nutritional information

Per SERVING:

  • Calories: 218
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Total Fat: 9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Cholesterol: 47 mg
  • Sodium: 177 mg
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Sugar: 22 g

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin-Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Serves 24

It took us four tries to get this recipe just right, but the result—a rich, creamy, pumpkin-flavored cheesecake laced with spice and swirled with chocolate—is truly spectacular.
  • 1 & ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
  • 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
  • 2 8-oz. pkg. Neufchâtel cheese, softened
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
  • 1 & ½ Tbs. ground ginger
  • 1 & ½ Tbs. ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make Chocolate Crust:

2. Coat 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press into prepared pan, and bake 10 minutes.

3. Melt chocolate in bowl in microwave on medium power, stirring every 30 seconds to heat evenly. Set aside. Blend cottage cheese in food processor 3 minutes, until smooth. Add Neufchâtel cheese, brown sugar, eggs and flour, and process until smooth. Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, and process 1 minute, or until smooth.

4. Whisk 1 cup cream cheese batter into melted chocolate. Pour remaining batter into crust. Spoon dollops of chocolate mixture onto batter, and swirl with knife.

5. Bake cheesecake 1 & 1/2 hours, or until top is firm and cake is beginning to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely on wire rack, then chill well before unmolding and serving.

November 2006

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comments

Hi, I'm the food editor and, as it happens, the person who developed the recipe. I certainly think you could halve the recipe. Your best bet would be to use a smaller springform pan (for a thicker cheesecake), or use a 9-inch springform as the instructions suggest then check the baking after 45 minutes because you will have a thinner cheesecake (about 1 1/2-inches thick rather than 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick). Another option is to make the whole cheesecake and freeze half of it. Cheesecake freezes really, really well and if you wrap it tight in plastic wrap and then foil, it will stay delicious for up to 6 months. Hope that helps! Mary Margaret

Mary Margaret Chappell - 2010-01-28 13:15:36

I sent an earlier message about the servings of this cheesecake and wanting to know if it could be halved for 8 people. Thinking about this, could you half the ingredients and prepare in smaller pan? Thanks. Leah

Monkton2@hotmail.com - 2010-01-15 16:44:21

24 servings is quite alot when you have 8people coming for dinner. Is there anyway to cut it in half to serve 12?

LeahH - 2010-01-15 12:29:45

I'm a "beginner", and made this recipe and it turned out GREAT!! It was fairly easy to make. I used semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet and it was really good. It tasted more like a chocolate cheesecake (not too strong though) with a hint of pumpkin. The pumpkin flavor was not overwelming. I think someone that didn't like pumpkin would be able to enjoy this desert. It looked just like the picture!!

Benedictus - 2009-12-03 03:45:19

Great recipe! I tried another low-fat pumpkin cheesecake recipe from about.com and the VT version was FAR better!!!

LAS - 2009-11-22 22:21:48

This recipe combines my three all-time favorites: pumpkin pie, cheesecake, and chocolate! I used alternatives to make it vegan. I felt it was a little strong on the NUTMEG, and next time would USE HALF THAT AMOUNT. Otherwise, it was a great desert, with a nice texture.

Vivian A - 2009-11-05 09:09:42

I had never made cheesecake before, and am generally not good at baking. However, I had no trouble at all making this recipe--and my friends were really impressed. It's every bit as delicious as the photo implies.

Lisa Q - 2009-10-23 15:09:15

I have question, doing my research on baking cheesecakes, as this will be my first time, I read that the springform pan should be placed above a shallow pan of water, is this required for this particular recipe?

Emily - 2010-11-15 16:54:41