This Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake is rich, creamy, and brimming with buttery pockets of brown sugar-cinnamon filling. It’s also topped with the most incredible vanilla icing!
Tell me, if you had to choose between cheesecake or cinnamon rolls, which one would it be? I know, how DARE I ask such an excruciatingly difficult question??
I honestly don’t know how anyone could pick between the two since they’re both heavenly in their own way. Cheesecakes are rich, creamy, and incredibly velvety when baked JUST right. Cinnamon Rolls have that deliciously gooey cinnamon-brown sugar filling and that thick layer of icing. There’s really no comparison.
So why not just combine these two classic sweets into one GLORIOUS dessert? Problem Solved! How about something like this Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake…
Decadent would be a huge understatement. This cheesecake is definitely not for the faint of heart. If you thought cheesecake was rich enough on its own, then your tastebuds will explode when they touch this beast.
The base is a dense New-York Style Cheesecake, and it’s loaded with buttery pockets of cinnamon-brown sugar filling. Of course, since this cheesecake wasn’t sweet enough, I topped the entire thing with a thick layer of vanilla icing. Hey, if you’re gonna make a cheesecake that contains a whopping TWO pounds of cream cheese, you might as well go ALL the way. This ain’t for the calorie-conscious, people.
Although I’m usually Team Cream Cheese Frosting when it comes to traditional cinnamon rolls, I decided to opt for vanilla icing since there’s already PLENTY of cream cheese in the cheesecake. I knew that there wouldn’t be much flavor contrast with cream cheese frosting, so vanilla icing seemed like my best bet. Needless to say, it was the perfect topping for this honker of a cheesecake.
One thing that’s great about this cheesecake is the fact that you don’t have to worry about the infamous cracks that always seem to mysteriously appear in most cheesecakes. I’ve been baking cheesecakes for several years now, and I still have yet to master the perfect crackless cheesecake. Due to the fact that the cinnamon-brown sugar pockets add to the cinnamon swirl-like appearance, you’re not looking for a smooth top on this cheesecake. Furthermore, the entire cheesecake is covered in vanilla icing, so no one’s going to know whether it’s “perfect” or not!
Honestly, not a lot of skill is required to be able to make this cheesecake. It comes together rather quickly. First, you make a standard graham cracker crust, which is just crushed graham crackers, a little sugar, some melted butter, and a dash of cinnamon. I love adding cinnamon to all of my graham cracker crusts since it enhances the flavor immensely.
The cheesecake batter is just a simple mixture of cream cheese, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, and eggs. As for the filling, it only consists of melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
Now that you have your batter and filling, it’s time for the layering process! First a third of the cheesecake batter is poured into the crust, followed by a third of the filling. To add the filling, I just took teaspoon-sized dollops and evenly dropped them on top of the cheesecake batter. After two more rounds of batter and filling, everything gets swirled together with a knife before the whole thing takes a trip to the oven.
Super simple, right? The only hard part is waiting for it to bake and cool. That’s the only downside of making your own cheesecakes. Not only is the baking time much longer than the average dessert, but you also have to allow the cheesecake plenty of time to cool down and chill properly before stabbing a fork into it.
However, once chilled and frosted, the wait is so totally worth it when you get that first euphoric bite of cheesecake heaven.
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake Batter:
- 32 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
Filling:
- 6 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
Icing:
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream/milk
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to toss the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon together. Add the melted butter, mixing until all crumbs are moistened. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you work on the batter.
Make the Batter:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on high until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add both sugars and continue beating for another 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cornstarch, vanilla, and salt, and beat until incorporated, 1-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, two at a time, until combined. Try not to overmix. Set aside, while you make the filling.
Make the Filling:
- In a medium bowl stir the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together until smooth.
To Assemble:
- Pour a third of the batter into the crust, then spoon teaspoon-sized dollops of the filling evenly over the batter. You'll use about a third of the filling. Add another third of the batter on top, followed by another third of the filling. Repeat steps with the remaining batter and filling. Use a knife to slightly swirl the filling into the batter.
- Wrap the springform pan in foil (make sure the foil goes all the way up the sides of the pan), and place it into roasting large pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake cheesecake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until center appears nearly set when shaken. Turn off the oven, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes with the oven door slightly open.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours before removing aluminum foil, covering cheesecake and chilling in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Make the Icing:
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy. Beat in the powdered sugar, a 1/2 cup at a time, until smooth. Add the vanilla and heavy cream/milk, beating until whipped and combined.
- Once cheesecake is properly chilled, run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake to loosen the pan. Unhinge the springform pan sides and place cheesecake onto a plate or pedestal. Pour icing on top of cooled cheesecake, and spread out evenly with an offset spatula or butter knife. Slice into pieces and serve, or refrigerate until ready to eat.