- 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¾ cup pecan halves
- ¾ stick (6 tablespoons) butter
- 3 x 8 oz bars of cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Put the cracker crumbs in a food processor, then add the pecan halves and blitz again to a crumb mixture. Add the butter and process everything together until it clumps up, and then press into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan to make a smooth base. Sit the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you get on with the topping.
- Put the cream cheese into the cleaned processor bowl with the sugar, cornstarch and maple syrup.
- Turn the motor on and, with the processor running, break the eggs down the feed tube, processing until you have a smooth mixture. Add the vinegar or lemon juice, and pulse to mix.
- Take the springform pan out of the refrigerator, and line the outside with a layer of special ovenproof plastic wrap, bringing it up around the top outer edge of the pan; this is to make a waterproof layer for when the cheesecake is cooked in a water bath. Do the same again, cover the plastic wrap with a double layer of aluminum foil, making sure that this, too, is brought right up to the top edge of the pan.
- Sit the foil-wrapped springform in a roasting pan, then pour in the smooth filling. Fill the roasting pan with freshly boiled water, to come about halfway up the wrapped springform.
- Bake the cheesecake in the oven for about 1 ¼ hours, though start checking it after an hour, it should be set on top but still have a hint of a wobble in the middle.
- Take the whole shebang-marie out of the oven and carefully lift the cheesecake out of its water bath. Peel away the foil layers and let it cool in its pan on a rack. Once cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight.
- The following day, or up to 2 days later, let it come to room temperature before springing it out of the pan.
- . Sit it on a serving plate and pour some maple syrup over the top of the whole cake, drizzling a little more over each slice as your serve the cheesecake.