Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

This Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake is wonderfully creamy with a pretty cinnamon swirl baked into it! It really is a cinnamon roll in cheesecake form!

A lot of cinnamon roll cheesecake recipes look amazing, but when you actually taste them, they're either too dense or don't have enough cinnamon flavour. I wanted to fix that. This version keeps the cheesecake super creamy (because that's non-negotiable), and bakes a thick, gooey cinnamon swirl right into the top - so you get that classic cinnamon roll look and taste in every bite.

It took a few rounds of testing (and yes, I ate cheesecake for breakfast more than once), but it was worth it to get the texture just right. In this post, I'll walk you through exactly how to make a baked cheesecake that's smooth, creamy, and never overbaked - as well as how to get that beautiful cinnamon swirl just right.

By the end, you'll feel totally confident making a cinnamon roll cheesecake that looks impressive and tastes even better.

Ingredients

• Graham Cracker Crumbs - The cheesecake base is an adapted graham cracker base. You can also use digestive biscuits.

• Butter - The recipe calls for butter in both the base and the cinnamon filling. You can use salted or unsalted butter.

• Brown Sugar - The cinnamon roll filling uses dark brown sugar to make a nice striking color contrast. You could also use light brown sugar if you wanted. The base calls for light brown sugar but this can also be substituted for dark brown if you want to stick to one kind of brown sugar.

• Cinnamon - Of course, we'll need some ground cinnamon! We'll be using this in both the filling and the graham cracker crust.

• Cream Cheese - Make sure you use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture. I used Philadelphia cream cheese, but you can use any brand you like.

• Sugar - For the cheesecake batter you want to use white granulated sugar (caster sugar in the UK).

• Corn Starch - Also known as cornflour, this is the super soft, fine white powder that will help with our cheesecake's texture. Do not confuse it with cornmeal.

• Eggs - We'll use whole eggs and egg yolk in the cheesecake.

• Heavy Cream - Make sure you use heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, or double cream - something with a fat content above 33%.

• Vanilla - Use a high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. This adds flavor to the parts of cheesecake that don't have any cinnamon filling in them.

Note: Make sure your cream cheese, heavy cream and eggs are all at room temperature before beginning to make this cinnamon roll cheesecake.

See recipe card for measurements in both grams and cups.

What You'll Need

• Offset Spatula
• Spring form or Loose-bottomed Cake Pan
• Roasting Pan
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Piping Bag or Ziploc bag

How To Make Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

There are three elements to this cheesecake:

• Cinnamon Graham cracker crust
• Creamy cheesecake base
• Cinnamon roll filling

I'll break each one down into its own section.

Make the Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust

This crunchy cinnamon base is an adaptation of a classic graham cracker crust. Just a few extra ingredients really make this a delicious base for your cheesecake!

Crush the Crackers

Crush the graham crackers or in a food processor to a fine crumb.

Melt the butter in the microwave and then add it to the food processor along with the cinnamon, salt, and light brown sugar.

Once combined, the crumb mixture should look like wet sand. If you squeeze some of it with your fingers, it should hold together; if it doesn't, then add a little more melted butter.

Press Into Pan

Tip the mixture into the base of a loose-bottomed cake pan or a springform pan. I like to line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper circle to make it easier to get out, but you can also put it straight onto the pan. There is no need to grease your pan.

Use your hands or a glass to push down on the crumb mixture to pack it in tightly so it doesn't move around at all.

Wrap the Pan

Once the crust is tightly packed, wrap the outside of the cake pan in several layers of aluminum foil. This is to stop any water from leaking in when we place the cheesecake into a water bath. If your pan is not well sealed, you will end up with a soggy crust. Set aside while you make the cheesecake.

Make the Cheesecake

This super easy cinnamon roll cheesecake recipe looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. The cheesecake itself is my favorite cheesecake recipe and uses very basic ingredients, and gets the cinnamon roll flavor from the crust and the cinnamon filling that is swirled throughout and on top of the cheesecake.

Cream the Cream Cheese

In a large bowl, cream together the room temperature cream cheese, white sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth and there are no more lumps.

You can do this by hand, with a hand mixer, or with a stand mixer with either the paddle attachment or the whisk attachment. The important thing is to try not to put too much air into the batter. Unlike with cream cheese frosting, we don't want to fluff up the cream cheese; just beat it until smooth.

Add Eggs and Vanilla

Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix them in too. Unlike other recipes, we will do the eggs all at once as we will incorporate less air this way.

Add the vanilla and mix in. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure everything is incorporated.

Add the Cream

Gradually add the heavy cream while mixing on a low speed until it has all been added and incorporated.

Set the cheesecake batter aside while you prepare the cinnamon mixture.

Make the Cinnamon Filling

This is the same filling I use in my cinnamon roll muffins, and it's utterly delicious!

Make the Filling

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.

In a medium bowl, combine the dark brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the melted butter into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and stir everything together with a spoon. It should form a thick, dark mixture. There's really no need to use an electric mixer or anything for this part as it comes together so easily.

Assemble the Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

First Cheesecake Layer

Preheat oven to 325°F / 170°C and get out a large roasting dish.

Pour one-third of the cheesecake batter into the prepared cake pan, on top of the crust, and smooth it out a little bit, just so you have a nice even layer of cheesecake.

Swirl in the Filling

Take the cinnamon filling and use a spoon or a piping bag to put generous splotches of cinnamon mixture all over the top of the cheesecake. I like to use a piping bag as then I have more control.

Use the back of a spoon or a toothpick to spread and swirl the cinnamon mixture throughout the cheesecake layer. Don't mix it in completely or you won't see it, just swirl it around a little.

Pour half of the cheesecake batter that is left into the pan and repeat the process with the cinnamon filling.

Pour the remaining batter into the pan and use an offset spatula to make a nice smooth top.

Pipe the Swirl

Now to make the cinnamon swirl! I strongly recommend using a piping bag for this part - if you don't have a piping bag, you can use a Ziploc bag and snip a hole in the corner of it. Cut the hole of your piping bag or Ziploc bag to be about a quarter inch wide, this should be enough room to squeeze out a reasonably thick line without it being too thick and spreading everywhere.

Starting in the center of the cheesecake, squeeze an even swirl pattern onto the top of the cheesecake. Be careful not to let the lines get too close to each other, as the cinnamon sugar will spread out as it bakes. Swirl all the way around the cheesecake until you reach the outside.

Bake the Cheesecake

Place your large roasting pan in the center of the oven and gently put your cheesecake in the roasting pan.

Place your large roasting pan in the center of the oven and gently put your cheesecake in the roasting pan.

Close the oven door and let the cheesecake bake for about 40 minutes. As the cheesecake bakes, the cinnamon swirl will spread and sink down a little into the cheesecake to form deep, cinnamon-filled grooves - just like on cinnamon buns!

• Once it's ready, the outer inch or two of the cheesecake should be set and the center of the cheesecake will still be wobbly. Turn the oven off and crack the oven door open a little, let the cheesecake cool in the oven for about an hour.

• After an hour, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let it cool further on the countertop. Once it has cooled to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours. Do not attempt to unmold the cheesecake before chilling it!

• Once you are ready to serve, take the cheesecake out of the fridge for a few minutes before unmolding to make it easier to remove. Gently push on the pan to release the cheesecake.

Decorate

I am usually a big fan of putting flourishes and finishing touches on my cakes and desserts, and my go-to is a nice piped rosette around the outer border. But I honestly don't feel this cinnamon roll cheesecake needs any further decoration since the decoration is baked into the cheesecake itself. If you do want to go one step further though, here are a few ideas:

Cinnamon Whipped Cream - If you want to pipe some pretty rosettes, or even just have something to serve with the cheesecake, I recommend my Cinnamon Whipped Cream recipe. You'll find it in the recipe card for my Cinnamon Waffles.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls - I've seen a few other bloggers who have 'Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake' recipes, they don't have the swirl in their cheesecake, but they have decorated with little mini cinnamon rolls on top of the cheesecake, which is also super cute. (I think you can get these from Cinnabon).

Glaze - Of course, a signature part of a cinnamon roll is the sticky glaze on top. I didn't add one to this recipe as I didn't want to mask the pretty swirl, and frankly, I didn't think it needed it, flavor-wise. But if you want to add a glaze, just mix up some powdered sugar and a little dash of milk and vanilla and pour or drizzle on top of the cheesecake.

Do You Have To Use A Water Bath?

The short answer is no, it's your cheesecake and you can do whatever you want with it. But for the absolute best results, I strongly recommend making a water bath to bake your cheesecake. This is a real showstopping cheesecake that may be made for a special occasion or to really impress someone - it would be a shame if the gorgeous cinnamon roll swirl on top was ruined by a big crack.

The water bath not only helps to prevent cracks, but it makes this the smoothest, creamiest cheesecake you have ever eaten. It is an extra step on what is a relatively easy recipe, but I promise you the water bath is worth it and will help to make this cinnamon roll cheesecake one of your new go-to dessert recipes.

Storage

Store the cheesecake in the fridge, covered if possible. It will be good in the fridge for up to five days.

More Cheesecakes

If you love the creamy texture and full flavor here, you may want to try some of my other cheesecake recipes: