This Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake has a cinnamon roll crust made from store-bought canned cinnamon rolls and swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon throughout the vanilla cheesecake. It's topped with a cinnamon roll frosting for a finishing touch,
Lightly spray the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Place a 9-inch parchment paper circle in the bottom of the pan and a 3-inch wide strip of parchment paper against the sides of the pan.
Press the 8 cinnamon rolls into the bottom of the pan. Be sure to pinch together the cinnamon rolls where there are any holes and continue pressing down until the entire bottom is covered. Set the frosting aside to top the cheesecake with.
Place the crust in the preheated oven and bake for 18 minutes. The crust will be puffy. Set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Filling
Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Pour in the butter and stir until the sugar is coated with the melted butter. It should look somewhat dry and clumpy.
Cheesecake
Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium until creamy.
Add in the sugar and flour. Continue to beat until combined.
Add in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat just until the sour cream is worked into the batter.
Add in the eggs one at a time and beat each egg just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding the next.
Just before adding the cheesecake mixture, wrap the outside of the springform pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty tin foil. You can skip the tin foil and add the cheesecake in a slightly larger pan to keep the cheesecake dry and then place the two pans in a third pan that's filled with about 1 inch of hot water.
Pour half of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll crust.
Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar on top of the cheesecake batter.
Spoon the remaining cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Make sure to cover all of the cinnamon sugar. *See notes
Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top of the cheesecake batter.
Place the cheesecake in the preheated 325 degree F oven and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center slightly jiggles like jello when the pan is wiggled back and forth and not like wet batter. This time may vary so always give it the jiggle test and bake longer if needed.
Once done, leave the cheesecake in the oven, turn the oven off, and leave the door slightly ajar until the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature.
Once the cheesecake has cooled, move to the fridge and allow to chill overnight to set up.
Add the frosting that came with the cinnamon rolls in a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners.
Drizzle the frosting back and forth on the top of the cooled or chilled cheesecake. The frosting will spread if you do it while the cheesecake is still warm.
Notes
*Pouring the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon sugar mixture instead of spooning it will shove the cinnamon sugar mixture up the sides of the cheesecake instead making a layer in the center.