Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9" x 13" baking sheet with non-stick spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl with a handheld mixer or whisk, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat or whisk until combined. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and salt and mix again until smooth. Set aside.
PUMPKIN CAKE
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 2/3 of batter in, cream cheese, last 1/3.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together the butter and pumpkin purée until combined. Add both of the sugars and whisk again until smooth. Finally, whisk in the eggs and milk until everything is incorporated.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a large spatula until no more flour pockets remain. Pour approximately 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.
Using a spoon or large spatula, dollop the cheesecake mixture onto the pumpkin cake batter. I did 5 large dollops.
Pour the remaining 1/3 of the pumpkin batter onto the dollops of cheesecake, then, using a butter knife, slowly swirl everything together until white and orange swirls on the surface are to your liking.
Bake the cake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before refrigerating at least 4 hours to serve. Top with homemade whipped cream, if desired. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator, up to 5 days. Cake freezes well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.