Pumpkin cheesecake

Ingredients

• Scant 1/2 cup (50 g) all-purpose flour (or light spelt flour) 
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar 
• Scant 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (1 1/3 sticks/150 g) cold butter, plus more for the pan 
• 1 2/3 cups (150 g) rolled oats (not instant) 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (60 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped 
• 1 cup (250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 3 eggs 
• 2 cups (500 g) mashed pumpkin 
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or Chinese five-spice powder (star anise, black pepper, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon), or speculaas spices 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Some cinnamon, to garnish

Method

You’ll need mashed pumpkin for this recipe. Chop the pumpkin into large chunks, remove the seeds, and cook for 20 minutes. Let them sit for a while, and then hold them under running cold water and peel the skin. Then puree the pumpkin in a blender or in a bowl with an immersion blender.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Grease a 12-by-8-inch (30-by-20-cm) baking sheet and line it with parchment paper; let it stick out a little on the short ends as this will make it easier to lift the cake off the tray. Grease the parchment paper as well.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the flour with 1/4 cup (50 g) of the granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar. Add the butter and pulse a few times until you have a crumbly dough. (You can do this with your hands if you work quickly and have cold hands.)

With a spatula, stir in the oats, salt, and walnuts. Divide the dough into two parts of two-thirds and one-third. Press out the larger portion over the bottom of the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

With a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese, the remaining 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, the eggs, pumpkin, spices, and vanilla until all is mixed well.

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the prebaked bottom and drop the remaining one-third oat mix in little dots on top.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then lift the bars up, using the parchment paper at the sides as handles, and let cool on a rack.

Slice when completely cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Home Baked by Yvette van Boven, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang (£25.00), buy it from Abrams & Chronicle Books.

Images © 2015 Oof Verschuren.