Take the flavors of a delicious sopapilla and creaminess of a cheesecake, and you end up with this tasty dessert baked full of cinnamon flavor. This sopapilla cheesecake is an easy recipe you’ll want to impress your guests with.
I can practically guarantee you’ve never had a sopapilla like this. I had recently made sopapillas, which are the equivalent to a delicious cinnamon doughnut, and I (along with the rest of my family) couldn’t get enough of them. But they were missing something.
I adore the creaminess of a cheesecake, and with the flavors of the sopapilla, this combination really couldn’t get any better. Well, maybe if you top it with homemade whipped cream or ice cream. This sopapilla cheesecake will wow your guests, but it’s so simple to make and needs very few ingredients. Perfect for whipping up on short notice, or when you’re busy prepping dinner.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- If you’ve ever had sopapillas, you know that they’re like a delicious, cinnamon doughnut and the only way to make this better is transforming it into a cheesecake.
- The crunchy crispy topping with the combination of the soft cream cheese filling is my favorite part of this recipe.
- This sopapilla cheesecake has a warming, earthy cinnamon flavor that’s incomparable.
- It’s such an easy recipe to get right. It needs just a few steps, a few ingredients, and it’s not complicated at all.
Ingredients
This is by far one of the easiest desserts to make — it needs only six ingredients.
- 2 cans crescent rolls
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups white sugar, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
How to Make Sopapilla Cheesecake – The Steps
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Roll the pastry out and lay it in the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Step 3: In a large bowl, use an electric hand whisk to blend the cream cheese, vanilla essence, and 1 cup of sugar together until soft and smooth. Spoon it all onto the pastry and spread it out until it is even.
Step 4: Place the other pastry sheet over the cream cheese mix.
Step 5: Pour the melted butter over the top.
Step 6: Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly on top.
Step 7: Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and the sugar on top is brown and crackly. Allow it to cool and serve.
Variations
The beauty of this recipe is that it can be altered in any way you like! If you follow the basic method to build your cheesecake, you can change out the flavors to any that you prefer. Here are some ideas.
- Chocolate sopapilla cheesecake: This is an easy (and obvious) addition. You can either mix melted chocolate into your cream cheese mix or simply load it up with chocolate chips for a chocolatey, delicious cheesecake.
- Apple sopapilla cheesecake: Everyone knows apples pair beautifully with cinnamon. Simply slice some apples into very thin slices, pat them dry with a paper towel, and layer them into your cheesecake. You can add other fruits if you like, but be sure they’re not too wet or your pastry will become soggy.
- Vegan sopapilla cheesecake: The only ingredients that need to be substituted are the cream cheese and the butter (that’s right, Pillsbury crescent rolls are vegan!). Simply replace the butter with vegan butter and the cream cheese for cashew or almond cream cheese.
Serving Suggestions
This is best served after a light dinner (because you’ll want to go back for seconds of this dessert) or as a mid-day treat with a hot drink, like hot chocolate. I like to pile on the whipped cream or ice cream as well, but this sopapilla cheesecake can stand its own without any additional toppings if you prefer.
FAQs
Yes, you can cut the pastry to the size of a smaller dish and then fill it with the cream cheese mix. It makes the cheese layer nice and thick. You could also split this recipe between two dishes to keep the layers consistent.
Yes, puff pastry works well. You could also use a pie crust or my profiterole dough recipe. Different types of pastries will yield different results, so try them out and see what works for you.
Yes, something like drained and crushed pineapple works well. Other fruits, chocolate, or nuts would be delicious. Just be sure not to add anything too watery.
How to Store Sopapilla Cheesecake
After your cheesecake has cooled completely, wrap any leftovers up in cling film or place it in an airtight container. It can be kept for up to 4 days and if you want to reheat the cheesecake (which is by no means necessary), place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350° F. I wouldn’t recommend freezing this one because the pastry will get soggy when it defrosts.
Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans crescent rolls
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cups white sugar divided
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Roll the pastry out and lay it in the bottom of the greased baking dish.
- In a large bowl, use an electric hand whisk to blend the cream cheese, vanilla essence, and 1 cup of sugar together until soft and smooth. Spoon it all onto the pastry and spread it out until it is even.
- Place the other pastry sheet over the cream cheese mix.
- Pour the melted butter over the top.
- Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly on top.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is puffed up and the sugar on top is brown and crackly. Allow it to cool and serve.
Nutrition
