Tis the season for all things pumpkin and if you’re a cheesecake lover, this is the recipe for happiness! This graham cracker crumb, pumpkin swirl cheesecake is a decadent dessert that’s sure to become a favorite in any season!

PUMPKIN SWIRL CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS

Crust Ingredients
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling ingredients
32 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract¾ cup pumpkin purée
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
 ½ teaspoon ground cloves

LET’S MAKE IT!

Make Crust
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9″ spring-form pan. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely.

Make vanilla cheesecake filling
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour at medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla.  

Make pumpkin swirl topping
Scoop out one cup of filling mixture and add it to a small bowl, then add pumpkin and spices. Mix until well combined. Set aside momentarily.

Pour the large bowl of vanilla filling on top of cooled crust.   Drop spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture onto top of vanilla filling in pan in polka-dot fashion. Drag a butter knife through pumpkin polka dots in random fashion to swirl through vanilla filling.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375° then reduce oven temperature to 300°. Bake 45 minutes.

Turn off oven, crack open oven door to allow heat to escape and allow cake to sit in over for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool completely (at least one hour). Loosen edge of cake from pan by running a paring knife around the circumference. Release and remove spring-form band.

Refrigerate cheesecake for several hours. Loosen cheesecake from base of spring-form pan by sliding a large off-set spatula or chef’s knife underneath crust and carefully remove cake to serving plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.