
- 150g caster sugar
- citrus peel
- 200g pumpkin puree (see introduction)
- 2 tsp cornflour
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- warm ginger
- freshly grated nutmeg
- clove spice
- 2 large eggs, not cold
- 100ml soured cream
- vanilla
Pecan Garnish
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- nut pieces, roughly chopped
- a pinch of salt
- heavy cream
Preheat your oven to 185C (165C fan) then butter the entire interior using a cake tin. In a food processor the cookies into crumbs, then tip into a mixing bowl. Mix in the melted butter and salt, stir so the crumbs are evenly damp. Place in the buttered container, press down firmly, bake for 10 minutes, set aside to cool.
Lower the heat to a lower temp. In the meantime, add the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer, mix with the paddle attachment at a gentle pace until well blended. Mix in the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, then mix on medium-low until incorporated. Mix in eggs one at a time, incorporating fully one by one, next include the cream and extract, whip until smooth.
Scoop the cheesecake mixture on to the prepared crust level it out using a spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a surface to remove bubbles, then bake the dessert on the middle rack for 45 minutes until the edges are set and the centre is slightly wobbly. Stop baking, leave the door ajar and leave the cheesecake to cool for 60 minutes. Once it’s at room temperature, chill for at least six hours (or for days), until firm.
While waiting, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Heat the oven to 410F and line a small oven tray with parchment. Combine the maple syrup and sugar in a pot and stir gently gently briefly. Mix the nuts and salt, then remove from the heat transfer to the sheet. Heat until golden, until caramelized, set aside. When fully hardened, break into chunks place in an airtight container frozen.
Open the cake from the pan place on a serving dish. Beat the cream until fluffy, then spoon into the middle of the cheesecake leaving a 3-4cm border. Add the crunchy bits across the surface, offering more on the side.
