Hubbard squash and white-chocolate cheesecake is deliciously creamy. Hubbard squash has a natural denseness which makes this cake gorgeously thick and perfect with rich white chocolate. Serve as a satisfying teatime treat.
Recipe by Illanique van Aswegen
Hubbard squash and white-chocolate cheesecake
Ingredients
Base
- 150g ginger biscuits
- 70g butter, melted
Filling
- 250g cream cheese
- 450g ricotta
- 4 eggs
- 210g castor sugar
- 15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
- 160g white chocolate, finely chopped
- 60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream
- 375g hubbard squash, roasted for 30 minutes and puréed
- 50g pecan nuts, toasted and finely chopped
- 30ml (2 tbsp) honey
- 10ml (2 tsp) turmeric powder
- 1 egg, whisked
To serve
- 100g white chocolate, melted
- whipped cream, sweetened with icing sugar (optional)
Instructions
For the base, place both ingredients in a food processor and blitz until fine. Line the bottom of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Press the biscuit mixture in to form the cheesecake base and refrigerate, 20 minutes.
For the filling, preheat the oven to 160°C. Blend the cream cheese, ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon juice together in a food processor until smooth. Melt the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over very low heat until smooth. Let it cool for 5 minutes and then stir this into the cream cheese mixture.
Remove 500ml (2 cups) cream cheese mixture and combine it with the puréed squash, pecans, honey, turmeric and egg. Whisk to combine. Pour this, as the first layer, onto the prepared biscuit base and bake, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce the heat to 150°C.
Gently pour the remaining plain cream cheese mixture over the squash layer. Place it back in the oven and bake for another hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door ajar, 1 hour. Remove from oven and refrigerate, 2 hours.
Pour the melted white chocolate on top. Slice the cheesecake into portions and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Cook's tip: The ginger biscuits can be replaced with digestive biscuits if you’re not fond of ginger.
