Method

Start of by pre-heating the oven to 160 degrees Centigrade

First, make the base by melting the butter in a small sauce pan. Whilst melting, put the cookies and biscuits into a plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin until reduced to a fine crumb. Mix the crumbed biscuits in the sauce pan (now taken off the heat) until all the butter is incorporated.

Using a 20 inch spring form tin; line the base with the biscuit mixture and using the back of a spoon, press the crumb down to make a solid base with no gaps around the edge. Pop this into the oven for about 10 minutes and then let cool.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the cubed pumpkin and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the pumpkin from the water to cool slighty before blitzing in a blender with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Leave to cool

When the puree is cool, in a large bowl and using an electric whisk; bring together the puree, cream cheese, soured cream and eggs (adding one egg at a time plus the additional egg yolk) until smooth.

Now whisk in the sugar, flour and zest and pour into the spring form tin with biscuit base

Bake the cheesecake in the middle part of the oven for about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes until just about set (should still have a wobble in the centre). You can add a roasting tray of water below the cheese cake to keep the oven moist and reduce the potential of cracking

Some people like to turn off the heat, crack the oven door open and let the cake cool in the oven whilst others simply take it straight out. I prefer to leave in the oven to cool

You can buy in the pumpkin puree but I do think that homemade tastes so much better

This cheesecake can be kept in the fridge until ready and can be made the day before.