Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Pecans

September 07, 2020

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Pecans

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time for Cheesecakes: 25 minutes total

Cooling time: 1 hour out of Oven, 6 hours or Overnight in refrigerator

Servings: 12 - 16 mini cheesecakes

Tips:

1. Make the Caramel for the shards a day ahead.

2. The Salted Caramel sauce can be made a day ahead too.

3. The whipped cream topping is best made with an electric beater. Make the whip right before you put the parts of the dessert together.

4. The pumpkin cheesecake is best served after chilling for at least 6hours or overnight.

Ingredients you will need:

For the Pumpkin Cheesecake:

* 1cup Gingersnap cookie crumbs

* 1/2cup Pecan halves

* 1 1/2tbsp Brown Sugar

* 1/2tsp Ground Cinnamon

* 3tbsp Melted Unsalted butter

* 12oz Cream cheese at room temperature (approximately 1 and 1/2 packages)

* 1/4cup Brown Sugar

* 1/4cup Granulated Sugar

* 1tbsp Cornstarch

* 1cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

* 2tbsp Sour cream

* 1tsp Vanilla extract

* 1tsp Pumpkin pie spice

* 2 Eggs

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

* 1cup granulated sugar

* 6tbsp salted butter cubed at room temperature

* 1/2cup Heavy cream

* 1tsp Vanilla extract

* 1 tsp fine sea salt

For the Salted Caramel Shards and Topping:

* 1cup Granulated sugar

* 1tbsp sea salt flakes

* 1/2cup Pecan halves, chopped

For the Whipped Cream topping:

* 1cup whipping cream - chilled

* 5tbsp Confectioners Sugar (Icing sugar)

* 1tsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees. Line a 12 -16 cup muffin pan with paper or silicone liners.

2. Add the gingersnap crumbs and the pecan halves to a food processor or blender and pulse until fine crumbs form. Alternately, you can also crush the gingersnap cookies and combine with the pecan halves (well-chopped).

3. Empty into a bowl, add in the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter, mixing until the dry ingredients have been combined with wet ingredients.

4. Put a spoon of the mixture into each liner, and press down to make a base for the cheesecake mixture. Bake at 350degrees for 5 minutes. Take it out of the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool.

5. For the cheesecake mixture, beat the cream cheese, cornstarch, granulated sugar and brown sugar together, using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Beat until creamy (usually 1-2 minutes, scraping sides so as to ensure everything is well blended).

6. Add pumpkin puree, sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin spice, and beat well, until smooth.

7. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating slowly, until just combined. Do not overbeat.

8. Scrape sides of bowl ensuring the mixture is well combined. Tap the bowl to ensure any air bubbles leave.

9. Turn down oven to 325degrees. Fill each liner with the cheesecake batter. The batter can be filled almost to the very top of each liner. The batter will not overflow when baking.

10. Bake at 325degrees for 18-20 minutes. Depending on the heat of your oven, you may need a minute or two extra or less, for baking.

11. Once out of the oven, leave it to cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours minimum.

12. If topping the cheesecakes with the salted caramel sauce, make the sauce while the cheesecakes chill.

13. For the sauce add the sugar to a heavy bottomed non-stick pan and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly. The sugar will melt as you continue stirring. Do not stop stirring, even of the sugar clumps, as it will eventually melt again. Scrape the sides of the pan as you go.

14. Once the caramel turns a deep amber, turn heat down to low and add in the cubes of butter. Whisk well, and constantly until the butter melts.

15. Once the butter is combined, slowly pour in the cream, whisking vigorously. If the cream is too cold the caramel may clump. This can be fixed by increasing the heat.

16. Once the caramel boils for 1 minute, remove from heat, add vanilla and sea salt and stir. Can be made up to a day ahead.

17. For the cream whip, add the whipped cream to a stainless steel bowl, and using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip the cream until soft peaks start to form. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract, and whip on medium-high speed, until the cream holds peaks. Turn beater to high and whip for 1 minute. Leave in refrigerator to chill until ready to use.

18. Once ready to use, put the whip cream into a piping bag to pipe onto the pumpkin cheesecakes.

18. To make the topping of the salted caramel shards mixed with pecans, line a baking tray with a sheet of foil.

19. Place the sugar with a 1/4cup of water in a pan, over low heat, and leave to dissolve sugar. Turn heat up to medium-high, and cook, swirling pan slightly, and brushing sides down with a damp pastry brush. DO NOT STIR. Leave to cook on medium heat swirling pan occasionally. Cook it until it turns golden brown. Ensure you do not overcook it, and burn the caramel. When the consistency turns light golden brown, and the mixture separates from the sides of the pan take it off the heat.

20. Quickly pour the caramel onto the lined baking sheet, swirling to spread the caramel, so as to get an even thin sheet. Sprinkle seal salt flakes over caramel. Leave to cool.

21. Once cool, break the caramel into small shards. Put the shards and the chopped pecans into a box with an airtight lid, and shake until the pecans and shards break into fine small pieces.