Cinnamon Bun Cheesecake

I don't know if you have ever visited a blog called Culinary Concoctions By Peabody but you really should.

She has the most amazing recipes. I mean she combines things that you wouldn't think to combine and comes up with recipes that blow your mind.

And...just maybe...might stop your heart. But, death by cheesecake/cake/pie/cookies isn't necessarily a bad way to go.

Anyway...this creation is hers. I mean cheesecake + cinnamon buns = crazy good dessert. Genius, right?

Go check out HER BLOG. This isn't even the best thing on there.

Cinnamon Bun Cheesecake With Cream Cheese Frosting

(Ever so slightly adapted from Culinary Concoctions By Peabody)

Ingredients

Cinnamon Roll Batter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 cup whole milk

1 Tbsp vanilla 

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

Cheesecake filling

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla 

2 Tbsp flour

3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 Tbsp butter, softened

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch Springform pan. (I used 7 inch AND a 4 inch springform pans)
Cinnamon Roll Batter -- Using beaters, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. 
Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It will be a thin layer, but trust me it will rise up during baking.

For the Cheesecake Filling -- Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute.
Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling -- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake. 

Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Once finished, take a knife to swirl the ingredients together. This is hard to do as the batter is pretty thick, just do what you can. 

Bake for about 50-55 minutes, cake will be puffy and lightly browned. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake from pan and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting -- Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. If too thick, thin out with milk. Drizzle or spread on top of room temp cheesecake. 

I made these for a birthday at the office. It was a big hit! Here is the birthday girl with her cheesecake:

If you like cinnamon, cheesecake, coffee cake, cream cheese....any combination of those things, then this is the treat for you. Reading the ingredients, I initially thought 3 Tbsp of cinnamon would be too much. NOPE. It's perfect.  Don't cut back on it. 

Be sure to visit Culinary Concoctions By Peabody and say hi. She is a super funny, super honest, super genius. (What? I'm not a stalker)

Be sure to visit Ms. enPlace and Or So She Says and The Velvet Moon Baker and Chef In Training for some fabulous links!