Saturday, October 22, 2011

Weekend Cooking: Col Cooks Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake


When I asked what I could bring to the Halloween Party, my friend Ann said she’d like a pumpkin cheesecake. This is a marbled version, perfect for cheesecake purists* who want to add a touch of the season to their favorite dessert.

Col's Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

For the crust:
1 cup gingersnap crumbs
¼ cup walnuts, ground
¼ cup melted butter

Mix all together and press into the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Cover the outside of the pan with a large piece of aluminum foil (use the extra-wide kind, so you won’t have to worry about water seeping into the cake through the seams).

For the cheesecake filling:
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons melted butter

Have the ingredients at room temperature. Blend the first four ingredients in a blender for one minute. Then add the cream cheese, a bit at a time. When all the cream cheese is incorporated, pour the melted butter through the top of the blender while running to incorporate. Pour all but ¾ cup into the springform pan.

For the pumpkin filling:
¾ cup cheesecake filling (above)
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large measuring cup. (It will be a bit thin, but that’s alright.) Now for the fun part – pour the filling onto the cheesecake in a decorative pattern.

Place the springform pan in a lasagna pan. With the pan on the oven rack, pour boiling water into the lasagna pan, until it comes about half way up the side of the cake pan. Bake in a 325 F oven for about 50 minutes. Then turn off the oven, place a wooden spoon between the door and the oven to prop it open, and let the cheesecake remain undisturbed for another hour. Then remove from the oven and let cool completely before you refrigerate (at least 3 hours before cutting).

*And by that I mean lovers of real, New York cheesecake, dense and not overly sweet -- the kind I grew up on!


Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. Thanks to Beth Fish Reads for hosting!

18 comments:

  1. Wow, does that look wonderful! I'm so impressed with even the word cheesecake, not something I've baked before except for the recipe on the package of Philly cream cheese for their cheesecake brownies. I think yours is far preferrable! And, what a beautiful background it's sitting on!

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  2. I love to bake cheesecake, but we don't eat much of them, so I rarely do. I have a recipe that's very similar to that one.

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  3. I love pumpkin recipes and eat cheesecake about once a year... this is going to be the one. The gingersnap crust clinches it!

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  4. This looks delicious! pumpkin and cheesecake - a perfect combination!

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  5. I have always wanted to make a cheesecake. Yours looks great!

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  6. For the zillionth time this weekend I am saying, I love anything pumpkin. Mr. BFR loves cheesecake. We love the NY style. "We" must make this.

    The water bath is crucial. So many cheesecake recipes leave that out.

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  7. I’m learning so many variations on pumpkin recipes here; this one looks a winner.

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  8. This looks amazing! I've been looking at pumpkin recipes and this might actually be the one.

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  9. YUM!! I rarely eat anything with pumpkin in it, not because I don't like it, I do. But neither I nor anyone I know ever makes anything other than pumpkin pie. It sure sounds good!
    Here's My WC

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  10. Thanks, everyone. I can report it was a big hit -- even with the kids! But what I really love is the Jackson Pollack aspect of it -- it was really fun to make!

    @Bellezza and @Kristen M. -- Cheesecake is really easy. It's just a baked custard. You just have to get over the idea of perfection. If it cracks, it still tastes good :)

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  11. This sounds like the BEST dessert recipe I've seen for chessecake. Gotta try this for the holidays. Thanks for sharing Colleen.

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  12. I don't even own a springform pan! But, you've just convinced me to buy one :) Yum!

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  13. That is a great looking cheesecake! Love it with the pumpkin swirl!

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  14. The thing that got my attention immediately was the ingredients in the crust. Gingersnaps and walnuts sound wonderful. I can't wait to try this.

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  15. Holy smokes that sounds and looks soooo delicious!

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  16. We will be having this in November! We love cheesecake and my husband loves pumpkin! Here's my WC

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  17. Oh my. I've bookmarked this so I can make it later for Thanksgiving. It looks divine!

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I absolutely love comments. Thanks for taking the time to share! Col