Caramel Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake

I've combined two Fall favorites in one dessert. This Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake features moist pumpkin cake and caramel cheesecake swirled together to make one show-stopping dessert allows you to enjoy so many flavors in each bite. There's nothing quite like the pairing of pumpkin and cream cheese, and this gorgeous cheesecake is topped with fresh cream and more salted caramel sauce. It is quite special and unique, and it isn't overly sweet. Try making this for your Thanksgiving celebrations and I'm sure everyone will be impressed. If you love this combo of pumpkin and cream cheese, check out my Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and if you love pumpkin desserts, try my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread as well!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Moist pumpkin cake - this cheesecake is swirled with layers of moist dense pumpkin cake with just the right amount of pumpkin spice.
• Creamy caramel cheesecake - there's caramel sauce baked right into the cheesecake and it is deserving of a recipe on it's own! It is so rich with a lovely sweet and salty balance. I use my Rich Salted Caramel Sauce.
• No water bath - you don't need a water bath for this recipe which makes it easy. The moist environment from a water bath would make the pumpkin cake portion too pasty and dense. Also, this cake is meant to be more rustic and any cracks will be covered up by the cream.
• Perfect pumpkin spice - what's a pumpkin cake without pumpkin spice? There's the perfect balance of spice which is sometimes hard to get right.
• Caramel sauce drizzle - I use my Rich Salted Caramel Sauce to drizzle on top.

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN CAKE CHEESECAKE

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Canned pumpkin - canned pumpkin is easily accessible and inexpensive. You can also make it yourself, but it is important to reduce it down so it is very thick otherwise the moisture balance will be off in the recipe. Make sure you use pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling which has sugar and spices already added.
• Oil - I always recommend sunflower oil for baking because it has a clean taste and is very stable. Using oil in this cake batter means that the cake will have a soft texture.
• Brown sugar - brown sugar adds caramel-like flavor due to the molasses content and it really complements the pumpkin and the spices. You'll need brown sugar for the cheesecake batter. Make sure you use dark brown sugar for the best flavor. Dark brown sugar has twice as much molasses compared to light brown sugar.
• Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will add the right amount of sweetness and also keep the cake moist.
• Eggs - you'll use one egg for the pumpkin cake and 2 large eggs for the cheesecake.

• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will add earthy undertones. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Milk - I recommend using whole milk or 2% milk for this recipe and it helps if it is at room temperature.
• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works just great for this muffin recipe.
• Pumpkin pie spice - use your favorite brand, or make your own from a blend of 1 part nutmeg, clove and allspice with 2 parts ginger and 3 parts cinnamon. My easy recipe for pumpkin spice is below.
• Cream cheese - the filling is a simple sweetened cream cheese that bakes to a creamy cheesecake texture. Use block cream cheese and not spreadable or whipped cream cheese.
• Sour cream - a bit of sour cream lightens up the cheesecake batter so it isn't too dense. You can also use full fat Greek yogurt.
• Salted caramel sauce - whip up a batch of my rich salted caramel sauce to use in the cheesecake filling and for topping as well. In a pinch you can also use store-bought caramel sauce.
• Whipping cream - this is for topping the cheesecake and I stabilize it by adding skim milk powder which helps keep it light and airy without weeping.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the cheesecake batter. Place soft cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and glossy. Make sure to scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula. Beat in eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Mix in sour cream. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and mix it in until smooth. Set aside.
• STEP 2). Make the pumpkin cake batter. Combine wet ingredients. Combine pumpkin, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
• STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and begin to fold it in until somewhat incorporated. Before it is all incorporated and it is still very thick, add the milk and fold it in until the batter is combined.
• STEP 5). Assemble cheesecake. Pour or scoop one-third of the pumpkin batter into the pan. Spread it out in an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Dollop or scoop about half of the cheesecake batter over the top of the pumpkin batter. Spread it out gently to almost cover the pumpkin batter. Spoon another third of pumpkin batter on top of the cheesecake batter and just swirl it in a few times (no need to spread it out), then and another half of cheesecake batter and let it flow naturally without swirling. Dollop the last of the pumpkin batter on top and swirl it in with just a few strokes. If you swirl too much, there will not be enough definition between the two batters in the baked cake. Watch the video below the recipe to see how I do it.
• STEP 6). Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 35 minutes until golden on top and puffed. It will crack slightly since we're not using a water bath and that's OK. Turn off the oven and leave it in for another 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
• STEP 7). When you are ready to serve the cake, make the topping. Combine cream, sugar and skim milk powder in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Dollop it over the cooled cake spread it out to cover the surface. Drizzle my salted caramel sauce on top and enjoy! For clean slices, use a sharp knife and dip it in very hot water then wipe it dry between each slice.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR PUMPKIN CAKE CHEESECAKE

• Do not over-mix the pumpkin batter. The cake batter is a very simple one bowl recipe so there are no fussy steps to guarantee softness - just don't over mix and it will be great.
• Make your own pumpkin pie spice. You can replace the 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice with your own homemade blend as written above, or replace all of the combined pumpkin pie spice and added cinnamon in the recipe with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger and ¼ teaspoon each of allspice, nutmeg and clove.
• Swirl just gently. When layering the two batters, swirl only gently as instructed so that you still see defined layers. If you swirl too much, the batter swill just blend into one and the texture will change.
• Do not over-bake. This cake needs to cook thoroughly so that the cake batter is set, but do not over-bake or the cheesecake will be dry. It should be golden on top when ready and should only jiggle just slightly - it won't jiggle a lot like plain cheesecake.

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Video

Caramel Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake

Christina Marsigliese

This incredible cake is a show stopper! It combines two delicious desserts in one by swirling pumpkin cake batter with creamy caramel cheesecake batter. They bake together in harmony with beautiful swirls of orange and beige. I top it with piles of fresh cream and salted caramel sauce. ENJOY!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Chill Time 4 hours hrs

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  

Caramel cheesecake batter:

• 18 oz (500g) brick cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup (110g) packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup (60ml) full fat sour cream
• 3 tablespoon (45ml) Rich Salted Caramel Sauce
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract

Pumpkin cake batter:

• 1 cup (227ml) pure pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil
• ½ teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1 ⅓ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅓ cup (80ml) whole milk

Whipped Cream topping:

• ¾ cup (180ml) 35% heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon skim milk powder

Rich Salted Caramel Sauce for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a high-sided 8-inch round springform pan with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
• Make the cheesecake batter. Place soft cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and glossy. Make sure to scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula. Beat in eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Mix in sour cream. Add caramel sauce and vanilla and mix it in until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the pumpkin cake batter. Combine pumpkin, sugar, egg, oil and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until smooth.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add this to the pumpkin mixture and begin to fold it in until somewhat incorporated. Before it is all incorporated and it is still very thick, add the milk and fold it in until the batter is combined.
• Pour or scoop one-third of the pumpkin batter into the pan. Spread it out in an even layer across the bottom of the pan. Dollop or scoop about half of the cheesecake batter over the top of the pumpkin batter. Spread it out gently to almost cover the pumpkin batter. Spoon another third of pumpkin batter on top of the cheesecake batter and just swirl it in a few times (no need to spread it out), then and another half of cheesecake batter and let it flow naturally without swirling. Dollop the last of the pumpkin batter on top and swirl it in with just a few strokes. If you swirl too much, there will not be enough definition between the two batters in the baked cake. Watch the video below the recipe to see how I do it.
• Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 35 minutes until golden on top and puffed. It will crack slightly since we're not using a water bath and that's OK. Turn off the oven and leave it in for another 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely in the pan. Once cool, refrigerate for at least 4 hours and when ready to serve, run an offset spatula around the edges to release the cake and remove the sides of the pan.
• Make the topping. Combine cream, sugar and skim milk powder in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. Dollop it over the cooled cake spread it out to cover the surface. Drizzle my salted caramel sauce on top and enjoy! For clean slices, use a sharp knife and dip it in very hot water then wipe it dry between each slice.