Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake

• portioner: 1 huge basque cheesecake

Ingredienser

475g cream cheese

425g tinned pumpkin puree or fresh OR 1 x delica pumpkin to make your own puree

6 eggs

375g double cream

275g sugar

10g flaky salt

25g plain flour

OPTIONAL spices

2g cinnamon

2g ginger

1g nutmeg

Vejledning

Method - Pumpkin Puree

Making your own puree? Well LOOK AT YOU! Get your oven on to 160c fan

Cut your pumpkin in half and place cut face down on a baking tray with parchment

Bake for 40 mins until very soft. A knife should easily pierce the flesh

Allow to cool completely

Remove the flesh and puree in a food processor until completely smooth

Pass through a sieve, twice, if you can be bothered. It’s worth putting it into the sieve and allowing some of the water separate out. Discard this liquid! By now it should be looking gorgeously smooth

Pumpkin puree will be good in the fridge for 5 days

Method - Cheesecake

Preheat your oven to 220c fan. You’ll turn it down once the cheesecake goes in but i want to make sure it’s super HOT!

Prepare your cake tin - cut two large squares of paper and place them into your 8inch cake in at an angle so you have high sides of paper around the whole tin

Beat your cream cheese slightly until there are no lumps. You don’t want to put air into it but you do want to make sure it is smooth

Once smooth, mix in the pumpkin puree and combine til homogenous

Now it’s time to add the eggs in - go one by one and slowly, ensuring each egg is completely combined before adding the next

Meanwhile, get your caramel on. In a pan, add all of your sugar and put onto a medium heat heat, stirring occasionally until it has melted, there are no lumps of sugar and it is a light amber. We’re not going for anything too crazy dark here

Once you’ve reached the desired colour, add your cream slowly. Be aware it will sputter and spit and steam and you need to whisk it well

Add the rest of your cream slowly. Do add it slowly otherwise you’ll have lumps of hard caramel in your mixture

When all the cream is in, bring it back to bubbling and add in your spices, if using

Set caramel sauce mixture aside to cool slightly whilst you get on with the next step

Place your salt and flour into a clean bowl

Pour a little of your egg/cream cheese/pumpkin mixture into your flour, whisking until there are no lumps

Continue adding small amounts until you have a smooth mixture that can easily be added back into the rest of the cream cheese/egg/pumpkin mixture

Once you’re sure there are no lumps, combine it all back together

Slowly add in your caramel sauce mixture and mix until homogeneous

Pour your cheesecake batter into the prepared cake tin

Place into the oven. Turn the temperature down to 205c fan

Bake for 35mins - 45 mins, turning it up to MAX temp for the last 5 mins if it isn’t colouring. It will be super jiggly and hopefully burnished and deeply caramelised.

Now it’s time for the wait…

35 min baking time - allow to cool and set in the fridge for 6-7 hours or overnight

45 min baking time - allow to cool and set in the fridge for 2-3 hours

Eat cold from the fridge or you can let it warm for 30 mins or so

This cheesecake lasts well in the fridge for 5 days. But please, for the love of thanksgiving, when you’re slicing up the cheesecake, PLEASE wipe your knife between slices! I’ll totally know if you don’t.