Pumpkin Spiced Swirled Cheesecake

So this is the post where I cry and boo hoo about not being chosen to live out my dream. Wha wha! Okay, now I’m over it.

This Pumpkin Spiced Swirled Cheesecake almost put me in the finalists for a Food Network Show called the Holiday Baking Championship. It airs on Sunday nights and it is quite fun to watch. Eight bakers compete in holiday baking challenges to win $50,000. Wouldn’t that have been a nice Christmas present?!

I made it to the end of the audition process where they selected their 8 finalists and 2 alternates. Guess who was #11??? Me! So close, yet so far. You can view my audition tape making a fool of myself by clicking right here.

As part of the audition, I was asked to make one dessert that represented my baking skills. I made FOUR! I’m kind of a perfectionist.

This Pumpkin Spiced Swirled Cheesecake was my pride and joy of the bunch. It looked so beautiful and tasted absolutely divine! It didn’t even crack on top like most cheesecakes do, and the pecan and brown sugar graham cracker crust gave it the perfect amount of crunch underneath the smooth cheesecake.

Of course I didn’t stop there. I just had to make a maple caramel dipping sauce, toffee shards, and fresh whipped cream to jazz it up. Drool.

You can head over to Capturing Joy to get the full recipe for the cheesecake and caramel sauce. Let’s hope you replace your ordinary pumpkin pie with this gem for your next Christmas feast.