This cheesecake was a hit at our monthly birthday party as well as at a family Christmas. It even went over well with people who do not like pumpkin, which is always a testament to the cheesecake. Both times I made this I did not do a water bath as the below directions will indicate. I instead usde the baking directions for another pumpkin cheesecake recipe. I did not make that other recipe because I did not have all the ingredients and I had all the ingredients for this one. So, you don't have to do the water bath to still have this cheesecake turn out wonderfully.
Oddly enough, the hardest part of making this cheesecake was finding gingersnaps for the crust. I could not find them at Walmart so ended up getting them at my local grocery store while home in Kansas. Then, a couple weeks later, I saw gingersnaps on an end cap at Walmart. Sigh. Oh well, I got the crust made and it was delicious. I also did not have a food processor so the first time I made this I crushed the gingersnaps in a gallon resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin and the second time I used a nut chopper and just chopped four or five cookies at a time. It takes longer, but it works out. I then combined the cookies with the butter in a separate bowl and mixed it up.
The swirl on this turned out much better the second time. I don't know if it was how I drug the knife through the top or where I dolloped the plain cheesecake mix, but regardless it tasted delicious both times.
If you're afraid of making a cheesecake, there's nothing to fear. Just follow the directions and you will be fine.
This recipe came from Every Day with Rachael Ray.
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
25 gingersnap cookies
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Three 8-oz. packages cream cheese, cut into chunks and softened
5 large eggs, at room temperature
One 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
Boiling water (if doing the water bath)
Directions:
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray (very lightly). Using a food processor (or whatever you can), grind the cookies with 1/4 cup sugar. (I ground/crushed the cookies and then combined them with the sugar.) Add the butter and pulse to combine. (Or stir with a fork.) Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Use a flat-bottomed cup for even, light pressure. Bake until firm, 3 minutes. (Only do this if you are doing the water bath.) Transfer to a rack to cool or set aside if not baked.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in 2 eggs until blended. Transfer 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Add the remaining 3 eggs, the pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt to the rest of the mixture and beat until combined, about 2 minutes.
3. Set the springform pan with the cooled crust on a double layer of extra long and wide heavy duty aluminum foil and wrap the foil tightly around the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure there are no cracks or creases where water could enter the pan. Set this in a roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust. Dollop the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the filling and swirl together using the tip of a knife. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and fill with enough boiling water to reach about halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the center is slightly wobbly but the edges are firm to the touch, about 1 1/4 hours or 75 minutes. ***If you are not doing the water bath, fill the prepared crust with the filling and then dollop the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the top and swirl with the tip of a knife. Place the pan onto the oven rack and bake for about an hour, checking when nearing the hour to ensure the top is not too browned.
4. Transfer the roasting pan with the cheesecake to a rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Remove the springform pan, discard the foil and let the cheesecake cool on the rack for 3 hours. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. ***If you did not do the water bath, simply remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. I let it cool about 3 hours total. I ran a knife around the edge about the 2 1/2 hour mark, just to make sure the cheesecake did not get stuck to the pan but it was still fairly set by that point. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
5. Remove the springform
Cheesecakes do take quite a bit of time, but they are well worth the effort. See the image below for the lovely decadence that is a pumpkin swirl cheesecake.
