Marbled Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake with a Caramel Crust (Easy)
Who doesn’t like pumpkin pie? Me. So let's make pumpkin pie cheesecake and give it the long overdue update that it needs. This is a beautiful twist on cheesecake and pumpkin pie, which gives it a marbled look. This dessert eats at Thanksgiving and leaves no crumbs.
Equipment
- 1 9 Inch Spring Form Pan This will make the Cheesecake easier to slice and remove
Ingredients
Crust:
- 25 Lotus Biscuits (Crushed, you can use regular biscuits if wanted)
- ¾ Stick Butter (Melted)
- 1 Pinch of Salt
Batter:
- ½ C White Sugar
- 1 C Brown Sugar
- 4 Blocks Cream Cheese (Room Temp)
- 1.5 Tsp Vanilla
- 1 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1.5 Cup Pumpkin Puree (Room Temp, Scoop an extra 2-4 Tbsp for the marbling)
- 2 Eggs (Room Temp)
- ½ cup Heavy Cream (Room Temp)
- 1 Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mix together Crushed Biscuits together with Melted Butter and Salt to make the crust mixture. Pour the crust mixture into a springform pan that has been wrapped with foil paper. Spread the mixture evenly by using the bottom of the measuring cup and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In another bowl, cream together White Sugar, Cream Cheese, and Salt. Afterwards, mix in Eggs, Vanilla, and Heavy Cream.
- Reserve 2 Tbsp of the batter if wanted (optional) and spread ⅓ of the batter onto the crust lined pan. This will help create a nice white stripe at the bottom. Put the pan into the fridge and let it sit for at least 30 minutes to stiffen. This will prevent it from mixing with the pumpkin batter when baking.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. In the bowl with the rest of the batter, mix in Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Spice, and Brown Sugar to create the pumpkin batter. (Optional) Reserve 2 tbsp of the pumpkin batter and add in 2-4 tbsp of reserved pumpkin puree to make a darker orange batter. Gently pour the pumpkin battter into the chilled pan and smooth it out.
- (Optional) To make the marbling, dollop little bits of the white and dark brown batter on top of the regular pumpkin batter and use a toothpick to make swirls. This will make the marbling pattern.
- Put the filled cake pan on a tall baking sheet and pour hot water on the baking sheet until the water reaches about half the height of the cake pan to create a hot water bath.
- Bake at 325F for 70-75 minutes, until the middle jiggles when shaken a little. After baking, let it cool at room temp for about 4 hours and then let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Video
Notes
Wrap the pan–I prefer to use a springform pan for easy removal–in foil paper to prevent water from seeping in when baking.
Smash biscuits into a fine powder, almost butter like, to create a better caramel crust. Lotus biscuits work best, but Graham Crackers work too.
Warm up Eggs by putting them in a warm water bath.
Warm up Cream Cheese, Pumpkin Puree, and Heavy Cream by microwaving it for 15 second intervals.
It’s very important to have the ingredients at room temp as that will make the batter homogeneous.
If the ingredients are too cold, the batter will seize and become very lumpy. If this happens, put the bowl on top of a boiling pot and mix until it smooths out.
Add more of the white batter to the bottom for a larger and more pronounced white stripe. Afterwards, put it in the fridge so that it stiffens. A stiff bottom layer will prevent it from mixing with the pumpkin batter.
Marbling will increase the chances of the pumpkin cheesecake cracking, but who doesn’t like a little crack?
The marbling is completely optional, as it can lead to the cheesecake developing a little crack. To do the marbling, reserve 2 tablespoons of the white batter, and 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin batter. Add about 2 tablespoons of reserved pumpkin puree to make it a darker orange color–add more if wanted. Dollop the different batters on the top of the cheesecake and then use a toothpick to swirl it around to create the marbling, then bake it.
Baking the cheesecake in a hot water bath will help prevent it from cracking and develop a more custardy, smoother, and richer texture.
Letting the Cheesecake cool appropriately will help it solidify and cut better. Cutting into it when it is still warm will make the slices ugly and make the cheesecake leak like lava.
Use a sharp knife to cut around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen it, and then remove it from the pan.