Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Love cheesecake? Love pumpkin spice? Then this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake is calling your name! It’s the perfect Autumn dessert!
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Some things just go together. Mario and Nintendo. 80’s and hammer pants. Italian food and Mondays. Sonny and Cher. Italian food and Tuesdays. Fall and college football. Italian food and…oh, you get the picture!
I was in the mood to make a cheesecake the other day. (Well, to be honest, I was in the mood to eat a cheesecake the other day. But you gotta make said cheesecake before you can eat said cheesecake.) Since we are currently smack in the middle of Pumpkin Everything season, I decided this partnership needed to happen. Pumpkin and cheesecake were destined to become this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake!
I thought about making a straight-up pumpkin cheesecake. I made one a couple of years back for Thanksgiving, and it turned out well. But that was before I started this site and sadly no photos exist as proof of that cheesecake. As I was mixing the cheesecake batter, it hit me that it would be fun to turn this one into a swirled cheesecake. So I did just that! The vanilla (plain) cheesecake swirled with the pumpkin cheesecake to create this fun and tasty dessert.
I’m not sure my swirling skills were up to par here. Truthfully, I thought I had screwed this one up as I ended up with way more pumpkin cheesecake batter than I expected. So when I went to drop spoonfuls on top of the plain batter, I ended up with an entire pumpkin layer. I tried swirling it with a spoon, but I couldn’t see what was happening down there in the middle of the cheesecake. I was worried that I was just mixing it into a dull, dreary orange color…so I put a kabash on the mixing.
This Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake totally turned out like I wanted though! Ok, maybe a little more swirl would have been nice, but I’m not complaining. Although the darned thing did crack on top. Cheesecakes are fussy like that. You can bake them in a water bath. You can start them at one temperature, reduce the temperature after 20 minutes, crack the oven door, and then do a little cheesecake dance. But in the end, I’ve decided it’s pure luck. Sometimes the darn things crack on top. Sometimes they don’t.
I usually solve the problem by adding a layer of frosting on top. It might be a cream cheese frosting like on this Carrot Cake Cheesecake. My neighbor (who is an avid baker) said she often tops her cheesecakes with a layer of sweetened sour cream. That would have gone well with this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake for sure, but sadly I didn’t have any sour cream in the fridge. And I wasn’t about to fight rush hour traffic to go get sour cream. But I did have heavy cream in the fridge. So I opted for a vanilla bean whipped cream layer.
Instead of the traditional graham cracker crust that I use for cheesecake, I went with a gingersnap crust here. Gingersnaps remind me of Fall. Pumpkin reminds me of Fall. So it just made since to use gingersnaps for this Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake. Enjoy, my friends, and have a great weekend!
P.S. Looking for more dessert recipes? Check out TheBestDessertRecipes.com. Several of my favorite desserts (like this New York Caramel Apple Cheesecake) are featured there…along with thousands of other awesome recipes. Embrace that sweet tooth!
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Gingersnap Crust
- 1¾ cups gingersnap crumbs ~30-35 gingersnap cookies
- 3 Tbsp light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake
- 32 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 5 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
For the Gingersnap Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor or mini-chopper, pulse the gingersnaps until finely ground. In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs, brown sugar, ginger and melted butter. Stir until fully combined.
- Lightly butter or grease a 9” springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. (Tip: A flat-bottomed glass helps pack the crust mixture down evenly.)
- Bake crust for 10 minutes; remove from oven and let cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
For the Cheesecake
- Using a countertop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth (about 3 minutes).
- Add the sugar and mix well. (Tip: Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl to fully incorporate the sugar.)
- Add flour and mix well.
- Whisk 4 of the eggs and both egg yolks together and add to the bowl in 2 additions, mixing fully after each addition. (Note: The remaining egg will be used later.)
- Add the sour cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. (Tip: Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the filling is fully mixed.)
- Remove 2 cups of batter and combine with the pumpkin puree, remaining egg and cinnamon.
- Pour vanilla batter into the cooled crust. Pour pumpkin batter on top. Using a table knife, gently swirl the pumpkin batter into the vanilla batter.
- Wrap the bottom of the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place in a large baking pan. Fill pan with about ½”-¾” of water. Bake at 325° until center of cake is just barely set (about 80-90 minutes). (Tip: Pull the cheesecake out of the oven when there is about 1" ring of "looser" filling left in the center of the cake.)
- Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 min. Wrap entire pan in plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
- The next day, remove the cake from the freezer and release the springform pan. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and defrost in a refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
For the Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
- Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.
- Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of whipped cream across top of cheesecake before serving.
Ahhhh…..Mario & Nintendo….I remember it like it was yesterday…oh, wait, it was, lol 😀 I have minimal luck in the whole ‘swirl’ department too. Like you said, you just can’t see what’s going on down there. But, doesn’t matter, the flavour is definitely there. And my cheesecakes sometimes crack too so I’m a big believer in the whole topping bit. No one will know 😉 Plus, ya get an extra layer of flavour so that’s always a good thing, right? I could totally go for a piece of this right now. I love pumpkin and love cheesecake so it’s a total winner for me. I really enjoy a nice cup of coffee with mine. Pinning! Have a great weekend, David!
Haha! I’m right there with ya, Dawn. I still play Mario like an addicted 6-year-old…the only problem now is finding the time to play. But when Robbie gets older, I’m totally teaching him about old-school Mario. He needs to know how his Dad played games as a kid! 🙂 We had an awesome weekend here…and I hope you guys did, too. And here’s to the start of a good week!
Hi David! Perfect Thanksgiving dessert! I need to get a new nine inch springform pan, my old one leaks every time! Do you suppose I could make two six inch cakes in the Fat Daddio’s pans I bought? If so how long would you suggest I bake them? That way I could give one away and reduce the risk of me pigging out! 🙂 Have a fun fall weekend my friend!
Yeah, I’m down to just 1 large springform pan here myself. I started with 3, and I’ve broken 2 in the past year. Haha! So you could certainly make this in 2 6″ pans, but you’re right in the baking side. I’ve never done a cheesecake in that smaller pan…so I wouldn’t know what to say on baking time. I’d start on the low end and then work your way up as needed. Perhaps start at 50 minutes or so? Then just watch for that center quarter-sized ring to be barely set. It could work, my friend, it could work! 🙂 Hope you and Gary had an awesome weekend down there in TN!
Yes for cheese Cake time.. With Pumpkin in in i bet it is yumm…
Pumpkin cheesecake is totally yum! Thanks so much, Sharmila! 🙂
YASSSS!!! That gingersnap crust goes so so well with that swirly (you rocked that swirl dude) pumpkin cheesecake and that vanilla bean whipped topping! All three combined makes this the bombdiggity of cheesecakes I’ve seen today – cracked or not! By the way – THIS here is TORTURE! My 30daysugarchallenge doesn’t end till Nov 6th and I’ll just say it sure is a good thing you are not my neighbor right now because I’d be over – I’d even bring my own plates (my slice wouldn’t fit on one plate) and fork! Hmmm..wonder what this would be like if I replaced the sugar with Splenda? I’ve tried a cashew “cheese-like” cake with Splenda but not a real one…hmmm…..
David – I hope you and Laura and Robbie have a wonderful Anniversary weekend!
Thanks, Shashi! I love playing around with the crusts on cheesecakes. Gingersnaps are great in the Fall! I’ve even thought about using animal crackers as a pie crust…but I haven’t gotten to that one yet. One day…
Oh man, you’ve got to wait until Nov 6th to have a slice of this one? Well I can’t make any promises there will be any left! Of course, I’d be happy to make a new one just for you and lil Shashi. You know, to celebrate her coming to school up here! 😉
Fantastic for not going as planned really. I dig the swirly action and I never thought of adding a frosting or sweetened sour cream on top to hide those cracks. Stellar ideas and the gingersnap crust is a brilliant combo of flavors. Dave would love this one!
Yup, those darned cracks in cheesecake get me. Sometimes they crack. Sometimes they don’t. And I do the same thing every time…so it makes no sense! But that’s where the sweetened sour cream trick comes in handy! Hope you and Dave had a great weekend. Thanks, Kevin!
I actually love that it looks like a second layer instead of a swirl because that means there is more pumpkin cheesecake 🙂 I am a pumpkin spice fan and may over do it over the Fall. Love this cheesecake!!!
Thanks so much, Z! After slicing into this one, I realized that I could have gone a bit heavier-handed on the swirl. But I was afraid I was just mixing the two into a murky orange color…so I stopped early. Oh well, the taste was still there! I love pumpkin spice, too…and this cheesecake totally hit the spot. Now if it would just turn a little cooler out here…haha! 🙂
I LOVE a good cheesecake. This looks great David, but I think the real winner will be the crust. Gingersnap biscuits, fantastic!
You and me both, Matt! I love cheesecake…and the gingersnap crust on this bad boy takes it to a whole new level! Thank you! 🙂
Perfect fall treat. This looks amazing. Totally in love with the recipe. Wish I could grab a slice right now!
Thanks so much, Kushi! I’ll save you a slice of this cheesecake…but you better hurry! 🙂
Pumpkin cheesecake sounds wonderful. The perfect fall dessert.
It really is the perfect Fall dessert…thanks, Dawn! 🙂
David, I love your thinking about Italian food. However, I think you should have found a little space for lavender. Like lavender and Fridays. Or lavender and…July! This pumpkin cheesecake is very pretty! I do tap the bottom of the bakind dish once I’ve transferred the cheese mixture into it. I’ve read this releases the excessive air and prevents the cheesecake from getting cracked. So far it’s been working. But I like the idea with the whipped cream. I would also try dulce de leche – it works exceptionally well with pumpkin. And remember: If you ever aren’t satisfied with a cheesecake being cracked, just send it to me and I’ll utilize it. There’s a factory which process the unwanted food, and it happens to be located near me:)
See…here’s the problem, Ben. Lavender doesn’t go too well with Italian. And lavender doesn’t go to well with cheesecake. And since all I eat is Italian and cheesecake…well, it doesn’t leave much room for lavender. It truly is sad. Hmmm…thanks for the idea about tapping the cheesecake! I think I used to do that, but somewhere along the line I forgot about that trick. Gonna try it next time I make cheesecake! 🙂
Stop! Hammer Time! You crack me up and I love Mario and Nintendo! Isn’t it awesome when a plan comes out perfectly because that’s exactly what happened with this cheesecake! I love the swirly idea and I wouldn’t have gone out in traffic for sour cream either. The whipped vanilla cream is perfect! Pinned!
…My my my my music makes me so hard makes me say oh my lord! Haha…I could help but continue the song for you there, Rach! Tell you what? Let’s get together and play some old school Mario and eat cheesecake? Maybe open a beer and turn on some MC Hammer, too? Sounds like a great night to me! 🙂
I love everything about this cheesecake. I love making cheesecakes as well and I like changing up the crust so I love the gingersnap crust in this one. I love the swirl and I definitely love the vanilla bean whipped cream on top. This is a winner David!!
Yes! I love everything about cheesecake…especially when it involves fun fall flavors. The gingersnap crust was a fun twist on this one! Thanks so much, Tamara! P.S. Any luck on getting that Bloglovin’ feed updated? 🙂
This pumpkin cheesecake looks heavenly!! & your swirling looks perfect 🙂
Haha…well, thank you, Megan! I was so nervous about the swirling part since I couldn’t see what was going on down below. I was afraid I was over-swirling everything into a light brown mess. 🙂 But it turned out well!