Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with toffee sauce

Mini pumpkin cheesecakes with toffee sauce are little autumn treats that are surprisingly intense in flavour. The creamy, delicately spiced pumpkin filling pairs beautifully with fragrant orange zest, while the whole thing is finished with a silky toffee sauce. I served mine with lemon sorbet as well – and this is the combination I particularly recommend. The refreshing lemon beautifully cuts through the sweetness of the toffee and brings out the flavours of the pumpkin and orange. These are small desserts, just a few bites each, but the creamy cheesecake filling makes them surprisingly satisfying.

Which pumpkin do I use for baking? In Poland, a good variety for baking is Hokkaido pumpkin, known in the UK as Red Kuri squash. It has a delicate flavour, mealy flesh and an intense orange colour. It’s very versatile and can be used in a wide range of dishes.

Makes 12.

Ingredients for mini pumpkin cheesecakes:

• Oreo biscuits (remove the cream filling), half a packet, i.e. 6 biscuits
• 600 g curd cheese, ground at least three times
• 100 ml double cream
• 200 g pumpkin purée*
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 packet vanilla custard powder (40 g)
• finely grated zest of 1 orange

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Place half an Oreo biscuit in the bottom of each case.

Place the curd cheese, double cream, egg, sugar, pumpkin purée, vanilla custard powder and freshly grated orange zest in the bowl of a mixer. Mix briefly, just until you have a smooth cheesecake mixture. Do not mix for too long, as you don’t want to incorporate unnecessary air into the mixture. Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly between the paper cases.

Bake at 160°C for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Before serving, drizzle with toffee sauce (recipe below). They can also be served with lemon sorbet.

Ingredients for toffee sauce:

• 60 g light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 60 ml double cream
• 30 g butter

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook for 2–3 minutes. Carefully add the double cream (the mixture may bubble up vigorously) and stir. Cook for a further 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Store the mini pumpkin cheesecakes with toffee sauce in the fridge.

Enjoy!