This pumpkin swirl cheesecake features a rich and creamy cheesecake with a brown sugar spiced shortbread base, and pumpkin swirled cheesecake on top. There’s also an option for whipped cream or a torched swiss meringue for topping.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details.
marbled pumpkin cheesecake
This is the perfect cheesecake for this Thanksgiving and fall in general. It starts with a pumpkin spiced brown sugar shortbread crust which is *so* much more delicious than graham cracker crust in my opinion. It’s basically like a spiced cookie on the bottom. Then, it’s topped with a super rich and creamy vanilla and pumpkin spice swirled cheesecake on top.
why you’ll love this marbled pumpkin cheesecake:
- It’s super rich and creamy: heavy cream with the cream cheese makes the *creamiest* texture in this cheesecake.
- The shortbread crust: In my opinion shortbread crusts are *way* better and more delicious than graham cracker crusts because they’re essentially a cookie crust.
- It’s the best of both worlds: You get some super flavorful pumpkin spiced cheesecake, and some sweet mellow vanilla cheesecake in every bite.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cream cheese, egg, and heavy cream 1-2 hours before starting the cheesecake.
how to avoid cracks in a cheesecake
Here are my 4 best tips for avoiding cracks in your cheesecake –
- Mix the batter carefully – after adding in the eggs, you’ll want to make sure to only mix the batter until the eggs are fully incorporated. This will make sure we don’t add too much air into the batter, which will help keep the batter dense and avoid cracks forming on top.
- Tap the cheesecake on the counter – giving your cheesecake a few good taps on the counter prior to baking helps remove air bubbles that could cause cracks on top.
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath – this helps to evenly bake the cheesecake from all sides.
- Cool your cheesecake in the oven – once your cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven just *slightly* ajar. Let the cheesecake sit like that for one hour before transferring it to the fridge. This process allows your cheesecake to slowly come down to room temperature rather than quickly going from 350F to room temperature, which makes it less likely that the top will crack.
how to tell when your cheesecake is done baking
Cheesecake is done baking when it’s only slightly wobbly in the center. I like to temp my cheesecake as a more accurate way to tell when it’s done. A thermometer stuck into the middle of the cheesecake should read 160 fahrenheit / 71 celsius.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for pumpkin swirl cheesecake:
shortbread crust:
- Unsalted butter: salted or your favorite non-dairy butter stick will work perfectly here as well.
- Light brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness. Dark brown sugar will work perfectly as well.
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Salt & pumpkin pie spice: for flavor.
pumpkin swirl cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy.
- Eggs: binds the batter together.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and helps lock in moisture.
- Corn starch: for thickening up the cheesecake. You can substitute in 2 tbsp. of flour in its place if needed.
- Heavy whipping cream: for moisture and richness. You could use sour cream in its place as well.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Pumpkin puree: make sure the puree is 100% pure pumpkin and is not pumpkin pie filling! The only ingredient listed should be pumpkin.
- Pumpkin pie spice: for flavor.
Vanilla whipped cream:
- Heavy whipping cream: the base of the whipped cream.
- Granulated sugar: just a little bit for sweetness.
- Salt: to help bring out the flavor.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
swiss meringue:
- Egg whites: the base of the meringue.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness and helps with whipping air into the meringue.
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the meringue.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
how to make pumpkin swirl cheesecake
Here are some shots of the process of making this pumpkin swirled cheesecake. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Mix together the shortbread ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pat the shortbread into your springform pan, then bake it for 10 minutes.
- For the cheesecake filling, start by beating together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Then, beat in the eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla. Transfer some of the batter to another bowl, and mix it with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
- Alternate adding the vanilla and pumpkin cheesecake batters into the springform pan, then bake.
- Make the swiss meringue or whipped cream, top the cheesecake, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
marbled pumpkin cheesecake recipe q&a
what size cake pan do I need?
You’ll need a 7″ springform pan for this cheesecake. You can use an 8″ springform, just note that your cheesecake will be thinner and will require a little less bake time. I wouldn’t recommend using a non-springform pan because it will be more difficult to get the cheesecake out of the pan.
How should I store cheesecake?
The cheesecake should be out at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Keep the cheesecake covered and stored in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to 5 days.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 50 g unsalted butter (3 ½ tbsp.)
- 55 g light brown sugar (¼ c.)
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 450 g cream cheese room temperature (2 bricks)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 110 g pumpkin puree (½ c.)
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Whipped Cream (Optional)
- 225 g heavy whipping cream (1 c.)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Swiss Meringue (Optional)
- 3 egg whites
- 180 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the sugar, flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice until you have a cohesive dough.
- Press the dough into the bottom of your springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the cheesecake filling.
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese, sugar and corn starch to a large mixing bowl (or to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Beat the mixture until it's smooth, for about 2 minutes.
- Add both eggs into the cream cheese, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Add in the heavy cream and vanilla, and again beat on low speed just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Remove 1 ¼ c. of the cheesecake batter and place it in another small bowl. To the small bowl, carefully mix in the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice just until the mixture is cohesive and no streaks remain.
- Alternate pouring the vanilla and pumpkin cheesecake batters over the shortbread crust. To make the swirl on top, make sure to leave just a little bit of pumpkin batter and top the cheesecake off with a smooth layer of the vanilla cheesecake. Place dollops of the remaining pumpkin cheesecake on top of the vanilla, then use a knife to gently swirl the batters together.
- Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help remove any air from the filling.
- Fill a 9×13" baking dish, or a 10" cake pan a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tinfoil tightly around the bottom of your springform pan to avoid the possibility of water seeping into the springform pan. Place the springform pan into the larger pan with water.
- Place the cheesecake with the pan in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F / 71°C.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours.
Whipped Cream (Optional)
- Once the cheesecake has set and you're ready to serve it, make the whipped cream.
- Add the heavy whipping cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.)
- Beat the ingredients together until the mixture comes to soft peaks.
- Pile the whipped cream high on to the cheesecake, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Swiss Meringue (Optional)
- Once the cheesecake has set and you're ready to serve it, make the swiss meringue. First, wipe down the bowl of your stand mixer with lemon juice – this will help get rid of any fats that may be present, which would interfere with your meringue.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to a medium sized saute pan set over medium heat. Constantly whisk the mixture until it reaches at least 170°F / 76°C.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (alternatively you can use a hand mixer, it will just take longer).
- Beat the mixture until soft peaks form, then add in the vanilla and salt. Continue to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
- Dollop the meringue on top of the cheesecake, then carefully spread it around. Use a kitchen torch to torch the meringue, then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
This recipe was a hit for my thanksgiving potluck! Will definitely be making another for Thanksgiving Day. Thank you!!!! 🙂
If my springform pan is larger can I double up the recipe?
I’d recommend doing 1.5x the recipe for a 9 or 10″ springform pan!
Cheesecake rose above pan like a soufflé instead of a cheesecake. Followed recipe exactly though
Hi! I’m sorry that happened – it sounds like you may have over-mixed the batter which would add excess air into it and make it rise – it’s super important to only mix it just until everything is combined once the eggs are added. Hope this helps!