In a Book Full of Make-Now Recipes, This Cake is the Authors' Favorite

Tra-la-la, it's The Fall Cookbook Cake Parade: a new cake from a new cookbook every single day. Are your costumes cake pans ready?

Today: An American-inspired cheesecake from a London café serving Middle Eastern desserts.

Butternut Squash & Spice Cheesecake

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It may not be nice to pick favorites, but it sure is natural. And, in the case of a cookbook about which David Lebovitz said, "I want to make every recipe," selecting a few baked goods to make immediately is also critical. Otherwise, how will you ever know where to begin?

Golden is a sweet and savory baking book from the London restaurant Honey & Co., where the pastry case is filled with an always-rotating selection of Middle Eastern breads, buns, pastries, and cakes.

But the best cake in the book, according to authors Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, is actually a cheesecake inspired by American desserts:

Our friend Bridget introduced us to the joys of American home cooking. She is the kind of cook who makes exactly the type of food you want to eat: chicken cacciatore; Southern-fried chicken drizzled with maple syrup; buttermilk mash and gravy; proper, potent chilies—the good stuff. She introduced us to this unbelievably tasty cheesecake, which is possibly the best cake in this book. We used to bake a large batch in big trays and cut it into portions (the offcuts were the most coveted food in the kitchen).

The hazelnut-graham cracker base sits below a creamy two-tone filling: gently-spiced roasted squash (or pumpkin) and a layer of vanilla-flecked sour cream with enough tang to offset the richness.

This American-inspired dessert from a London restaurant that serves Middle Eastern food would actually be right at home on your Thanksgiving table—and it's also the recipe the authors think you should make this instant. (Got that, David Lebovitz?)

Butternut Squash & Spice Cheesecake

View Recipe

Ingredients

For the base and topping:

100	grams whole hazelnuts
25	grams unsalted butter
25	grams light brown sugar
1/2	teaspoon flaky sea salt
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
200	grams biscuit (or graham cracker) crumbs
300	grams sour cream
50	grams granulated sugar
	Seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

100	grams whole hazelnuts
25	grams unsalted butter
25	grams light brown sugar
1/2	teaspoon flaky sea salt
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon

200	grams biscuit (or graham cracker) crumbs
300	grams sour cream
50	grams granulated sugar
	Seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod

For the filling:

1	butternut squash, to yield 360g when cooked (or a can of pumpkin purée)
375	grams full fat cream cheese
265	grams granulated sugar
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1	teaspoon ground ginger
1/2	teaspoon ground cardamom
3	eggs
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour
150	milliliters sour cream

1	butternut squash, to yield 360g when cooked (or a can of pumpkin purée)
375	grams full fat cream cheese
265	grams granulated sugar
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1	teaspoon ground ginger

1/2	teaspoon ground cardamom
3	eggs
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour
150	milliliters sour cream

Reprinted from Golden: Sweet & Savory Baked Delights from the Ovens of London’s Honey and Co., courtesy of Little, Brown and Company Copyright © 2016 by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich.