Pumpkin marble cheesecake



Crust:

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs

½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

6 tbsp butter, melted



Filling:

3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Dash ground cloves



Crust:

Mix crumbs, pecans and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch spring form pan.



Filling:

Mix cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, mixing on low speed just until blended. Reserve 1 ½ cups batter. Add remaining ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter; mix well. Spoon ½ of the pumpkin batter over crust; top with spoonfuls of plain batter. Repeat in layers. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.



Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loose cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.