Pumpkin is one of the staple ingredients of a Thanksgiving dessert in America. Whilst usually baked into a classic pumpkin pie, this cheesecake – packed with pumpkin purée and lots of fragrant spices – would make a perfect alternative. You can serve the cheesecake with fresh berries and extra cream if you wish. I use Libby’s pumpkin purée but you can prepare your own purée by following my tip below.
FOR THE BASE
200 g/7 oz. digestive biscuits/graham crackers
100 g/7 tablespoons butter, melted
FOR THE FILLING
600 g/2⅔ cups cream cheese
225 g/1 cup clotted cream (use crème fraîche if not available)
160 ml/⅔ cup double/heavy cream
100 g/½ cup caster/white sugar
425 g/1¾ cups pumpkin purée
4 eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed/apple pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
TO SERVE
icing/confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon, for dusting
whipped cream
a 26-cm/10-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
To make the crumb base, crush the biscuits/graham crackers to fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the buttery crumbs into the base of the prepared cake pan firmly using the back of a spoon. Wrap the outside of the pan in cling film/plastic wrap and place in a roasting pan half full with water, ensuring that the water is not so high as to spill out. Set aside.
For the filling, whisk together the cream cheese, clotted cream, double/heavy cream, sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, cinnamon, mixed/apple pie spice and vanilla bean paste in a blender or with an electric whisk. Pour the mixture over the crumb base and transfer the cheesecake, in its waterbath, to the preheated oven. Bake in the preheated oven for 45–60 minutes until the cheesecake is set but still wobbles slightly in the centre. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven until cool. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, then dust the top with icing/confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon to serve.
Tip: To prepare your own pumpkin purée, peel and chop pumpkin or butternut squash, then wrap in foil with a little water and a drizzle of maple syrup. Roast in a moderate oven until the flesh is soft, then purée in a food processor until smooth.