Discover a Creamy Autumn Cheesecake with Maple Pecan Brittle

Smooth, flavorful and perfectly sweetened, this delightful dessert is a celebration of autumnal comfort. I’m not a fan of canned puree – it lacks depth and flavor – so I recommend baking some butternut or Kent squash. Roasting coaxes out its natural sweetness and reduces excess moisture, resulting in a smooth, flavourful puree imparting real depth. Golden nut brittle provides the final flourish: caramelized, rich and providing a textural contrast to offset the cheesecake’s creamy softness.

Pumpkin Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle

For 200g pumpkin puree, dice 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into chunks, bake, loosely covered, in a hot oven until tender without browning. Puree in a high-speed blender.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hour 45 minutes
Cool 60 minutes
Chill at least 6 hours
Serves 8-10

Crumb Crust

• 200g ginger nut biscuits
• melted butter, melted, and some for coating
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt

Creamy Layer

• full-fat cream cheese
• white sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange
• squash mash (see introduction)
• cornstarch
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• warm ginger
• freshly grated nutmeg
• clove spice
• room-temperature eggs, at room temperature
• 100ml soured cream
• vanilla

For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping

• pure maple syrup
• fine sugar
• nut pieces, roughly chopped
• 1 large pinch flaky sea salt
• whipping cream

Set the oven at a moderate heat then butter the bottom and edges of a 20cm round springform tin. Pulse the biscuits to fine crumbs, then tip into a container. Incorporate the melted butter and salt, stir coating the crumbs. Place in the prepared pan, compact it well, bake for 10 minutes, set aside to cool.

Reduce the heat to 355F. Meanwhile, put the cream cheese, sugar and orange zest in a stand mixer, then beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low to a creamy texture. Add the spiced pumpkin mix, and beat at low speed until incorporated. Mix in eggs individually, incorporating fully after each one, then add the soured cream and vanilla, whip until fully incorporated.

Transfer the pumpkin filling onto the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top with a small spatula. Lightly tap the pan on a worktop to remove bubbles, then cook the cheesecake in the middle of the oven for about three-quarters of an hour with set edges and a soft center. Turn off the oven, keep the oven slightly open and let it cool down for an hour. Once it’s at room temperature, chill for at least six hours (or longer), until fully chilled.

In the meantime, create the topping (in advance). Heat the oven to 410F cover a tray with parchment. Mix the syrup and sweetener in a pot mixing gently for about a minute. Stir in the pecans and sea salt, then remove from the heat and spread on the tray. Heat until golden, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. When fully hardened, chop into irregular pieces place in a container in the freezer.

Release the dessert from the pan and transfer to a platter. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then place into the middle of the cheesecake leaving a 3-4cm border. Sprinkle the brittle on top, then serve with extra pecan brittle alongside.