John's devilish pumpkin and ginger cheesecake
John Whaite's making the perfect devilish dessert to feast on after an evening of trick or treating!
Pumpkin and ginger cheesecake
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the Base
500g gingernut biscuits100g unsalted butter
For the Filling
2 x 280g tubs full fat cream cheese½ a 425g can of pumpkin puree125g caster sugar½ tsp salt1 heaped tsp mixed spice2 large eggs
To decorate (optional)
200ml whipped creamMini chocolate chips or small raisins
Essential Equipment
23cm/9-inch loose-bottomed round cake tin, greased
Method
To make the base place the gingernut biscuits and butter into a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. (If you don’t have a food processor, crush the biscuits to crumbs in asandwich bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter and add to the crumbs)
Tip the biscuit crumbs into the cake tin and press in with the back of a spoon to tightly compact it onto the base and halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Chill in the fridge until required. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3
Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl along with the pumpkin puree and beat together until smooth. Add the sugar, salt and spice and beat in, before adding the eggs and mixing to a smooth batter
Pour into the cake tin to 3mm from the top of the biscuit base, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cheese filling looks fairly set with a slight tremble in the middle when gently nudged
Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for 2 hours before serving
If decorating whisk the cream to the soft peak stage. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe ghouls on top of the cheesecake, swirling the cream around
Use the chocolate chips or raisins to make ‘eyes’. Or just serve with a spoonful of whipped cream