RIPE FOR SEDUCTION
THIS TEXTURAL TREAT TOPS A CRUNCHY BASE WITH A SILKY FILLING
This blockbuster dessert is a bit naughty. I’m always seduced by a well-made cheesecake rather than a deconstructed, fermented flight of fancy festooned with flowers and superfluous soil. All successful desserts play on the appeal of contrasting textures. The crunchy base and contrasting filling (thank you, pumpkin) provide a double bonus — both a failsafe cheesecake and chocolate recipe for your repertoire.
CHOCOLATE AND PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS
16 digestive biscuits, blitzed to a crumb
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp sea salt
80g dark chocolate, melted
FILLING
170g dark chocolate, chopped 55g unsalted butter, diced 400g steamed and pureed pumpkin
1 tin condensed milk
150g brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla paste
1½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger Berries, cream, to serve
METHOD
Preheat oven to 175C. Combine biscuits, butter, sugars and salt in a bowl. Press mix into bottom and up sides of a 23cm round spring-form tin and bake for 10 mins or until firm and golden. Remove from oven, and ‘paint’ with chocolate. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 150C.
FILLING:
Preheat oven to 150C. Set a large metal bowl over a pot of simmering water, stir together chocolate and butter until melted, then remove from heat. Combine pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornflour, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a medium bowl. Pour pumpkinchocolate mixture on to base and bake until just set. Test after 50 mins. A little wobble in the centre is good. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack then chill well overnight. Serve with berries and cream.