Preheat the oven and prepare the crust. Set your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Place your unbaked pastry case on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. This catches any drips and makes cleanup a breeze. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork—you’ll see tiny steam holes that stop the base from puffing up.

Blind-bake the crust (optional but recommended). Line the pastry with a sheet of parchment and fill with baking beans or dried lentils. Bake for 12 minutes until the edges look pale gold and feel dry to the touch. Remove the parchment and beans, then bake for another 5 minutes until the base is a light biscuit colour and slightly firm.

Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the golden caster sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk them together until you can smell the spices blooming—that fragrant, warm aroma tells you they’re ready.

Add the wet ingredients. Crack the eggs into the spiced sugar and whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick, pale, and falls in a ribbon from the whisk. Pour in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract, then whisk again until the colour is a uniform, deep orange and the texture is smooth with no lumps.

Pour in the evaporated milk. Slowly stream the evaporated milk into the bowl while you whisk gently. The mixture will thin out noticeably, becoming a silky, pourable liquid that smells sweet and spicy. Stop whisking as soon as it’s combined—you don’t want to incorporate air bubbles.

Fill the crust and bake. Pour the filling into your blind-baked crust right up to the rim. The surface will look glossy and slightly wobbly. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 175°C (160°C fan) and bake for a further 30–35 minutes.

Check for doneness. The pie is ready when the edges are set and puffed slightly, but the centre still has a gentle jiggle—like a firm jelly. If you insert a knife 5cm from the centre, it should come out mostly clean with a little moisture. The top will be a rich, burnished bronze and the kitchen will smell like autumn.

Cool completely. Place the tray on a wire cooling rack and let it cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours. The filling will set as it cools, turning from wobbly to firm and sliceable. Do not refrigerate while warm—this creates condensation that makes the top weepy.