pumpkin chocolate cheesecake

I don't think I've made any secret of my love for pumpkin, especially at this time of year when it just seems like the most perfect ingredient to bake with and flavour everything from cakes and muffins to bread to doughnuts and macarons to...the world's your oyster. Or, rather, pumpkin. So this year I'm incredibly excited to join up with the fabulous Aimee Twigger from Twigg Studios and Sara Cornelius from Cake Over Steak and a whole host of exceptionally talented bloggers and foodies for a Virtual Pumpkin Party. There are tons of brilliant recipes to inspire you so to join the fun, just look for the hashtag #virtualpumpkinparty on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! And at the bottom of this blog post, you'll find the list of all the bloggers and recipes that have joined the party this year :)

I first got my liking for pumpkin when my parents lived in Toronto and I experienced the beautiful thanksgiving desserts (my all time favourite one is Pumpkin Pie) and I fell in love with Pumpkin Waffle Mix from Williams-Sonoma -- and I think this was made even more exciting that there were only short windows of time when their pumpkin pie and waffle mix was available (much like their Rocky Road at Christmas) so you had to stock up big-time and exhaust your pumpkin cravings all in one go. It was worth flying from London to Toronto just to stock my pantry with tins of this pumpkin gold!

For this year's Virtual Pumpkin Party, I decided to make a Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake and in this rich silky dessert you will find individual layers of both pumpkin and chocolate cheesecakes on top of a buttery bourbon biscuit base. It's the perfect end to a party with friends and is totally indulgent and feels super special. My seven inch round cheesecake deliverers eight *very* generous portions, especially with it being so rich, decadent and filling.

I wasn't sure my boys would enjoy this cheesecake, but I'm finding more and more that when I can disguise vegetables IN desserts (probably helped here by the beautiful chocolatey cheesecake on top) they are so much more willing to try it and once they have their first spoonful, they are smitten! Personally I love the layer of orange in the middle of the cheesecake which you can't see from the outside so it delivers a lovely surprise when you cut into it. Every time I make this cheesecake it's an absolute winner with adults and children alike.

I hope you love this dessert as much as we all do and if you are a fan of pumpkin, please do check out all of the amazing bakes below the recipe here - you're sure to be inspired! 🎃

makes a 7 inch cheesecake to serve 8 people

Ingredients

Bourbon Biscuit Base

125G UNSALTED BUTTER
250G CHOCOLATE BOURBON BISCUITS

Pumpkin Cheesecake

110G FULL FAT CREAM CHEESE (at room temperature)
210G MASCARPONE CHEESE (at room temperature)
40G CASTER SUGAR
2 LARGE EGGS
100G PUMPKIN PUREE (I use canned pumpkin here but you can make your own if you prefer by boiling the pumpkin until tender and then blitzing it into a puree)
2 TSP PUMPKIN SPICE

Chocolate Cheesecake

55G FULL FAT CREAM CHEESE (at room temperature)
105G MASCARPONE CHEESE (at room temperature)
20G CASTER SUGAR
1 LARGE EGG
15G COCOA POWDER
30G MILK OR DARK CHOCOLATE (in small pieces)

Method

Grease a 7 inch cake tin with butter and then base line it with baking paper
Put the bourbon biscuits into a food processor and blitz until they resemble fine crumbs
Melt the butter and then mix it together with the crushed biscuits
Press the biscuits into the base of the tin, pressing down so they form a layer with no gaps
Refrigerate for 30 minutes
After 20 mins of chilling the base, make the Pumpkin Cheesecake filling
Put 110g cream cheese, 210g mascarpone and 40g sugar into a stand mixer and beat together until smooth
Add the 2 eggs one at a time with the mixer on medium speed
Add 100g pumpkin puree and 2 tsp pumpkin spice and mix together on medium speed until well blended -- make sure you scrape down the sides of your bowl here so the mixture if fully mixed
Then pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and pop back in the refrigerator for another 30 mins
After 20 mins of chilling the cheesecake, make the Chocolate Cheesecake
Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees (fan)
Melt the milk or dark chocolate and set aside -- you can use a mix of the chocolates if you prefer depending on your taste preferences
Put 55g cream cheese, 105g mascarpone and 20g sugar into a stand mixer and beat together until smooth
Add the egg with the mixer on medium speed
Add the cocoa and continue to mix
Finally add the melted chocolate with the mixer still running at medium speed
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated
Spoon the mixture on top of the pumpkin base
It will be difficult to spread the chocolate filling as the pumpkin layer will still be very liquidy so I dollop small spoonfuls of the chocolate on top of the pumpkin layer and then swirl them together
Bake for around an hour - when the cheesecake's ready it should be well risen and have a slight wobble in the middle
Turn off your oven, open the door slightly and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour
Then refrigerate until you're ready to serve (if you want to take away the chill, remove it from the fridge 30-60 mins before serving)
Dust with cocoa powder
And enjoy :)