pumpkin spice cake cheesecake

helllo friends!

all i have to say is

electricity is a glorious, miraculous thing

and i truly hope you and your loved ones are all are safe and sound.

I was fortunate enough to be only the teensiest bit mildly affected by the storm. Although I found myself getting a little frustrated because I didn’t think I could last 5 seconds without power, it took a even quicker 3 seconds for me to have a much-needed reality check about how blessed I actually am. Sending love and prayers to those who weathered a much more severe storm.

Also, this cake? As fabulous as it looks. If you’ve heard of the Cheesecake Factory’s Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, this is the pumpkin version (really though, what else would you expect from me?). A layer of cheesecake between two layers of pumpkin spice cake and a cinnamon spice frosting.

As expected, I lightened up the cheesecake with neufchatel cream cheese and Greek yogurt, and the cake layers are low-fat–no eggs, oil, butter, nothing! The frosting is also pretty light AND pretty darn delicious. Get the seasonal pumpkin spice instant pudding mix before it’s gone!

One last thing…can I point out the completely unintentional ombre-looking stripe around my cake? Yay for serendipitous decorating!

Pumpkin Spice Cake Cheesecake

for the cheesecake layer:
3-8 oz packages softened (1/3 less fat) neufchâtel cream cheese
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 whole eggs
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 2%)

for the cake layer:
15.25 oz box spice cake mix
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water

for the frosting:
1 box pumpkin spice instant pudding
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond)
8 oz container fat free cool whip

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray .

For the cheesecake layer: Whip softened cream cheese. Slowly stir in sugar. Scrape sides and mix until sugar is incorporated. Stir in vanilla and eggs one at a time until incorporated into the batter. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and mix again until batter is completely smooth. Stir in Greek yogurt. Pour into prepared 8-inch cake pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and the center of the cheesecake is a little jiggly. Remove from oven. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours to overnight.

For the pumpkin cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, pumpkin and water until combined. Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. A few moist crumbs should be fine. Cool 15-20 minutes, then remove from warm pans and transfer cakes to cooling racks. Cool completely.

For frosting: In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk for two minutes. Fold in cool whip just until combined. Spread frosting over cake and serve. Store leftovers in fridge.

For assembly: Place one pumpkin layer onto cake stand. Top with chilled cheesecake and then other pumpkin layer. No need to frost the layers in between! Frost until the cake is completely covered. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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