Pumpkin-Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake

I love pumpkin. The only thing I love more than pumpkin is cheesecake. The combination is a
Thanksgiving masterpiece. You’ll want to save room for this one: a moist, dense cheesecake mixed with
spiced pumpkin swirls and laced with intense cinnamon ribbons.
CRuSt:
¾ cup fl our
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup brown sugar
cup margarine, softened
1 teaspoon molasses
1 tablespoon milk
Filling:
2 8-ounce containers
soy cream cheese
1 aseptic container fi rm tofu
1 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the
bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
For Crust: In a small bowl, mix together fl our, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar. Add margarine, molasses and milk and stir until crumbly. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes.
For Filling: While crust is baking, combine cream cheese, tofu, ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and vanilla in a food processor or blender. Blend until well-incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Pour 1½ cups of mixture into a bowl and set aside. Add remaining ½ cup sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, pumpkin
purée and pumpkin pie spice. Process until well-blended.
From reserved fi lling, reserve 3 tablespoons in a
small bowl. Add milk and cinnamon to the reserved 3 tablespoons. Mix well to incorporate.
For Assembly: In the springform pan, alternate adding ½ cup vanilla fi lling and ½ cup pumpkin fi lling on top of the crust. Drizzle cinnamon mixture on top of fi lling in thick stripes. Lightly wiggle the pan to help the contents settle.
Draw a knife though the batter several times to marble.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until center of fi lling is set but still slightly jiggly. Let cake cool completely then let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Best if made the night before so the spices have time to meld. Store leftover cake covered in the fridge.
Yield: 12 SLICES
Prep time: 35 MINUTES
For plain cheesecake, make the crust without pumpkin pie spice and mix the fi lling without pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and add cup additional sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon
juice. Serve with the cherry topping from Blackest Forest Cake or the strawberry topping from Strawberry Lemonade Cheesepie