Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

It's that time of year where everything has a pumpkin in but you have to trust me on this one - these are epic! Plus, if you're anything like me, you like to make the most out of your pumpkin and there's only so much pumpkin soup you can make!

I've kept the flavour fairly simple in this recipe but you could experiment with ground cinnamon or mixed spice in the pumpkin puree if you wanted to add even more autumnal vibes to the brownies. I also like to add a little espresso to the brownie mix - you won't taste the coffee, it just boosts the chocolate flavour so it's rich and indulgent in every mouthful.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Makes 12-16

150g unsalted butter

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 

250g caster sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

3 medium free-range eggs 

100ml strong espresso (2 tbsp coffee granules in boiling water is about right)

100g plain flour 

sea salt

For the marbling

200g roast pumpkin, seeds and skin removed

70g full-fat cream cheese 

60g caster sugar 

1 medium free-range egg, beaten 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease a 32 x 23cm/13 x 9in tin and line with parchment. Blitz the roast pumpkin in a food processor until smooth then set aside.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Remove the bowl from the heat and cool slightly. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs sugar, vanilla using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until doubled in size. Pour in the chocolate mixture with the whisk still running followed by the coffee. Sift over the flour, then beat until just combined and glossy. 

For the marbling, beat the sugar, egg and vanilla together then divide between two bowls. Add the pumpkin puree to one bowl and mix well. Add the cream cheese to the other bowl and beat until smooth.

Spoon the chocolate mix into the tin, then pour over the pumpkin and cheesecake mixtures. Using a knife, cut through and swirl both mixes for a marbled effect. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, but keep an eye on it as you may need to cover the tin with foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking if it starts to brown too much. Cool in the tin, then cut into pieces and serve.