Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

I am making this cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house this year. I found the recipe in a women's magazine several years ago and it has been a few years since I've made it. It is always a big hit -- with my husband and my co-workers.



MARBLED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Crust: 
1 cup chocolate cracker or cookie crumbs
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

 Filling: 
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 8-ounce bricks reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, plus whites from 2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350. Lightly coat an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Stir crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl until evenly moistened. Press over bottom of pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate according to package directions. Keep warm.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mix on high speed until smooth. Add sugar, cornstarch, spices and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to medium and beat mixture until well blended. Scrape bowl and beaters. Add eggs and egg whites and beat until just mixed. Add pumpkin and beat on low speed until well blended.

Stir 2 cups of pumpkin mixture into chocolate. Reserve 1/2 cup of pumpkin mixture. Pour rest of pumpkin mixture into crust. Pour chocolate mixture onto pumpkin batter in a thick ring about 1/2-inch from sides of pan. Top with dollops of reserved 1/2 cup of pumpkin batter. Run a knife through both batters for a marbled effect. (Don't overdo it or the effect will be muddied.)

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Run knife carefully around edges to release cake from pan. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours before removing pan sides.

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