Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake
Photography by Josh Griggs.
One of my favourite flavour discoveries from trips to the States is this rich combination of sweet, spiced pumpkin – totally delicious and addictive! As a bonus, it keeps beautifully for a day or two when made in advance.
Serves: 10-12
INGREDIENTS
750 grams peeled, de-seeded pumpkin, cut into 6cm chunks
2 tablespoons maple syrup
250 grams gingernuts or similar biscuits
45 grams melted butter
875 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups caster sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons custard powder
4 large eggs
Equipment: Grease a 23cm cake tin with a removable base and line the base and sides with baking paper.
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C regular bake.
Line a roasting dish with baking paper. Place the chunks of pumpkin in the dish, drizzle with the first measure of maple syrup, then cover with tinfoil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. Cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces to cool.
Blend the gingernuts in a food processor. Add the butter and blend again until smooth crumbs form. Tip into the lined baking tin and press down with your fingertips, then smooth out with the back of a tablespoon. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Reduce the oven to 150°C. Place the cooled pumpkin pieces in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Allow pumpkin to cool for a further 5 minutes, then add the cream cheese, sugar, spices, salt, second measure of maple syrup and custard powder and blend again until smooth. Add the eggs and pulse briefly to combine, then pour onto the base.
Tap the tin on the bench to pop any air bubbles, then bake for 1 hour, or until the cheesecake still has a bit of wobble in the middle. Allow to cool in the oven for at least 2 hours before removing.
TO SERVE: Remove from the fridge half an hour before serving.
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Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!