Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake (Stolen from Betty Lynch)

Thanksgiving Dessert: Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake

written by Betty Lynch |
Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake
This recipe was given to me by a co-worker. Makes a beautiful dessert for a special dinner.
Crust:
1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 20 cookies)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Filling:
20 ounces low-fat cottage cheese (2 1/2 cups)
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (1 1/2 cups), softened
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1 large egg
2 large egg whites or 4 teaspoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions
8 ounces reduced-fat sour cream (1 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup unseasoned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325̊F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap the outside bottom of the pan with a double thickness of foil.
To prepare crust: Combine crumbs and oil in a bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan.
To prepare filling & bake cheesecake: Puree cottage cheese in a food processor until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl once or twice. Add cream cheese, sugar and 3 tablespoons cornstarch; process until smooth. Add egg, egg whites, sour cream, vanilla and salt; blend well. Measure 3 1/2 cups of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in lemon juice. To the remaining filling, add pumpkin , brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch; blend well.
Pour about 1 cup of the vanilla filling into the center of the crust. Then pour about 1 cup of the pumpkin filling into the center of the vanilla filling. Alternate the remaining fillings in the same manner; concentric circles will form as they spread. To create a marbled effect, gently swirl a knife or skewer through the fillings.
Place the cheesecake in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1/2 inch up the side of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles, about 50 minutes. Turn off the oven. Coat a knife with cooking spray and run it around the edge of the cake. Let stand in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Transfer from the water bath to a wire rack; remove foil. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled.