Pumpkin Snacking Cake with Cheesecake Swirl
Easy and cozy everyday pumpkin snacking cake with cheesecake swirl
Equipment
- 1 8x8 square cake pan
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves optional
- 1 cup pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral oil vegetable, canola, or light olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Swirl Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan.
- Make the cake batter: whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin, sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Fold dry into wet until just combined.
- Make the cheesecake swirl: beat cream cheese with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth, add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla mix until combined.
- Pour half the cake batter into the pan. Dollop half the cheesecake mixture on top. Repeat with remaining batter and cheesecake.
- Use a butter knife or chopstick to gently swirl the two layers together (don’t overmix).
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a little cheesecake cling is fine).
- Cool completely before slicing for clean swirls.
Notes
Chef Notes / Hacks
Add a tablespoon of sour cream to the cheesecake swirl for extra tang.
Chill the cake before cutting for sharper swirl lines.
Dust with powdered sugar for a simple finish — no glaze needed.
Serve slightly warm with coffee or spiced chai for peak fall comfort.
For best texture, line the pan with parchment so you can lift the cake out and wrap the whole slab tightly in foil for storage.
To avoid soggy tops, let the cake cool completely before wrapping.
For serving later, pop slices into a 300°F oven for 5–7 minutes to revive the crumb and reawaken the spices.
