Spice up with the flavour of Autumnal season, this traditional Basque dessert with the addition of roasted pumpkin and your favourite spices. The result is a creamy and silky-smooth cheesecake, in time for the holiday season.
Ingredients for 1 cheesecake of 18cm
Ingredients:
- 350 g full fat cream cheese
- 235 g caster sugar
- 30 g honey
- 240 g homemade pumpkin or butternut squash puree – see tips
- 225 g soured cream
- 3 medium eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla paste
- 2 g cinnamon
- 2 g ginger
- 2 g of freshly grated nutmeg
- To serve: whipped cream to soft peaks, chopped pecans, cinnamon - optional
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 fan assisted/Gas mark 4), line an 18cm round baking tin with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, start by whisking your cream cheese, vanilla paste, honey and sugar until all combined. Add the puree of your choice and continue to whisk.
- At this point, start by adding one egg at the time, and finally the soured cream.
- Add your spice blend and fold slowly until well distributed
- Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin through a sieve and shake to remove any bubbles.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you feel brave enough, you can bake for a further 10 minutes until the cheesecake is well risen, centre is slightly wobbly, and the top looks burnt.
- Let cool at room temperature and then place into the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Serve with whipped cream, thinly chopped pecans and some more cinnamon powder.
Top Tips:
- This version is GF, but you can add 25 g of plain flour for some stability, at the time you introduce the spices.
- You could use tinned puree, however, roast yours when in season, until caramelised. Once the pumpkin or squash has been roasted, make sure to squeeze all the water out of the pulp until silky smooth. One medium butternut will give you about 240 g of final product.
- Fancy an extra crunch? Add your favourite biscuit base to the tin before pouring the cheesecake mixture.
