Pumpkin Cheesecake 🍂

September 13, 2021

As it does every September, his majesty the pumpkin returns to my house, mercilessly shoving a large proportion of the other vegetables out of the fridge and off the cupboard shelves. That wonderful orange colour paints most of my dishes for almost the whole of autumn, from stews, soups and bakes to cakes, pies and even drinks. It is precisely for that reason that today I want to share one of the most delicious pumpkin cheesecake recipes, to help you get going with autumn's seasonal cooking too.

This pumpkin cheesecake is perfectly creamy, moist and full of that iconic autumn flavour. Cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, allspice, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg (otherwise known in English aspumpkin spice mix) come together with cream cheese and pumpkin purée to create one of the most recognisable seasonal flavours there is. The biscuit base with its note of cinnamon adds extra texture and „warmth”, and a cap of cream – a pleasing lightness. I guarantee you will be reaching for a second slice!

TIPS FOR MAKING PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

This quantity makes quite a lot of cheesecake. I baked mine in a 22x28cm tin, but you can happily halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller round or square tin.

Before you start, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Otherwise the texture can turn grainy, because the ingredients won't combine properly.

It is very important not to overbake the cheesecake. It should be fairly firm at the edges, with a centre that wobbles when nudged gently. An overbaked cheesecake dries out and turns grainy.

The texture also depends on whether you choose mascarpone or cream cheese (Philadelphia, for instance). With cream cheese the cheesecake comes out especially silky, but for this particular one I used mascarpone (an entirely personal choice – I am a big mascarpone fan).

For pumpkin baking it is very convenient to use ready-made tinned pumpkin purée, but it is unbelievably simple to make your own from fresh pumpkin. For the purée, cut the pumpkin into cubes (skin removed), spread them on a tray lined with baking paper and roast at 180°C until soft (about 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes). Blend the roasted pumpkin in a food processor or blender. That's it, the purée is ready! It is very handy to freeze the finished purée in small portions – that is exactly how I deal with all my pumpkins, and then you can plan dishes with this orange beauty without any stress.

P.S. You might also likePumpkin and Rududu Bars, which I made last autumn.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Servings8

Ingredients

For the biscuit base

200 g biscuits
115 g butter (melted)
½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the pumpkin cheesecake

200 g sugar
150 g brown sugar
1 tbsp gingerbread spice mix
1 tbsp cornflour
675 g mascarpone
60 g full-fat sour cream
425 g pumpkin purée*
3 eggs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a tin of your chosen size with baking paper or foil (I used a 22x28cm tin)
Blitz the biscuits to crumbs in a food processor and mix them thoroughly with the cinnamon and melted butter. Tip the mixture into the tin and press it into a firm base.
Bake the base in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, then take it out and leave it to cool while you make the pumpkin-cheese mixture.
In a bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, gingerbread spices and cornflour thoroughly.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone with the sugar mixture until smooth and fluffy.
Add the pumpkin purée and the sour cream and beat well again.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Pour the mixture over the baked biscuit base and bake at 170°C for about 45-60 minutes (the time depends on your tin). When done, the cheesecake should be fairly firm at the edges, while the centre should wobble slightly when nudged. The top should not start to brown.
Once baked, turn the oven off, open the door slightly and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature (about half an hour). Then move it to the fridge for at least 4 hours, or better still overnight. Enjoy!

Notes

*for the pumpkin purée, cut the pumpkin into cubes (skin removed), spread them on a tray lined with baking paper and roast at 180°C until soft (about 20-40 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes). Blend the roasted pumpkin in a food processor or blender.