Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake

Simply divine pumpkin cake swirled with rich and creamy cheesecake. This is something every pumpkin lover should try this fall!

Hi! Thank you so much for all of your well wishes, congrats, emails, messages, tweets, comments, gifts, cards, and everything else you have all done to make our wedding so special. Kevin and I are blessed to have had so much love surrounding us.

Before we leave for our honeymoon next week, let’s talk about pumpkin cake. I made this pumpkin cheesecake about a month ago and have been obsessing about it since. I allowed myself only one slice due to the above wedding dress and froze the rest. Thinking about having a piece for breakfast this morning. Acceptable?

This cake is the farthest thing from diet food but who the heck cares. It’s dessert. And it’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever made. Why? You get two in one. The creamiest cheesecake and the moistest, cinnamoniest (?) pumpkin cake.

Because the only thing better than dessert is a double dessert.

And and and! If all that wasn’t enough, there is cream cheese frosting on top of this divine monstrosity. You are welcome!

This recipe was inspired by my favorite pumpkin cheesecake muffins. They’ve been quite popular with all you pumpkin lovers and, well, anyone with tastebuds. I decided a funky little change would be interesting. I also got a new springform pan, so consider it pumpkin cheesecake destiny. Delicious, delicious destiny.

A couple things first. I spent quite a bit of time – and pumpkin – perfecting this recipe. There is so much moisture in the main ingredients used (pumpkin, cream cheese, eggs), that I had to work a few things in and a few things out in my recipe testing. My oven certainly got a workout that day. All the “test” cakes were undoubtedly tasty (also in my freezer), but the final cake was just perfect. You’re absolutely going to love it. Be sure to follow my tip regarding the pumpkin’s moisture in my recipe notes.

Because of all the moisture, this pumpkin cake cheesecake takes a very very very long time in the oven. Not a problem for those of you with patience, but if you are looking for a quick pumpkin recipe this fall  – this isn’t it. Bake for at least 1 hour, then let it rest in the oven (one of my tricks to avoid cheesecake cracks), then chill until firm.

But it’s all worth it.

One bowl for cheesecake, two bowls for the pumpkin cake. Layer the cheesecake batter and pumpkin batter by the large spoonful into the springform pan. It does not have to look perfect going into the oven. Randomness adds to its charm.

This cake is such a fun alternative to traditional pumpkin pie. And it’s quite the show-stopper! Everyone gathered around the table will be impressed. I highly recommend you bake this tempting cake for company and not just for… yourself.

“Double trouble” is what I’ve coined it.

Pumpkin Cake Cheesecake

Yield: 1 cheesecake, serves 12

Total Time: at least 7.5 hours, includes chilling

Simply divine pumpkin cake swirled with rich and creamy cheesecake. This is something every pumpkin lover should try this fall!

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Cheesecake

• 16 ounces (448g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature


• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar


• 1/4 cup (60g) plain yogurt or sour cream¹


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour


• 3 large eggs

Pumpkin Cake

• 3/4 cup (180ml) canola or vegetable oil


• 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar


• 2 large eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 and 1/3 cups (318g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)²


• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice³


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces (112g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature


• 2 Tablespoons (16g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature


• 2 cups (240g) confectioners' sugar, sifted


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) milk


• chopped pecans, optional

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Wrap aluminum foil on the bottom and tightly around the outside walls of the springform pan, as shown in photos on my How to Prevent Cheesecake Cracks page. Set aside.


2. Make the cheesecake first: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed in a large bowl - about 3 full minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and flour and beat until combined. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. Do not overmix the filling after you have added the eggs. Set aside.


3. Make the pumpkin cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and blotted-dry pumpkin (see notes) together until combined and uniform in texture. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until no large lumps remain. Avoid overmixing the pumpkin cake batter.


4. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of the pumpkin cake batter over bottom of prepared pan. On top of the pumpkin batter, drop large spoonfuls of the cheesecake batter. Top with large spoonfuls of remaining pumpkin cake batter. Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter. It does not have to be neat and perfect. Do not swirl with a knife. See photo above of what my cake looked like before going into the oven.


5. Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan and place into the oven. Fill with about 1 inch of hot water. The foil wrapped around the pan will prevent water from leaking inside. Click here to read more about my cheesecake water bath.


6. Bake for 65-75 minutes or until the center is almost set.⁴ If you find the edges are browning, loosely place aluminum foil on top of the cake as it bakes. Once done, turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight (preferred). Loosen the cheesecake from the rim of the pan and remove the rim.


7. Make the cream cheese frosting (this can be made up to 2 day sin advance - cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.) Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.  Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then turn up to high speed and beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in 1-2 Tablespoons of milk, depending how thick or thin you want the frosting. Spread onto chilled cheesecake. Top with pecans, if desired.


8. Cut into slices and serve cheesecake chilled. Cover leftover cheesecake and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.


9. Make ahead tip: This pumpkin cake cheesecake freezes well up to 2 months, covered tightly. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The cream cheese frosting can be made in advance-- see step #7.

Recipe Notes:

1. I used plain, low fat Greek yogurt. Any plain yogurt (nonfat, low fat, full fat, Greek, regular) or (low-fat, full-fat) sour cream will be fine.


2. Pumpkin is an extremely wet ingredient. In my recipe testing, I found that in order to get enough pumpkin flavor you need the amount of pumpkin listed. However, this will weigh down your cake and even make it a little soggy. So, before adding the pumpkin to the mixing bowl in step 3 - place your measured out pumpkin into a bowl lined with a paper towel. Place two more paper towels on top of it. Blot the pumpkin dry. Squeeze out some moisture. Then, add the blotted-dry pumpkin to the wet ingredients as instructed.


3. Instead of pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon all-spice.


4. When the cheesecake is done, there will still be a 2 inch wobbly spot in the center; the texture will smooth out as it cools.

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Sally’s Baking Addiction.

SHOP THE RECIPE

Here are some items I used to make today’s recipe.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer | KitchenAid Hand Mixer | Colorful Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Spatula | Libby’s Pure Pumpkin | Pumpkin Pie Spice | 9-inch Springform Pan

Try my Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins next!

And my favorite pumpkin spice cupcakes.

Happy fall, everyone! See more pumpkin recipes.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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