Savor this Silky Autumn Cheesecake with Crunchy Maple Pecans
Silky, spiced and just sweet enough, this seasonal treat is a celebration of harvest warmth. I skip prepared pumpkin – the taste is bland and thin – so I’ve taken the extra step to roast fresh squash varieties. The oven’s heat brings out the inherent sugars and reduces extra liquid, yielding a smooth, flavourful puree that gives the cheesecake authentic character. A crunchy pecan topping adds the perfect finish: caramelized, rich and providing a textural contrast against the velvety texture.
Autumn Cheesecake and Crunchy Pecan Topping
To make 200g pumpkin puree, dice a medium squash, peeled and seeded in sections, bake, lightly covered, at 200C (180C fan) until tender without browning. Process using a powerful blender.
Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 1 hr
Chill overnight
Serves 8 to 10
Base Ingredients
- 200g ginger nut biscuits
- melted butter, liquefied, plus extra for greasing
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
Creamy Layer
- soft cheese
- white sugar
- citrus peel
- 200g pumpkin puree (prepared earlier)
- thickener
- cinnamon spice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- hint of cloves
- room-temperature eggs, not cold
- tangy cream
- pure vanilla
For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping
- maple sweetener
- fine sugar
- 90g pecans, in chunks
- sea salt flakes
- whipping cream
Heat the oven at a moderate heat then butter the bottom and edges of a 20cm round springform tin. Pulse the ginger nuts into crumbs, then tip into a container. Add the salty butter, stir coating the crumbs. Transfer to the prepared pan, press down firmly, cook briefly, set aside to cool.
Turn down the heat to 175C (155C fan). At the same time, put the cheese, sweetener, and zest into a mixer bowl, then beat on low speed at a gentle pace until well blended. Add the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, and beat at low speed until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly one by one, next include the cream and extract, whip until combined.
Scoop the pumpkin filling onto the cooled biscuit base even the surface using a spatula. Tap the tin gently on the counter to release trapped air, then cook the cake in the middle of the oven until set with set edges and a soft center. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar allowing it to cool for 60 minutes. Once it’s at room temperature, refrigerate for 6+ hours (and up to three days), until firm.
In the meantime, make the pecan brittle (up to three days ahead). Set the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet using liner. Combine the syrup and sweetener in a pot and stir gently over a low heat until dissolved. Add in the chopped pecans, then remove from the heat transfer to the sheet. Bake for about eight minutes, until crisp, set aside. Once the brittle is completely hard, cut roughly and store in a container in the freezer.
Open the dessert from the springform and transfer to a platter. Whisk the cream until fluffy, then place on top of the cake leaving space around. Scatter most of the pecan brittle on top, then serve with extra pecan brittle alongside.
