Halloween pumpkin cheesecake

A delicious pumpkin cheesecake with warm orange and spice flavours, baked on a crisp Oreo cookie crust and decorated for Halloween. I made the little ghosts using Italian meringue from the leftover egg whites, but you can just as easily top the cheesecake with baked meringue kisses instead. The cheesecake itself has the perfect texture – rich, smooth and slightly creamy, without rising or sinking during baking. A wonderful autumn dessert!

What type of pumpkin is best for baking? In Poland, Hokkaido pumpkin is one of the best varieties for baking. In the UK, look for Red Kuri squash. It has a naturally sweet flavour, a dense, dry flesh and a deep orange colour, making it ideal for cakes, cheesecakes and desserts.

Ingredients for the Oreo crust:

• 160 g Oreo or Neo cookies (or any black cocoa biscuits), with the cream filling removed (weight refers to the biscuits only)
• 40 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits and melted butter into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin, then mix with the melted butter.

Line the base of a 23 cm springform tin with baking paper. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the base.

Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and wrap the outside of the tin twice with aluminium foil, as the cheesecake will be baked in a water bath.*

Ingredients for the pumpkin cheesecake filling:

• 750 g full-fat or semi-fat curd cheese, finely ground three times
• 250 g mascarpone
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons potato starch (or cornflour/cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 190 g caster sugar
• 425 g pumpkin purée*
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Place all of the filling ingredients into the bowl of a mixer and mix just until smooth and combined. Do not overmix, as incorporating too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise and then sink. The finished cheesecake should remain perfectly level.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Pour the filling over the baked biscuit crust (it can still be warm). Place the cheesecake into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 150°C. Bake in a water bath* for about 1 hour 20 minutes, or a little longer if necessary. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight. Before decorating, bring it to room temperature and gently blot any moisture from the surface. Slice using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.

Ingredients for the Italian meringue ghosts:

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 240 g caster sugar (220 g + 20 g)
• 40 ml water

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Make sure the bowl is completely clean and free from any traces of grease. Set aside the extra 20 g sugar.

In a small saucepan combine 220 g sugar and the water. Stir once, then bring to the boil. Attach a sugar thermometer and cook over medium heat without stirring until the syrup reaches 118°C. When the syrup reaches about 100°C, begin whipping the egg whites. Beat until stiff peaks form, gradually adding the reserved 20 g sugar, one teaspoon at a time. Once the syrup reaches 118°C, remove it immediately from the heat. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly pour the hot syrup into the whipped egg whites in a thin stream. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue whipping for 5–8 minutes, until the meringue is thick, glossy, very stiff and completely cool.

Bring the chilled cheesecake to room temperature and blot any moisture from the surface. Transfer the Italian meringue to a piping bag with the tip cut off and pipe ghost shapes onto the cheesecake. Decorate the faces with melted chocolate.

You will also need:

• a few squares of dark chocolate, melted

*Baking the cheesecake in a water bath:

Place the wrapped springform tin inside a larger roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Pour boiling water into the outer tin until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cheesecake tin. Baking in a water bath creates a humid environment that helps the cheesecake bake evenly, prevents cracks and gives it a beautifully smooth, creamy texture.

Enjoy!