Difficulty: Medium
Serves 8-10
Pumpkin stuff is all the rage this time of year in the US but in Australia we tend to miss out on all the goodness. I decided to rectify this problem by the adding of pumpkin to a no-bake cheesecake, it’s the best of both worlds! This is the perfect take-along to any Christmas event on your calendar and with some alterations to the base you can make it gluten-free too.
Ingredients
Base
- 18 Digestive Biscuits
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1/3 cup vegan margarine, melted
Filling
- 1/2 of a kent pumpkin, peeled and chopped
- 2 270ml cans full fat coconut cream (placed upside down in the fridge for at least 24 hours)
- 1 tub vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup maple syrup (depending on your taste)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Extra pecans to decorate
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with paper. Bake the pumpkin for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Allow to cool in the fridge.
- Grease a 26cm springform baking tin and set aside.
- Make the base by blending together the digestive biscuits, pecans and caster sugar. Add the melted margarine and continue to mix until well distributed.
- Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and set aside.
- Start to make the filling by opening up the cans of coconut and draining the clear liquid. Place the leftover cream in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.
- Add the vegan cream cheese and pumpkin and continue to whip before adding the maple syrup, vanilla and spices.
- Pour the mixture into the baking tin and smooth the top. Place pecans around the edges and allow to freeze overnight.
- Remove from the freezer half an hour before serving.
