This decadent Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake has a cinnamon graham cracker crust and a creamy filling dotted with pieces of cinnamon brown sugar. Top it off with a cream cheese icing for a showstopping dessert.
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I first came across #BakingBloggers, created by Sue of Palatable Pastime, a few months ago and after a few hiccups with illnesses and travel, I finally got to join in this time! Each month, a different baking project is voted on and Cheesecake won for February.
I have so many cheesecakes that I want to try, but decided on this Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake for a couple of reasons. First, I had an extra box of cinnamon graham crackers in the pantry that were going to expire soon. As a bonus, it also gave me the chance to have fun with some new products from Christmas. My parents gave me a set of mini springform pans and I got these interesting Russian piping tips from my grandparents. I was excited to finally try them out.
For the crust, I finely crushed the cinnamon graham crackers in the food processor before mixing in ground cinnamon and melted butter. If you use plain graham crackers, add in an additional teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
The star is the rich and decadent filling. The cheesecake base is packed with cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and a light seasoning with cinnamon. For even more flavor, an additional cinnamon brown sugar mixture is scattered throughout the cheesecake. I only needed about 10 tablespoons of butter to hold together the cinnamon filling. If it is too dry, mix in up to another 2 tablespoons.
I wanted the cream cheese icing to be thick enough to hold the shape of the piping, so I only added a couple of large splashes of milk. If you want a thinner icing with a consistency easier for drizzling, beat in closer to 10 tablespoons. If the icing thins out too much, mix in a little more powdered sugar.
Looking for more cheesecake ideas? Try Badischer Rahmkuchen (Baden-Style Cheesecake), Creme Brûlée Cheesecake Bars, and Strawberry Cheesecake Dip.
And see what everyone else made for the event!
Baking Bloggers
Cheesecakes
- Culinary Adventures with Camilla: A Literal Cake of Cheese and Handmade Crackers
- Sneha’s Recipe: Baked New York Style Cheesecake
- Trampling Rose: Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake
- Tara’s Multicultural Table: Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
- Karen’s Kitchen: Classic New York Cheesecake
- Cookaholic Wife: Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
- A Day in the Life on the Farm: Individual Cheesecakes for 2
- Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking: Savory Salmon Cheesecake
- Palatable Pastime: Sugar Cookie Cheesecake
- The Redhead Baker: Tiramisu Cheesecake
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Recipe
Adapted from Life Love and Sugar
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups finely crushed cinnamon graham crackers
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake:
- 3 8 ounce packages cream cheese
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Mixture:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cream Cheese Icing:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 6-10 tablespoons milk
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed cinnamon graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
- Evenly press the mixture into the bottom and half an inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform or divide among 3-4 (4 inch) mini springform pans.
- Bake the pans in a preheated oven until the crust is set, about 10 minutes.
- Tightly cover the outside bottom and sides of the springform pan with 3 layers of aluminum foil. This will prevent water from leaking in during the water bath.
To make the cheesecake:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚F.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour on low speed until smooth. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon until creamy and smooth.
To make the cinnamon mixture:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix in the melted butter to create a crumbly paste-like dough.
For assembly:
- Take 1/4 of the cinnamon mixture and break it apart evenly across the bottom of the baked crust.
- Cover with 1/3rd of the cheesecake batter. Top with another 1/4 of the broken apart cinnamon. Repeat the layering, ending with a final topping of the cinnamon mixture.
- Place the aluminum-lined springform pan inside a larger, deep baking dish. Carefully add to water to the inside of the larger baking dish, making sure not to splash any into the layered cheesecake.
- Bake in preheated oven until the edges are set, but the center still has a little wiggle, 1 hour 20 minutes for a 9 inch cheesecake, but closer to 35-45 minutes for smaller pans.
- Turn the oven off, but leave the door closed for 30 minutes. Crack open the oven door (I use an oven mitt or towel) and allow the cheesecake to cool for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating until well-chilled, about 4 hours.
To make the icing:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
- Slowly mix in the milk until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle or pipe onto chilled cheesecake before serving.
Lauren
TARA!!!
1- I was going to make a cheesecake like this for Cam’s event, should I join in.
2- You’re not supposed to make things like this until August.
3- It’s absolutely gorgeous and I’m in love.
Tara
Thanks! We will have to re-do the Tiramisu in August 🙂 Or maybe September when I actually unpack boxes
Wendy
Oh my Tara….I cannot wait to try this. It sounds so amazingly wonderful.
Tara
Thanks!
Cookaholic Wife
My coworkers would go crazy over a cinnamon roll cheesecake. They look so decadently delicious. Now I have to see if I can talk myself out of buying mini springform pans.
Tara
They were so fun to work with! And better for portion control instead of one larger one.
Karen
These are gorgeous and look soooo delicious. I happen to have those pans and the piping tips! Making these myself is destiny!
Tara
Hope you like it!
Camilla @ Culinary Adventures
I’m drooling over here! Thanks for sharing this. I thought for sure I was going to see some international cheesecake from you!
Tara
That was the original plan, but then this one was so enticing!
sneha datar
Beautiful and delicious cheesecake.
Rachel
I love that these are individual servings. Cinnamon and cream cheese pair so well together, these sound amazing!
Sid
Thanks, now I need to go and buy some mini springform pans so I can make these. They sound so good.
Janet Deavin
I am literally st the final stages of coming this cheesecake – wondering f why I thought it was a food idea to make something for the first time with friends coming over for dinner!!
Please pray for my cheesecake!
Ir smells delicious anyway!
Tara
I always do that too! Hope your dinner goes smoothly!