Marble Pumpkin Cheesecake

Love cheesecake? How about pumpkin pie? Well, if you love those two things, you will LOVE this very rich, sweet and holiday-ish treat. Apparently, I didn’t get cooking out of my system even after being in the kitchen for about three days straight just a couple days ago, because I just had to get back in there – even it it was just to make this little treat!

I brought this to work and it was definitely a hit. The best thing about this, in my opinion, is the crust. If I had it my way, I’d cut a circle about an inch from the crust and eat the entire thing! This way I’d have about 100 bites of the thickest part of the crust with a creamy bite of the cheesecake. Before I get carried away, here’s the recipe. It is incredible easy – just make sure to see the notes on cooling the cake so that you don’t get a big, huge crack in the center. Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Next: Christmas, yaaaay!

Print Recipe

Garlic Girl's Marble Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 4 packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese (not the lowfat), room temperature
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup graham crackers, crushed in food processor
• 1/4 cup pecans crushed in food processor
• 3/4 cup Nilla Wafers crushed in food processor
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 11/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs room temperature
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the crust, combine graham crackers, Nilla Wafers and pecans in bowl with the melted butter. Stir until all blended and the crumbs are moist with butter.
• In 9" spring form pan, press the cookie crust into the bottom and sides of the pan.
• For cake, in a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, spices and one cup of the sugar. Add one egg at a time to the cream cheese batter, mixing on low speed until blended.
• Pour about half the batter into a separate bowl.
• Mix pumpkin and 1/3 cup sugar to remaining batter and stir until blended.
• Spoon both batters into pan, on top of crust, alternating the plain with the pumpkin until halfway. Now take a butter knife and swirl back and forth in both directions so it's marbelized.
• Repeat until all the batter is used, and then swirl the top layer too until you have a nice marble pattern.
• Place in center of oven and bake for 55 minutes.
• Note - When done, do not remove from oven, but turn the heat off and leave the oven door open partially so that the cake cools down very slowly. Cheesecake is sensitive to abrupt temperature changes, so to keep it from cracking let cool slowly for at least 90 minutes before refrigerating.
• Serving suggestion:
• Although it doesn't need it, this cake is extra delicious with whipped cream. Serve for dessert, or do what I did, and replace it with breakfast with a great cup of coffee!!