Consisting of brown sugar and pumpkin cheesecake swirled in together, this brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake perfectly captures the warming flavors of fall!
Although I do not make as much as I would like to, cheesecakes are one of my favorites desserts to bake and eat! Every fall, I like to make a fall-themed cheesecake. This year, I was inspired to combine the flavors of brown sugar and pumpkin together resulting in the creation of this brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake. The brown sugar cheesecake nicely balances the rich, warming spice of the pumpkin cheesecake making for a delightfully scrumptious treat.
(NOTE: The full recipe with exact measurements are down at the bottom of the post in the recipe card!)
How to Make Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Graham Cracker Crust
Key Ingredients
- Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Brown Sugar – may use light or dark brown sugar
- Unsalted Butter – melted and cooled
How To Make Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat – oven to 325F (165C). Lightly grease an 8” or 9” springform pan. Double wrap the outside of pan up to the top rim in aluminum foil.
- Mix – in a medium mixing bowl, add graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Mix ingredients to combine. Next, add cooled, melted butter into graham cracker crumb mixture and mix until mixture takes on the appearance of wet sand.
- Transfer – graham cracker crumb mixture into prepared springform pan.
- Press– using the back of a measuring cup or small glass, press the graham cracker crumb mixture into an even layer along the base and 1/2 “ up the side of springform pan.
- Bake – graham cracker crust for 12 minutes. Graham cracker crust is ready once it becomes fragrant and takes on a light golden brown color.
- Cool – set graham cracker crust aside on a cooling rack to cool as the cheesecake batter is prepared.
Brown Sugar and Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter
Key Ingredients
- Full-fat Cream Cheese
- Pumpkin Puree – not pumpkin pie mix
- Eggs
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Spices – I used a combination of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
- Hot Water – for water bath
To Make Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Reduce – oven temperature to 300F (150C).
- Cream – in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl and hand-held mixer, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cornstarch. Cream ingredients together at medium speed until mixture appears smooth without any lumps of un-mixed cream cheese, about 3-4 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape the sides and base of bowl.
- Mix – in the heavy cream and vanilla extract into cream cheese mixture at medium speed, about 1 minute.
- Beat – reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs into brown sugar cheesecake batter one at a time. Stop mixer and scrape the sides and base of the bowl. Mix for an additional minute at low speed.
- Mix – in a separate medium mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree and spices. Mix ingredients together to combine.
- Add – 2 cups of the brown sugar cheesecake batter into bowl with pumpkin puree mixture and gently mix to combine. Take care to not overmix cheesecake batter as overmixing will cause cracks on the surface of cheesecake as it bakes.
- Spoon – half of the brown sugar cheesecake batter into cooled graham cracker crust and then add four big spoons of the pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the brown sugar cheesecake batter.
- Swirl – using an offset spatula or butter butter knife, swirl the pumpkin cheesecake batter into the brown sugar cheesecake batter. Repeat process with the remaining brown sugar and pumpkin cheesecake batters.
- Transfer – cheesecake filled springform pan into a larger baking pan and place in oven. Carefully pour hot water into larger pan about 1 inch up the sides of springform pan.
- Bake – brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready when the edges appears slightly puffed and the center jiggles a little when the springform pan is gently shaken. I baked brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake for the full 75 minutes.
- Cool – brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake in oven with the door ajar for one hour before removing from the oven to cool at room temperature, about 2-3 hours. When brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake is first removed from the oven, run an offset spatula along sides to help separate cheesecake from the pan. This will help prevent cracks in the surface of cheesecake as it cools and naturally pulls aways from the sides of pan.
- Refrigerate – once brown sugar pumpkin cheesecake has cooled completely to room temperature, refrigerate to set for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Bring It All Together – Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Key Ingredients
- Heavy Cream – cold
- Powdered Sugar
- Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (optional)
- Ground Cinnamon – to dust on top of whipped cream (optional)
Assembly
- Remove – brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake from springform pan and transfer to serving platter.
- Whip – in a medium chilled mixing bowl, add heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar. Using a hand-held electric mixer or whisk, whip up the heavy cream mixture at medium high speed just until it reaches stiff peak consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer – whipped heavy cream to a pastry bag fitted with your preferred pastry piping tip. I used a Wilton 2D pastry tip to pipe star border design along the edge of brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake. For star border design, I used the apply pressure and release method. Here is a video reference.
- Sprinkle – toasted pumpkin seeds over piped whipped cream border and dust with cinnamon.
How to Store Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Sliced brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake securely wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
My Essential Cheesecake Tips
- Double Wrap – to avoid ending up with a soggy crust as cheesecake bakes in water bath, double wrap the baking pan up to the rim with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – it is very important to use room temperature ingredients, especially when it comes to the cream cheese. Not only will the ingredients mix up easily, but you will avoid the chance of ending up with clumps of cream cheese in batter.
- Reduce Speed – on a mixer (stand or hand-held), reduce speed to low before mixing eggs into batter. I learned that at this point, mixing too much air into batter will cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack as it bakes.
- Water Bath – baking cheesecake in a water bath helps to ensure an even and consistent bake. It is best to first place springform baking pan with cheesecake batter into a larger baking pan before transferring to oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan about 1 inch up the side of springform pan.
- Slow Bake – baking cheesecake at a low oven temperature over a long period of time will help to prevent the formation of cracks. My go-to temperature and bake time is 300F(150C) for 60-75 minutes. Bake cheesecake just until the rim of the cake appears puffed but there is a slight jiggle in the center of cake.
- Rest – once cheesecake is done baking, resist the urge to remove cake from oven. Instead, turn off oven and leave cheesecake inside with the door ajar. Allow cheesecake to rest in oven for 1 hour before cooling to room temperature outside the oven. The purpose behind this is to avoid a sudden change in temperature which may shock cheesecake and cause the dreaded surface cracks.
- Release – as cheesecake cools, it will naturally pull away from the sides of pan, running a knife around the edge of cheesecake will help prevent cracks from forming.
Look for More Awesome Fall Recipes, Checkout the Links Below:
If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintBrown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Consisting of brown sugar and pumpkin cheesecake swirled in together, this brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake perfectly captures the warming flavors of fall!
- Prep Time: 7 Hours
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 Cup (210 g) Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 Tablespoons (26 g) Dark Brown Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (3 oz) Unsalted Butter, Melted, Cooled
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- 32 Ounces (4 packs) Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup (170 g) Pumpkin Puree, Room Temperature
- 3/4 Cup (150 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (104 g) Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons (18 g) Cornstarch
- 4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Powdered Ginger
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Assembly
- 2/3 Cup (158 ml) Heavy Cream, Cold
- 2 Teaspoons Powdered Sugar
- Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Lightly grease an 8” or 9” springform pan. Double wrap the outside of pan up to the top rim in aluminum foil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Mix ingredients to combine.
- Next, add cooled, melted butter into graham cracker crumb mixture and mix until mixture takes on the appearance of wet sand.
- Transfer graham cracker crumb mixture into prepared springform pan.
- Using the back of a measuring cup or small glass, press the graham cracker crumb mixture into an even layer along the base and 1/2 inch up the side of springform pan.
- Bake graham cracker crust for 12 minutes. Graham cracker crust is ready once it becomes fragrant and takes on a light golden brown color.
- Set graham cracker crust aside on a cooling rack to cool as the cheesecake batter is prepared.
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Reduce oven temperature to 300F (150C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with hand-held mixer, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cornstarch. Cream ingredients together at medium speed until mixture appears smooth without any lumps of un-mixed cream cheese, about 3-4 minutes. Stop mixer and scrape the sides and base of the bowl.
- Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla extract into cream cheese mixture at medium speed, about 1 minute.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs into brown sugar cheesecake batter one at a time. Stop mixer and scrape the sides and base of the bowl. Mix for an additional minute at low speed.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree and spices. Mix ingredients together to combine.
- Add 2 cups of the brown sugar cheesecake batter into bowl with pumpkin puree mixture. Gently mix to combine. Take care to not overmix cheesecake batter as overmixing will cause cracks on the surface of cheesecake as it bakes.
- Spoon half of the brown sugar cheesecake batter into cooled graham cracker crust and then add four big spoons of the pumpkin cheesecake batter on top of the brown sugar cheesecake batter.
- Using an offset spatula or butter butter knife, swirl the pumpkin cheesecake batter into the brown sugar cheesecake batter. Repeat process with the remaining brown sugar and pumpkin cheesecake batters.
- Transfer cheesecake filled springform pan into a larger baking pan and place in oven. Carefully pour hot water into larger pan about 1 inch up the sides of springform pan.
- Bake brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready when the edges appears slightly puffed and the center jiggles a little when the springform pan is gently shaken. I baked brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake for the full 75 minutes.
- Cool brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake in oven with the door ajar for one hour before removing from the oven to cool at room temperature, about 2-3 hours.
- When brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake is first removed from the oven, run an offset spatula along sides to help separate cheesecake from the pan. This will help prevent cracks in the surface of cheesecake as it cools and naturally pulls aways from the sides of pan.
- Once brown sugar pumpkin cheesecake has cooled completely to room temperature, refrigerate to set for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Assembly
- Remove brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake from springform pan and transfer to serving platter.
- In a medium chilled mixing bowl, add heavy cream and powdered sugar. Using a hand-held electric mixer or whisk, whip up the heavy cream mixture at medium high speed just until it reaches stiff peak consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer whipped heavy cream to a pastry bag fitted with your preferred pastry piping tip. I used a Wilton 2D pastry tip to pipe star border along the edge of brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake. For star border design, I used the apply pressure and release method. Here is a video reference.
- Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds over piped whipped cream border and dust with cinnamon (optional).
Notes
- Before baking brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake make sure to read my cheesecake tips. I used these tips everytime I make a cheesecake to ensure that I do not end up with cracks in the surface.
- Leftover brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake that is completely wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- To make graham cracker crumb from scratch, simply add about 8-10 graham cracker sheets to a food processor and pulse into crumbs. Alternatively, graham cracker crumbs may be purchased.
- In place of toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped pecans or walnuts would work great as a finishing garnish as well.
- In place of piped border, whipped heavy cream maybe spread over top of brown sugar pumpkin swirl cheesecake and topped with toasted pumpkin seeds for a more rustic look.
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Triple Chocolate Muffins
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