Savor this Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle

Smooth, spiced and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert is a celebration of fall coziness. I skip prepared pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I recommend baking fresh squash varieties. Roasting enhances its natural sweetness and reduces extra liquid, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree imparting authentic character. The maple pecan brittle completes the dessert: caramelized, rich and providing a textural contrast complementing the velvety texture.

Autumn Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle

For 200g pumpkin puree, dice 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into cubes, then roast, loosely covered, in a hot oven cooked through but not colored. Blend using a powerful blender.

Prep 10 min
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill overnight
Serves 8 to 10

For the Base

• gingersnap cookies
• 70g unsalted butter, softened, and some for coating
• sea salt

Creamy Layer

• 500g cream cheese
• 150g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• homemade puree (prepared earlier)
• cornstarch
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ginger powder
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• hint of cloves
• fresh eggs, warmed slightly
• tangy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crunchy Finish

• maple sweetener
• sugar
• 90g pecans, coarsely cut
• a pinch of salt
• heavy cream

Heat the oven at a moderate heat and lightly grease the bottom and edges with a springform pan. Pulse the cookies to fine crumbs, place in a medium bowl. Mix in the salty butter, stir coating the crumbs. Transfer to the buttered container, press down firmly, cook briefly, set aside to cool.

Lower the setting to a lower temp. At the same time, place the cheese, sweetener, and zest in a stand mixer, whip on low speed on medium-low until smooth and creamy. Mix in the puree, thickener, and seasonings, blend at low speed until incorporated. Mix in eggs separately, incorporating fully one by one, next include the soured cream and vanilla, mix until fully incorporated.

Scoop the pumpkin filling onto the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top with a small spatula. Tap the tin gently on a worktop to remove bubbles, then cook the dessert in the middle of the oven until set until the edges are set with a jiggly middle. Stop baking, leave the door ajar and let it cool down for one hour. After cooling, refrigerate for 6+ hours (or longer), until fully chilled.

In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (in advance). Heat the oven to 410F cover a tray with baking paper. Stir together the maple syrup and sugar over heat mixing on low briefly. Add in the nuts and salt, take off the stove and scrape into the lined tray. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. Once the brittle is completely hard, chop into irregular pieces place in a sealed jar chilled.

Open the cake from the springform place on a serving dish. Beat the cream to a light consistency, then spoon over the center leaving a 3-4cm border. Add the crunchy bits across the surface, then serve with extra pecan brittle alongside.