This luscious and creamy vanilla cheesecake with swirls of spiced pumpkin cheesecake sits atop a flavorful gingersnap crust. Top with homemade pumpkin spice whipped cream or your favorite seasonal topping.
In a food processor, crush the gingersnaps until they become a fine crumb. Pour the crushed gingersnaps into a large bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and melted butter, and stir to combine.
Press the gingersnap crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, then bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar then beat again until combined, about another 2 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low2, then add the heavy cream, yogurt or sour cream, and vanilla and mix until completely combined. Add the eggs one at a time and continue mixing on low until eggs are just combined. Your batter should be smooth and creamy without lumps.
Remove 3 cups of the cheesecake batter and place in a medium size bowl. Add the pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice, and stir until combined.
Add spoonfuls of each the plain cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake batters to the baked gingersnap crust, alternating until you have used all of the batter. Use a toothpick or a butter knife to gently swirl the batters together.
Create a water bath3 by placing the 9" springform pan in a slightly larger round pan (I like to use a 10" cake pan) and then place that pan into an even larger round pan (I like to use a 12" cake pan) or roasting pan.
Fill the outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the middle pan, then carefully transfer the whole thing to the oven.
Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes. The middle of the cheesecake (a center approximately 2" wide) should jiggle just a little bit. I use my digital instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 145ºF (63ºC). Turn the oven off4 and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the springform pan from all of the other pans and allow to cool on a cooling rack for another 2 hours. When the cheesecake is completely cool, cover or wrap tightly and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
TOPPING
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and use a spatula or butter knife to gently loosen the crust from the side of the pan, then release the outer ring of the springform pan.
Top the cheesecake with fresh whipped cream (I used my pumpkin spice whipped cream, but you can use my plain homemade whipped cream recipe, salted caramel sauce, or any other seasonal topping you prefer). Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Cheesecake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Notes
Pumpkin: I always measure pumpkin purée with measuring cups as the moisture content can wildly change the weight measurements, depending on the brand.
Mixer speed: it's important not to go above low (or low-medium) speed after you've beaten the cream cheese. Incorporating too much air will create bubbles and potential cracks in your finished cheesecake.
Water bath pans: here is a bundle that includes all the pans I use. Using this method eliminates the need to wrap anything in foil.
Cool the cheesecake: I like to prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon or spatula.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.