Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
This layered pumpkin swirl cheesecake is so creamy and perfectly spiced, and the white chocolate mousse layer is *chef’s kiss* delicious!
Not only is this festive cheesecake completely stunning, every component from the buttery crust to the pumpkin-spiced cheesecake layers to the deliciously creamy topping is absolute perfection.
Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
You’ll notice the usual cheesecake suspects in this cheesecake recipe. Other than the unique (and absolutely to-die for) topping, there isn’t anything entirely unusual about this ingredient lineup:
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese. Light or neufchâtel will not produce a super creamy cheesecake.
- Sour cream: This balances the flavor and texture of the cream cheese. Use full-fat sour cream for best results.
- Eggs: It helps if the eggs are at room temperature and lightly beaten before adding to the batter. Over mixing cheesecake batter can result in deep cracks while baking, so adding the eggs already lightly beaten can help minimize over mixing during that step.
- Canned pumpkin puree: Make sure not to use pumpkin pie filling. You want every day canned pumpkin puree for the cheesecake batter. If the canned pumpkin you are using is very liquidy and wet, spread it on a layer of paper towels and blot the excess moisture out before using (Libby’s brand works fine for this recipewithout any blotting).
- White chocolate: This ingredient is used in the creamy topping. Use actual white chocolate (not almond bark or white chocolate chips) for the best melting. Most grocery stores carry the Ghirardelli brand of white chocolate bar (in a 4-ounce size) in the baking aisle. That’s what I use for this recipe.
A few other pantry-ready, basic ingredients are also used in this recipe, like vanilla extract, granulated sugar, graham cracker crumbs, butter, cinnamon and other spices, and brown sugar.
How to Make and Assemble the Cheesecake
- Press the graham cracker crust in the bottom and up the sides (about 1 inch) of a 9-inch springform pan. You can use a 10-inch pan for thinner layers.
- After mixing the cheesecake batter, scoop out two cups of the batter and mix in canned pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.
- Layer the batter in the pan as follows: plain cheesecake batter, pumpkin cheesecake batter, plain cheesecake batter, dollops of remaining pumpkin cheesecake batter.
- Swirl the batter layers together using a thin knife. Make sure the knife goes all the way down to the crust so it swirls all the layers (without gouging the crust).
- After baking and cooling, top with the white chocolate mousse topping.
Recipe Bonus: Because this cheesecake is topped with a creamy layer, it isn’t a huge deal if it cracks a bit while baking.
Why the Topping is Important
If you’ve had this vanilla bean mousse cheesecake or this white chocolate cranberry cheesecake or this un-swirled pumpkin cheesecake or this peppermint bark cheesecake you’ll understand the appeal of this glorious white chocolate mousse topping.
They all have a white chocolate mousse topping, and it is unbelievably delicious on just about any cheesecake.
Not only does the topping add an extra dimension of sweet, creamy goodness to this pumpkin swirl cheesecake, but the side benefit is that it also covers any cracks that may have occurred while baking. This eliminates the need for baking the cheesecake in a water bath (although I still employ a pan of hot water in the oven below the cheesecake – this helps the cracks be minimal in size, if they happen at all).
Make-Ahead Instructions
The texture and flavor of any good cheesecake benefits from being made ahead of time.
Here are a few helpful make-ahead tips for this pumpkin swirl cheesecake:
- Make the cheesecake fully up to 24 hours ahead of time. Loosen the cheesecake from the edges of the pan and store covered in the refrigerator either in the pan or on a serving platter. Serve chilled. Note: the crust will get slightly softer the longer it is made ahead of time.
- Make the cheesecake fully and freeze for up to three months. Loosen the edges of the cheesecake from the sides of the pan before freezing. For best results, freeze in the pan (lessens the surface area for freezer burn and other freezer odors). Cover the cheesecake tightly with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours before serving.
Perfect Thanksgiving Cheesecake
If you’re looking for the perfect fall or Thanksgiving cheesecake, this delightful cheesecake with it’s lovely swirls of pumpkin-infused cheesecake batter is the one.
Homemade cheesecake can seem intimidating, but this recipe is fun to make (promise!) and pretty much stress-free (pinkie swear!), especially since you don’t have to worry about a water bath.
The appeal of this two-toned cheesecake is that it has all the delights of a pumpkin-flavored dessert without being overwhelmingly one-noted about it. Yes, you get pumpkin vibes, but you also get all the deliciousness of classic cheesecake, too. It’s a winner!
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 ½ cups (170-175 g) graham cracker crumbs, 12 to 13 rectangle crackers
- 3 tablespoons (37 g) brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake:
- 3 (8-ounce) packages (680 g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (160 g) full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large (150 g) eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 ¼ cups (285 g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
White Chocolate Mousse Topping:
- 4 ounces (113 g) white chocolate (NOT almond bark or white chocolate chips) – see note
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (242 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the center of the oven with another oven rack several inches below. Place a 9X13-inch pan on the bottom rack and fill with several inches of water. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with foil (to prevent butter leaking out while baking).
- For the crust, in a medium bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Toss to combine. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press this mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.
- For the cheesecake batter, with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened cream cheese and sugar. Mix until well-combined and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix until just combined. Don't over mix at this step or too much air can be incorporated into the batter causing it to crack while baking (a few cracks are ok since it's covered in a topping, but it still helps to minimize the cracks, if possible).
- Measure out 2 cups of the cheesecake batter (about 285 g) into a medium bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice, and mix together until evenly combined (again, try not to over mix).
- Spread half of the plain cheesecake batter evenly over the graham cracker crust.
- Spoon about 2 cups of the pumpkin batter over the cheesecake layer (reserve at least 1 cup of the pumpkin batter for later) and spread evenly.
- Spread the remaining plain cheesecake batter over the top of the pumpkin cheesecake layer.
- Dollop the remaining pumpkin cheesecake batter across the top. Use a knife to swirl the layers together – making sure the knife gets all the way to the crust (without gouging the crust).
- Bake the cheesecake on the middle rack (with the pan of hot water below) for 60-70 minutes until the edges are set and the middle 2-inches of the cheesecake is still slightly jiggly. Add time as needed. It's ok if the cheesecake has cracked a bit – it will be covered by topping.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
- For the white chocolate mousse topping, in a medium bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 1-minute increments at 50% power until melted and smooth. Don't over heat.
- Add the softened cream cheese and mix with a handheld electric mixer until well-combined (alternately, you can scrape the melted chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix). Let the mixture cool until room temperature. If the mixture or the bowl is warm, the cream may not thicken in the next step.
- Add the heavy cream (see note), powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix on low speed to combine. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing until the mixture is thick with soft peaks.
- Spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake. Loosely cover the cheesecake and refrigerate until fully chilled, 6 to 8 hours.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Here to rave! We had an early Thanksgiving and this stole the show. We all loved it (which is quite the feat)! I went to three different stores in search of white chocolate (and other Thanksgiving ingredients) and none had any white chocolate other than chips or almond bark. Boo. I bought the best chips available and made do. I’ll be keeping an eye out for bars when I’m in a city next, but know that if you can’t get the real stuff, chips work in a pinch. My parents and kids couldn’t believe I made this. I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or delighted! Haha. This one’s a keeper!
Great feedback, thank you! I laughed at your parents and kids’ reaction – BE DELIGHTED! Haha. So happy you loved this. Yay!
This may be the most delicious cheesecake ever!! Just love the topping!! Served it lat night at a dinner gathering. It was a big hit.
I am so thrilled reading your comment, Toni! So happy this was a hit at the dinner party – thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Thank you for another fantastic recipe! My daughter requested a pumpkin cheesecake for her birthday. She lives 3 hours away, so transportation is always key. I baked the cheesecake on Thursday and chilled in the fridge overnight. Friday morning, I froze it. Saturday morning, we popped it into a cooler and drove to her house. It transported perfectly and was still partially frozen when we arrived. It continued to thaw in her fridge as we spent time together before dinner.
Everyone agreed it was deliciously light and flavorful! So perfect! Thank you!
Love your thorough review of making this ahead of time and transporting it, Heidi! Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is amazing and perfect. Loved everything about it. Even non-pumpkin lovers liked it.
Kelly, I’m SO happy to hear that – thanks for taking the time to let me know!
A big hit at our early Thanksgiving feast! I used a star tip and covered the top with the white chocolate mousse and it looked pretty impressive! Mel was correct when she said it’s not overwhelmingly pumpkin….it’s wonderful pumpkin cheesecake perfection!! I did add a bit of cinnamon to the crust because well, why not?. Overall, I think it had a few extra steps but as long as you’re organized and have everything ready to go it’s pretty straightforward. In other words, read through the entire recipe before starting. I made it over two days so it didn’t seem as bad. I’m definitely going to make it again and have already shared with several family and friends. Thanks Mel!
I very much appreciate your comment, Lori – thank you! I bet the cheesecake was stunning with the piped mousse top.
For some reason, I have never made a cheesecake and I’ve done a lot of baking. This cheesecake turned out amazing! Just bought myself a springform pan and followed the directions. Thank you so much!
Amazing, Jason – so happy your first go at a cheesecake worked out so well! Thanks for letting me know!
Have you tried this with an Oreo crust? I’m tempted to swap the graham crackers for oreos (leave out the brown sugar) and see how it works out.
I haven’t tried it, but I think the chocolate combo would be delicious! If using Oreos with the cream center, you can reduce the butter in the crust.
Hi Mel,
I’m a little confused, in step 6 you take 2 cups batter to make the pumpkin portion, but in step 8 it seems like you need 3 cups of pumpkin batter (2 c for spreading and 1 cup for dolloping). Am I interpreting step 8 wrong? The recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!!
After you take out 2 c. of cheesecake batter, you’ll add 1 1/4 c. pumpkin purée and spices to it, so you’ll have 3+ cups pumpkin batter at that point.
Hi Jennifer – you end up with 3 cups of pumpkin batter because you’re mixing canned pumpkin and spices into the 2 cups plain cheesecake batter. Does that make sense?
Mel can this yummy sounding cheesecake be frozen successfully?
Patti R
Yes, it should freeze great!
Hi Mel,
I hope your neck/back feels better soon. I feel your pain. I once hurt my back picking up empty plastic grocery bags off the floor. And a few days ago I broke one of my toes running into a piece of furniture. What fun. Take care. Love your recipes.
Oh dang it, Cheri! I’m sorry about your toe…ouch! My neck is feeling ok. I think there are more nerve issues going on in my back/neck than I originally thought so I’m going to try and get in with a physical therapist to get more help. Thanks for checking in!
My son would adore this! He can’t make it home for Thanksgiving this year (first time! ☹️) Could I mail it??? I would keep it in the springform pan. Should I freeze it first? Am I crazy to try it?
Hi Sylvia, you are a sweet mom to want to try to mail this to your son – I’m sorry he can’t be home for Thanksgiving! Cheesecake definitely needs to be kept cold, so if you decide to mail it, you’ll likely need to mail it with dry ice to keep it cold (and yes, I think I’d try to keep it in the pan so it stays tight and immoveable.
This sounds so delicious! Do you think these could be made in a muffin tin with paper liners? Baking time?
Hi Jacquie, I haven’t tried making this recipe in a muffin tin – worth a try, although I think the cheesecake might stick to paper liners? You could try silicone liners or a dedicated cheesecake pan.