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Cinnamon roll cheesecake captures the essence of gooey cinnamon rolls and smooth cheesecake in one ridiculously incredible dessert. My recipe is carefully designed to not be too sweet, and there’s no fussy water bath required! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake
This cinnamon roll cheesecake was a labor of love. It took me over a dozen attempts to get it right and I actually photographed it four separate times only to start over after each photoshoot. I needed it to be *perfect*.
It was important to me to capture the essence of both desserts, like a gooey, homemade cinnamon roll and a smooth cheesecake had a baby. Just like my classic cheesecake recipe, I kept this one as simple as I could, which means there’s no pre-baking the crust or fussy water bath!
Why This Recipe WORKS
- True combination of both desserts. We have creamy cheesecake with a distinct tang, a gooey and buttery cinnamon sugar ripple, and even the element of a frosting on top (in the form of a vanilla drizzle).
- Sweet, but not too sweet, just like a really good cinnamon roll. I was very careful not to make the cheesecake portion too sweet since we’re adding so much additional sugar to it.
- Perfect finishing touch ✨ I tried many different toppings, even my cream cheese frosting and my cinnamon roll icing (the first didn’t “pop” enough against the cheesecake and the second was too rich of a pairing). While my initial thought was that the vanilla glaze would be too much, it absolutely was not and worked so nicely (just let it set before digging in, otherwise it actually can seem too sweet). Using my whipped cream recipe as a border adds a nice touch too, but the glaze is what really brings home the cinnamon roll flavor!
Ingredients
- Softened cream cheese. It’s important that you use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese for this cheesecake, otherwise it may not set-up properly. Do not use tub-style or low-fat cream cheese; I talk more about this in the FAQ section below.
- Cinnamon. For maximum flavor, we will incorporate cinnamon into our crust, our swirl, and we’ll dust it over our whipped cream before serving (mixed with a bit of sugar). Note that like many spices, cinnamon can lose its flavor over time. You’ll have the best results if you use fresh cinnamon.
- Sour cream. Sour cream is essential for deep cheesecake flavor that doesn’t fall flat. You will not be able to detect it in the final product, but you will certainly miss it if you leave it out–so don’t! I haven’t tried it, but I suspect full-fat, plain Greek yogurt could work as a substitute.
- Brown sugar. We’ll add this in our graham cracker crust and our cinnamon swirl layer. You can use light or dark brown sugar; I typically like to do a blend of both!
- Eggs. Room temperature eggs work best and will incorporate the easiest into your batter. I also recommend giving them a light stir with a fork before adding them to the batter; this will help them mix in more easily. Over-mixing the eggs is a surefire way to cause cracks in your cheesecake, so just be gentle and mindful when incorporating them.
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Recipe Tip
Set out your cold ingredients ahead of time! You want your eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese to all be at room temperature (or at least very close) before you start the recipe. This will help everything easily combine and will prevent over-mixing (which can cause your cheesecake to crack!).
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake (Step-by-Step)
- Make the crust. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon then add the melted butter and toss until everything is evenly moistened. Press into your springform pan, working the crust as high up the sides as you can. Set aside while you prepare your filling (no need to bake the crust!).
- Make the cheesecake batter. Use a mixer on medium-low speed to mix the cream cheese and sugar together until combined, scraping the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the sour cream, vanilla and salt, then stir in the eggs one at a time. Be very careful when stirring the eggs; you don’t want to over-mix.
- Make the crumble and paste. Stir together the cinnamon swirl ingredients, then remove a ½ cup of the mixture to a separate bowl. Add a few tablespoons of cheesecake batter to this and stir until combined, then tansfer to a piping bag or Ziploc bag.
- Assemble. Add half of your cheesecake batter to your prepared crust, then top with the cinnamon sugar crumble. Add the remaining cheesecake batter overtop.
- Add the swirl & bake. Pipe the cinnamon swirl over your cheesecake. Bake until the edges are set and the center still jiggles, then turn off the oven and crack the door. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for about an hour before removing to cool on the counter until it has almost reached room temperature.
- Chill & decorate. Place the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours, then remove and top with vanilla glaze, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar. After the glaze has set, cut into slices and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
I wanted this cheesecake to look like a cinnamon roll, which is why I did the swirl on top. If you don’t care about that or don’t want to make the effort, you can just scatter the cinnamon sugar streusel mixture in two layers (the swirl does add an extra element of intrigue though!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Just set it aside while you prepare your cheesecake batter.
I don’t recommend it. Tub-style cream cheese has additives that keep it spreadable, and those can affect how your cheesecake sets up. I know block-style cream cheese can be hard to find in countries outside the US, so I’d love to know if anyone has any suggestions for good substitutes.
Nope! I’ve designed all of my cheesecake recipes to be made without a water bath. If you follow all of my tips in this post (using room temperature ingredients, pressing the crust high up the sides of the pan, mixing gently, and cooling slowly), you shouldn’t have any issues with cracks.
Related Recipes
I am so proud of how this recipe turned out–I can’t wait to hear how you like it! 🤎
Enjoy!
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Crust
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Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugars, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add melted butter and stir to combine until all crumbs are moistened.
1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon light or dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 7 Tablespoons (100 g) salted butter
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Press the graham cracker mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” springform pan (I use the bottom and side of a glass to help me do this). Set aside while you prepare your cheesecake.
Cheesecake
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In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and use an electric mixer on medium-low speed to stir until smooth, creamy, and completely combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
24 oz (678 g) full-fat cream cheese, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
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Stir in sour cream, vanilla, and salt until just combined.
½ cup (120 g) sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon table salt
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Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring on low speed after each addition until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula again to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Set aside to prepare your cinnamon swirl.
3 large eggs
Cinnamon Swirl
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In a small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter until well combined and evenly moistened.
5 Tablespoons (70 g) salted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ⅓ cup (42 g) flour
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Measure out ½ cup (lightly packed, 135g) of the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place in a separate small bowl. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of cheesecake batter and stir until smooth.
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Place in a piping bag fitted with a round tip (I use the Ateco 804) or in a Ziploc bag that you can snip the corner off for piping.
Assembly
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Pour half of the plain cheesecake batter into your prepared crust. Pour the remaining cinnamon sugar crumble evenly over the batter (there should be large crumbly pieces).
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Pour the remaining plain cheesecake batter overtop and then pipe the mixture in your piping bag in a swirl over the surface.
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Transfer cheesecake to center rack of 325F (160C) preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until edges are set but the center is still jiggly if slightly jostled.
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Turn off the oven, crack the door several inches, and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the counter until mostly cooled. Transfer to a refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Topping
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Once the cheesecake has chilled, prepare the glaze and whipped cream.
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Glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk (mixture should ribbon off the whisk and hold its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the bowl). Drizzle evenly over cheesecake, then make the whipped cream.
½ cup (62 g) powdered sugar, ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 teaspoons milk
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Whipped cream: To a medium sized bowl, add heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat on low-speed, gradually increase to high speed, and continue beating until thick, fluffy, voluminous, and stiff peaks have formed.
¾ cups (180 ml) heavy cream, ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
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Transfer to a piping bag with a closed star tip (I use the Ateco 846) and pipe in decorative dollops around the outside of the cheesecake.
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Cinnamon sugar: In a separate, small dish whisk together the sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle this evenly over the whipped cream.
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Remove springform ring, slice, and serve.
Storing
Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 635mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 721IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.