Melt the butter in a non-stick (or regular) skillet over medium heat.

Add the pecans and toast, stirring constantly, for 3–6 minutes until they smell nutty.

Pour in the maple syrup, add the salt, and keep stirring for another 3–6 minutes. The syrup will bubble and thicken, coating the nuts and forming thin “threads” when ready.

Immediately transfer the pecans to a parchment-lined board or tray and spread them out so they don’t stick together.

Let cool completely (about 30 minutes). They will become perfectly crispy. We’ll use some in the filling and the rest for decoration.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cut the butter into small cubes and keep it chilled.

Gently warm the cream in the microwave (10–15 seconds) — it should be warm, not hot.

Place the maple syrup in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Do NOT stir — just let it bubble.

Once boiling, lower the heat slightly and cook until it reaches 115–118 °C (240–245 °F) for a pourable sauce or 119–120 °C (246–248 °F) for a thicker caramel (5–10 minutes). The color will turn amber and the bubbles will become slower and thicker.

Remove from heat. Very carefully pour in the warm cream in a thin stream while stirring constantly — it will bubble furiously!

Return to low heat for 30–60 seconds, stirring until smooth.

Off the heat, add the cold butter cubes one by one, stirring until glossy. Stir in the salt.

Pour into a jar and let cool to room temperature (it will thicken a lot as it cools). Refrigerate until needed.

In a mixer, combine flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt. Mix until smooth.

Add cold butter and mix until crumbly.

Add egg yolks one at a time and mix until the dough just comes together.

Divide dough in two, place each half between two sheets of parchment, and roll to 2–3 mm thick. Freeze for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Bake the frozen sheets on a baking tray for about 10 minutes until golden. Let cool completely.

Prepare your mold: Place a sheet of foil and a slightly smaller sheet of parchment paper on the table. Place an 18 cm (7-inch) culinary ring on the parchment (grease the inside of the ring very thinly with butter). Wrap the culinary ring tightly in two layers of foil to prevent leakage.

Crumble the baked shortbread into fine crumbs in a food processor.

Mix crumbs with 10 g (1 tbsp) crushed crispy pecans and 50–70 g (3.5–5 tbsp) soft butter until the mixture holds together when squeezed.

Line the ring mold with the crumb mixture: use about two-thirds for the sides (6 cm high walls) and the rest for the base. Press firmly. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 145 °C (300 °F). If your oven is too powerful, you can place a baking sheet filled with hot water on the bottom of the oven. This will reduce the temperature slightly, and your cheesecake will be even more tender and crack-free.

Stir the cream cheese and mascarpone with a spatula until smooth (do not whip).

Add maple syrup and mix well.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing gently.

Add cream, salt, and cornstarch; mix until just combined.

Fold in the chopped crispy pecans and mix gently.

Pour into the chilled crust. Tap gently to remove air bubbles.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. The edges should be set but the center should still jiggle slightly.

Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake cool inside for 3 hours.

Once the cheesecake has cooled completely, refrigerate it overnight. The center will firm up as it cools.

Beat the room temperature cheeses with a mixer for 30–40 seconds until smooth using a whisk attachment.

Add syrup and powdered sugar and beat for another 30 seconds.

Add sifted starch and beat for 20–30 seconds; this is necessary so that the cream immediately becomes thick and silky.

Transfer to a pastry bag and refrigerate until using.

Pipe the maple cream cheese frosting in a spiral, starting from the center and working outward.

Smooth with an offset spatula for a swirled effect.

Warm the maple caramel slightly if needed. Pipe it in a tight spiral from the bottom up, then again from the top down to create the classic maple pattern.

Arrange whole crispy maple pecans in a circle on top.

Drizzle any remaining caramel over the pecans.

That’s it! Your stunning maple cheesecake is ready. Thank you so much for baking with me! Please send photos of your creations — I love seeing them. Happy baking and see you in the next recipe!Bye!