Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
This Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake has a cinnamon filling swirled in the batter. It is fluffy, creamy, and delicious.
The base of the cheesecake is a buttery graham cracker crust. Every bite is loaded with creamy cheesecake, and the rich cinnamon filling. The cheesecake is topped with cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sprinkle.
If you love cinnamon rolls, this is the perfect cheesecake for you!
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Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
I will show you how to make this Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Recipe step-by-step.
The full list of ingredients to make this cheesecake is on the bottom of the page. Here I will go into detailed instructions and more tips on how to make this delicious dessert.
We will start by making the graham cracker crust.
Graham Cracker Crust
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
If you don’t have graham crackers, you can use any digestive biscuits, or Biscoff cookies.
Add the melted butter to the bowl, and mix to combine.
Pour the crust into a 9″ or a deep 8″ springform pan. I am using a 8″ deep springform pan from Fat Daddios, and it’s my favorite pan.
Use a cup to press the crust very tightly to the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust in the oven.
Let it cool down while you make the cheesecake filling.
Cinnamon Roll Swirl
To make the Cinnamon Roll Filling, mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter together in a medium bowl.
Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set it aside and make the cheesecake batter.
Cheesecake Batter
To make the Cinnamon Roll cheesecake batter you can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Add the room temperature cream cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Beat the cream cheese with the electric mixer until fluffy.
Add the sugars and beat again to combine, followed by the sour cream. Mix until incorporated.
Always remember to scrape the sides of the bowl every so often.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until incorporated before adding the next one.
Once the eggs have been added, add the vanilla and mix.
The cheesecake batter is ready.
Assemble
To assemble the cheesecake to bake, start by pouring 1/3 of the prepared batter on the bottom of the baked and cooled down crust.
Sprinkle the top of the batter with 1/3 of the Cinnamon Roll Filling mixture, using your fingers to break up into crumbs.
Top with another 1/3 of the cheesecake batter.
Next, sprinkle another 1/3 of the Cinnamon Roll Filling on top of the batter.
Follow with the remaining cheesecake batter.
Top the cheesecake batter with the final bit of cinnamon filling.
Use a spatula to spread it around, and to cover the cinnamon filling with a bit of the cheesecake batter, which will prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with aluminum foil. Place in a larger roasting pan, and pour water in the pan to form a water bath.
Bake the cheesecake for one hour or until it’s still jiggly in the center but set around the edges.
Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there for one hour. Some people like to leave the oven door slightly open, but I just leave mine closed.
This is important to avoid cracking. The sudden temperature change when removing the hot cheesecake from the oven will cause the cheesecake to deflate and break.
Once the cheesecake cools down, place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is very mild, and not overly sweet. I wanted a frosting that would be light and fluffy, and not overly sweet. So this frosting is very mild, it doesn’t compete with the richness of the cheesecake.
Simply beat the cream cheese, then add the powdered sugar and mix. Add the vanilla.
On a separate bowl, whip the cream until it has stiff peaks.
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture, and fold to combine.
To decorate
Place the Cream Cheese Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Pipe on top of the chilled cheesecake, before serving.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Cut into slices and serve.
Storage
You can store any leftover cheesecake in the fridge for up to 5 days, in an air tight container.
The cheesecake can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Tips for making cheesecake
- Make sure the ingredients for the cheesecake batter are at room temperature.
- Scrape the bowl a few times while mixing, during every stage. This will ensure the batter is going to be smoothly incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time.
- Once you add the eggs, don’t over mix. That can cause the cheesecake to break.
- Make sure to use a water bath.
- Leave the cheesecake in the oven for one hour once done baking.
- Don’t bake at a high temperature. If you have convection oven, reduce baking temperature by 20 degrees.
Another tip to avoid cracking on top of the cheesecake is to run a knife around the edges of the cake once it’s done baking.
When doing that be mindful that the cheesecake has to stay in the oven, so it doesn’t have a harsh temperature drop, which can cause it to deflate and break. So you have to be careful not to burn yourself.
I don’t personally do that because I grease my pan well, so my cheesecake never sticks. But if your pan tends to stick, or if you forgot to grease it, you can try running the knife around the edges of the cheesecake.
This Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake has all the best holiday baking flavors! It will be a hit at any celebration. If you follow my tips you will be successful at making a very delicious cheesecake.
Here are some more recipes you might like:
- Biscoff Cheesecake
- Caramel Cheesecake
- Pistachio Cheesecake
- No-bake Cheesecake
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Cranberry Cheesecake
- Cannoli Cheesecake
If you make this recipe leave a comment below or tag me on instagram, I love seeing your creations!
I was inspired by the lovely cheesecake on the delish website to make this version.
Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 180 grams, or digestive biscuits
- 1/4 cup brown sugar 55 grams
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted, 85 grams
Cinnamon Roll Swirl
- 1 cup brown sugar 220 grams
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 39 grams
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted, 76 grams
Cheesecake batter
- 907 grams cream cheese softened 4 packages of 8 oz.
- 1 cup brown sugar 220 grams
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams
- 1/2 cup sour cream 120 grams
- 4 large eggs room temp
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tbsp cream cheese 85 grams
- 1 cup powdered sugar 125 grams
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 240 ml
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon powder
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
- Place the graham cracker in a food processor and process to obtain fine crumbs.
- Add the brown sugar and the cinnamon to the graham cracker crumbs, and mix to combine.
- Melt the butter and add to the bowl. Mix with a spatula.
- Press the mixture on the bottom of an 8” or 9” cheesecake pan. If using an 8” springform pan, it must be deep.
- Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool down.
Cinnamon Roll Swirl
- Mix the brown sugar with the flour and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix to combine. Set it aside and make the cheesecake batter.
Cheesecake Batter
- Grease the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes with a mixer at medium speed, until creamy.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the cream cheese and beat for another 2 minutes at medium speed.
- Scrape the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.
- Add the sour cream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl.
- Make sure to scrape the bowl a few times during the mixing process, to avoid the cream cheese from forming lumps in the batter.
- Add the eggs to the batter, mix just until combined. It’s best to add one egg at a time, waiting for one egg to be incorporated before adding the next one.
- Avoid over mixing once the eggs are added, to prevent cracking of the cheesecake.
- Add the vanilla, salt, and mix briefly.
- Pour 1/3 of the cheesecake batter in the pan, over the baked and cooled crust.
- Next, spread 1/3 of the Cinnamon Swirl on top of the batter. Use your fingers to break up the crumbs while you sprinkle it over the batter.
- Pour another 1/3 of the batter over the Cinnamon Swirl.
- Spread 1/3 of the cinnamon filling on top of the cheesecake batter.
- Follow by the remaining batter.
- Top the cheesecake with the rest of the cinnamon filling. Use a spatula to spread the crumbs around and cover them with the batter, that will help the cheesecake not crack.
- Wrap the bottom of the pan with a few layers of foil.
- Place the pan in a larger roasting pan, and add hot water to the roasting pan, to form a water bath. This is very important so the cheesecake doesn’t crack.
- Bake the cheesecake in the pre-heated 325ºF oven for 60 to 75 minutes.
- To check if the cheesecake is done baking, give the pan a little wiggle, it should jiggle slightly in the center, but the edges should look set.
- Turn the oven off, and leave the cheesecake in there for 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix with the mixer for another minute.
- Add the vanilla and mix.
- Set aside.
- To another mixer bowl, add the heavy cream and whip with an electric mixer until it has stiff peaks, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture, and fold with a spatula to combine.
To decorate
- Place the frosting in a piping bag lined with a round tip.
- Pipe in a swirl on top of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon on top.
Notes
- Grease the pan.
- Don’t over mix the batter once the eggs have been added.
- Don’t skip the water bath.
- When the cheesecake is done baking, shut the oven off and leave the cheesecake in there for one hour.
- Don’t bake at a high temperature. If you have convection oven, reduce baking temperature by 20 degrees.
Hi there! One question about leaving the cheese cake in the oven. Should I be leaving it in the water bath in the oven? Or taking it out of the water bath to sit in the oven? Thanks!!
you leave it in the bath water in the oven. Just remove it after you remove the cheesecake from the oven.
Hi Camila! I have made many of your cheesecakes and desserts. They were all amazing! I will be making the Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake next week. Do you use dark brown or light brown sugar? You picture looks like light brown but I just want to make sure.
I usually use light brown yes!
This cheesecake recipe was easy to follow and it turned out amazing. Guests said it maybe the best cheesecake they ever had. Thank you very much. I even did a little twist, I put crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch over top the frosting for decoration
Hello. At which point would you freeze it? Does it need to be complete with the frosting? Also, how would you defrost it? In the fridge?
Technically you could do either. I prefer freezing the whole cheesecake before frosting in cases like this. Yes just place in the fridge the night before you want to serve it. And then frost it.
You can definitely freeze the frosted cheesecake, but it might be harder to keep it neatly decorated, because you’ll need to wrap the cheesecake.
so I would freeze without frosting.
My wife said she needed milk and a smaller piece…everyone else loved it…easy 5 stars…followed exactly and turned out perfectly.
Oh Wonderful! Thank you 🙂
For non-americans: use like 30-50% of the sugar. It’s tasty, but waaaaay to sweet
When are you suppose to take the cheesecake out of the pan? Do you leave it on the pan until after it’s been in the fridge to chill?
yes you only take it out after chilling in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
I’m making these as minis do I still need to leave them in the oven for the hour?
No, minis will take about 25 minutes or so, depending on the size and material of the pan used to bake. Remove when they look set on top and around the edges.
Ok thank you for responding and for anyone wondering I did leave them in the oven (with the oven off) for the hour afterward and they sunk a little but otherwise came out fine.