Indulge in this Silky Autumn Cheesecake featuring Crunchy Maple Pecans

Smooth, spiced and not overly sugary, this delightful dessert captures autumnal comfort. I’m not a fan of canned puree – it’s watery and flat-tasting – so I’ve taken the extra step of roasting fresh squash varieties. Roasting coaxes out the sweet flavor removing extra liquid, resulting in a deep, aromatic mash imparting authentic character. A crunchy pecan topping adds the perfect finish: golden, nutty and with just the right amount of crunch to offset the cheesecake’s creamy softness.

Autumn Cheesecake and Maple Pecan Brittle

Prepare the pumpkin base, dice 350-400g peeled, deseeded pumpkin into chunks, bake, lightly covered, in a hot oven until tender without browning. Process using a powerful blender.

Prep a brief 10 minutes
Cook about 1¾ hours
Cool 60 minutes
Chill 6 hr+
Serves about 10 people

Base Ingredients

• gingersnap cookies
• rich butter, liquefied, plus extra for greasing
• ⅛ tsp fine sea salt

Cheesecake Mixture

• soft cheese
• fine sugar
• orange zest
• squash mash (prepared earlier)
• cornstarch
• cinnamon spice
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• hint of cloves
• fresh eggs, warmed slightly
• 100ml soured cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Maple Pecan Brittle Topping

• pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• nut pieces, roughly chopped
• sea salt flakes
• heavy cream

Heat the oven at a moderate heat and lightly grease the entire interior of a 20cm round springform tin. Using a processor the ginger nuts into crumbs, transfer to a container. Mix in the salty butter, combine coating the crumbs. Tip into the prepared pan, press down firmly, cook briefly, then remove and leave to cool.

Turn down the heat to 175C (155C fan). In the meantime, add the cheese, sweetener, and zest in a stand mixer, mix with the paddle attachment at a gentle pace until smooth and creamy. Incorporate the pumpkin puree, cornflour and spices, blend on medium-low until incorporated. Mix in eggs separately, mixing thoroughly between each addition, then add the cream and extract, and beat until smooth.

Scoop the cheesecake mixture over the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top with a small spatula. Give it a gentle shake on a worktop to release trapped air, then heat the cheesecake centered in the oven for about three-quarters of an hour with set edges and the centre is slightly wobbly. Switch off the heat, leave the door ajar and let it cool down for an hour. After cooling, refrigerate for 6+ hours (or for days), until fully chilled.

Meanwhile, make the pecan brittle (up to three days ahead). Set the oven to a high temperature and prepare a baking sheet with baking paper. Stir together the syrup and sweetener in a pot and heat slowly over a low heat for about a minute. Stir in the chopped pecans, then remove from the heat and spread on the tray. Heat until golden, until crisp, then remove and leave to cool. After cooling completely, cut roughly place in an airtight container frozen.

Remove the cheesecake from its tin move to a plate. Beat the cream until fluffy, then place on top of the cake leaving space around. Add the crunchy bits over the top, with additional brittle for serving.