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Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake
This show-stopping Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cheesecake will certainly impress at your next dinner party! It has a smooth, creamy, rich spiced pumpkin filling with a surprise ribbon of cinnamon sugar through the middle. The flavors are perfectly balanced and the finishing touch of whipped cream with a sprinkle of cinnamon makes it extra special. I know this will be a hit at your next holiday party!
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust:
- 1 ½ cups (160g) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoon (30g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, melted
Cinnamon swirl:
- ⅓ cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon (9g) all-purpose flour
Pumpkin cheesecake filling:
- 20 oz (570g) brick cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¼ cup (60ml) full fat sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
- ¾ cup (180ml) pure pumpkin puree
Cinnamon whipped cream:
- ⅔ cup (160ml) heavy 35% whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon (15g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6g) skim milk powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the sides of an 8-inch round non-stick springform pan or 9-inch round non-stick springform pan (if making 1.5x the recipe) and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Make the crust. Combine graham crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl and blend until well combined. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and about ¾-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and feels dry.
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- Make the cinnamon swirl. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl and mix to blend evenly.
- Make the filling. Mix cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add brown sugar and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. Mix in granulated sugar. Add one egg and mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the other egg and mix until incorporated. Add sour cream and pumpkin spice, then mix in pumpkin just until blended. Do not over-mix which can incorporate too much air and cause the cheesecake to crack.
- Pour just over half of the batter onto the pre-baked crust and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over top. Dollop the remaining batter over top of the cinnamon sugar layer and gently smooth it out using an offset spatula. The batter might want to pull up the cinnamon sugar as you spread it, but I find if you dollop it around and then gently spread to connect the dollops before continuing to cover the sugar layer, it will have enough resistance to stay down.
- Place the cheesecake in the oven on the center rack. Place a large metal rimmed baking sheet or a 9×13 inch baking pan on the bottom oven rack of the preheated oven. Pour boiling water into the pan about 1 inch deep. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the oven off and, without opening the oven door, leave it in for another 10 minutes. It is ready when the filling is set but the center is slightly wobbly or jiggles when the pan is shaken.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and immediately run a thin-bladed knife or a small offset spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides. Let cake cool completely in the pan, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, make the cinnamon whipped cream. Combine heavy cream, brown sugar, milk powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks using an electric hand mixer. Dollop or pipe the cream over the cake to decorate it. I like to use an open star tip. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!
