Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Recipe

Great news for all you readers out there searching for an allergen-friendly dessert for the holidays.  Look no further! I made this awesome Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake this year for Thanksgiving.  It's egg-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

I spent a good bit of time looking for an egg-free cheesecake recipe, only to find that most of them either used cashews (a bit pricey) or tofu (soy is a no-no for me) as fillers. Grrr... So, then I found this egg-free cheesecake recipe and was inspired to make it my own.

Who knew you don't really need eggs, wheat, tofu or cashews to make an amazing cheesecake with a really great cheesecake texture?  News to me.  But, trust me, it's totally possible.

And totally delicious.

I feel more cheesecake recipes coming on as a result.  What's your fave kind of cheesecake?

The pumpkin swirl is good enough to eat with a spoon.  In fact... if you really wanted to, you could just skip the crust and the bake time and just eat the whole bowl of creamy, cheesy, pumpkin-y goodness with a spoon.

Or, you could be a good kid and share bake it, like the recipe calls for. I'll bet you won't miss the eggs... or gluten.

Side note, I'm not a huge fan of over the top sweet cheesecakes. So, this recipe doesn't call for very much sugar.  Feel free to taste the batter before baking and add more sugar if you'd like. I won't mind.

 Side note #2, I don't actually buy Greek yogurt...it's a little out of my price range. I typically buy regular, plain yogurt and strain it. (Line a colander with a coffee filter or piece of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Plop in your regular, plain yogurt and strain for at least an hour. I usually do overnight. Voila! "Greek" yogurt.  I save the whey for adding to smoothies or soaking oatmeal or breads.)

Side note #3, if you've never heard of quark, it's kind of like a cross between yogurt and cream cheese in consistency and it's got a pretty strong, tangy, yogurt-y flavor. It can be a little hard to find, or expensive if you buy it in a supermarket.  We get it sometimes from the farm where we buy our dairy and eggs. It makes cheesecake very tangy.  If you've never had quark, or can't find it, I'd recommend just sticking with the yogurt.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

by Raye

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 55-60 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert gluten-free soy-free egg-free pumpkin

Ingredients (12 servings)

• 1 recipe Walnut Oat Pie Crust, or your favorite gluten-free crust recipe
• 1 c. pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling)
• 3/4 c. Rapadura or brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder, divided
• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 16 oz Greek yogurt (or quark)
• 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp whipping cream
• 1/2 to 3/4 c. evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

• Prepare crust (make sure the crust has cooled completely before filling it with the cheesecake mixture) according to recipe directions. Press into a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. This can be done in advance. Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Line a cookie sheet with a double-layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin puree on paper towels. Top with another double-layer of paper towels. Let this sit for about 10 minutes to absorb some of the moisture from the pumpkin. (Alternatively, you could measure the pumpkin into a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.)
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, yogurt, evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar), whipping cream, 1 Tbsp of arrowroot, and vanilla. Mixture will be thick.
• Peel the paper towels off the pumpkin puree. Scrape into a smaller mixing bowl. Add Rapadura (or brown sugar), cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and 1 Tbsp arrowroot to pumpkin puree. Beat until mixture is fully combined.
• Add 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Mix well.
• Spoon about 1/2 the cream cheese mixture into the prepared springform pan. Dollop the pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture in pan. Dollop on the rest of the cream cheese mixture, making sure the pan is evenly filled.
• Insert the tip of a butterknife into the cheesecake. Swirl the knife to create a marbled appearance.
• Bake at 350*F for 55-60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cheesecake to cool in the pan for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

• This cheesecake is less sweet than most cheesecake recipes. Feel free to up the granulated sugar to suit your individual taste (I used 1/2 c. evaporated cane juice).
• Quark has a sharper tang than Greek yogurt; keep this in mind as you choose the ingredients for this cheesecake!
• If you use a 9-inch springform pan, increase cooking time to 65 minutes. You can also use a deep dish pie pan if you don't have a springform pan - it's just easier to get the slices out of a springform pan.

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