Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake with Cookie Crumb Crust

A classic German baked cheesecake with a pumpkin twist, this pumpkin swirl cheesecake has a delicious buttery, crumbly, cookie crust.

What’s the difference between cheesecake and baked cheesecake?

Some cheesecakes use mostly a combination of cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, and maybe some vanilla, it then sets up in the fridge so you can slice it. On the other hand, baked cheesecake includes raw eggs and has a looser texture before baking. Baked cheesecake can be baked in a water bath or without. This cheesecake recipe is baked without a water bath making it simple and easy!

What can I use instead of Quark?

Quark works best in this recipe and if you can’t find any at the store – you can make it at home with this Quark Recipe. I haven’t made this recipe with anything other than quark but if you need to I would recommend trying whole milk ricotta or farmer’s cheese.

Do I need to use a water bath?

No! German cheesecake is traditionally made without a water bath which gives it its’ characteristic texture.

Can I use other cookies for the Cookie Crumb Crust?

Yes! I love using Leibniz because they are one of my favorite German cookies, but you could also use graham crackers. I can usually find Leibniz at World Market!

Additional Recipes to try:

• Käsekuchen – German Baked Cheesecake
• Quarkbällchen – Quark based Donut Holes
• Quark – German Cheese similar to Yogurt in taste and texture

Tips for making Baked Cheesecake & Cookie Crust

• Grind the leibniz cookies fully until they are almost flour consistency, this will make forming the crust much easier.
• This crust uses very little butter so it will seem very crumbly when pressing in to the pan but once it bakes it will firm up! If you add in too much butter, it will leak out during baking and then become rock hard in the fridge.
• Using an electric whisk to mix the filling is best because it will break up the quark better and ensure that there are no unmixed clumps.
• Don’t over bake it. It will still be very wobbly in the center but it will set as it cools. If you over bake it, it can easily become grainy.
• Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge to set fully.

Ingredients

• Leibniz: Leibniz are a delicious German butter cookie, you need exactly one package of them!
• Butter: Melted butter gets mixed with the leibniz cookies to help set the crust.
• Cinnamon: A little ground cinnamon is added to the crust mixture for a little extra warmth and flavor.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor and enhances the sweetness of the filling.
• Egg: This recipe uses three standard large eggs from the grocery store.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is white standard sugar and adds sweetness to the crust and the filling.
• Quark: a type of German cheese, quark is a common addition to baked goods in Germany. If you can’t find any you can make your own quark
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds a little extra richness and creaminess to the cheesecake.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy Cream makes this cheesecake a little extra fluffy – heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work.
• Corn Starch: Corn starch is used to partially replace the vanilla pudding mix that is often found in German Quark cheesecake which helps it stiffen.
• Oil: Any neutral oil such as vegetable or canola will work to emulsify the ingredients together.
• Pumpkin Puree: Make sure you purchase pure canned pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin Pie Spice is the key to most pumpkin desserts, I like the mixture from Trader Joes but most will work!

How to make Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake?

Make the crust

• Pour the package of leibniz into a high powered blender or a food processor. Pulse until finely ground.
• In a medium, heat safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave in short bursts. Add in the sugar and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
• Pour the ground leibniz into the bowl and use a fork or spatula to mix fully. The cookie crumbs will darken when mixed with butter so be sure that all of the crumbs have darkened before you are finished mixing.
• Line a 9″ springform pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
• Pour the mixed crust into a springform pan. First press the crust into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
• Be sure that the corner where the sides and bottom meet isn’t too thick. You can do this by pressing the back of your pointer finger into the corner once the crust has been pressed into the whole pan.
• Chill the crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Bake the crust for 8 minutes.
• Once baked, remove the crust and allow to cool fully on a wire cooling rack.

Make the cheesecake filling

• Once the crust is cooled, preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a large mixing bowl, add in the quark, corn starch, and sugar. Use an electric mixer to whisk together until smooth and combined.
• Add in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Mix again to combine.
• Finally add in the oil and heavy cream and mix once more.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice together.
• Add 400 grams of the cheesecake filling in with the pumpkin puree mixture and whisk to combine.

Assemble & Bake

• Use a ladle to scoop about 250 milliliters of the vanilla cheesecake mixture into the crust. Then, scoop the same amount of the pumpkin mixture into the center of the crust. Continue alternating between both fillings until all has been used up.
• Use a skewer or toothpick to swirl the two together as much as you want.
• Bake the cheesecake for between an hour and an hour and 10 minutes, rotating it after 45 minutes to ensure even baking.
• Once baked, remove the cheesecake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. Then, move it to the fridge and allow it to set fully before removing the springform pan.

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