Churro Cheesecake with a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl

Hola Hola! Feliz Viernes!

I’m sharing a recipe for churro cheesecake today!

I’ve been working on this recipe for the past week since I teased it on Instagram, and let me tell you, I am so happy with how this cheesecake turned out! There was a lot of trial and error, testing the cheesecake with a water-bath and without, and then letting it rest in the oven vs taking it out immediately and there were a few things that I learned a long the way after having to bake 6 different cheesecakes. It was really important to bake the cheesecake in a water-bath and let it rest in the oven after it was done baking to make sure that the cheesecake did not collapse or crack. The viscosity of the brow sugar slurry for the swirl was important to get just right as well because if it was too heavy, it would have sunk right into the cheesecake batter.

This cheesecake is comprised of a crust made from canelitas, a beloved cinnamon sugar cookie I enjoyed as a kid with a cinnamon and brown sugar cream cheese filling. To top things off we’re layering this cheesecake with a brown sugar cinnamon swirl that makes it look like you’ve got some serious skill. If you have any extra time, make yourself a batch of home made whipped cream to top your cheesecake with, and if you have any extra canelitas, crumble them over the whipped cream or simply sprinkle in a little bit of cinnamon over it and finish off with a drizzle of cajeta.

With Thanksgiving coming up in two weeks, this decadent cheesecake is the perfect addition to the dessert table. I’ll be making this cheesecake on my Instagram stories tomorrow morning, so if you’d like to follow along, follow me here to bake a long with me!

Have a good weekend, nos vemos pronto!

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5 from 4 votes

Churro Cheesecake

Makes a 9-inch Cheesecake, Serves 8-12,

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cheesecake, churro cheesecake, churros, mexican cheesecake

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12 People

Calories 411kcal

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 9 oz Marinela Canelitas (24 Cookies) (or Substitute with 2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs + 1 Tablespoon Sugar + 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon)
• ¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¼ Cup Unsalted butter ,Melted

For the Cheesecake Filling

• 24 Ounces Plain Cream Cheese , Room Temperature
• ¼ Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar , Lightly packed
• 1 ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 2 Large Eggs , Room Temperature

For the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl

• ½ Cup Brown Sugar , Lightly packed
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• ½ Teaspoon Corn Starch
• 2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Instructions

For the Crust

• Place the canelita cookies in a food processor or blender and pulse for 10-15 seconds until you have a mixture that resembles sand, you should have 2 cups of the crumbs. Pour the cookie mixture into a large bowl, sprinkle in the salt, then pour in the melted butter. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to make sure the melted butter is evenly distributed, then set your crust mixture aside.

  If you are using graham crackers, place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse for 10-15 seconds until you have a mixture that resembles sand. Pour this mixture into a large bowl, then sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together, then pour in the melted butter. Use your hands or a rubber spatula to make sure the melted butter is evenly distributed, then set your crust mixture aside.
• Take your springform pan and place it inside the 10-inch square disposable aluminum pan then take the sides of the aluminum pan and bend it so it forms a barrier up against the springform pan. This is going to ensure that none of the water in the water bath seeps into our springform pan.

  If you don't have a 10-inch square disposable aluminum pan, use aluminum foil to create a barrier around the springform pan so that none of the water seeps into the springform pan while the cheesecake sits in the water-bath. (Using a disposable aluminum pan worked much better than aluminum foil and it's reusable!)
• Lightly spray the inside of the springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then pour in the crust mixture. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly distribute the crust mixture then press it into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the side of the pan.

  At this time, place the spring form inside the roasting pan (or bigger shallow baking pan) you'll be using for the water-bath.

For the Cheesecake Filling

• Place the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the stand mixer on to low, slowly increasing to medium speed, beating the cream cheese for 30-45 seconds until smooth.

  Turn the speed down to low, then add the sour cream and the vanilla extract. Once the sour cream and vanilla extract has been fully incorporated, add the brown sugar, followed by the ground cinnamon and kosher salt and beat together for a minute. Pour the eggs in one at a time on low speed, making sure the first is fully incorporated before adding the second egg.

  As soon as the second egg is incorporated, turn the mixer off to make sure you don't incorporate too much air (that makes the cheesecake inflate and crack), then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer back on low and let it run for 10 seconds, just to make sure everything is fully incorporated, then set your cheesecake mixture aside.

For the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl

• In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and corn starch, then whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold water until the slurry comes together.

To Assemble the Cheesecake

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

  Pour in half of the cheesecake filling into springform pan, then use a spoon to drizzle in half of the brown sugar cinnamon swirl. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to carefully spoon on the rest of the cheesecake filling so it doesn't disrupt the first swirl layer.

  Once you've poured in the rest of the cheesecake filling, remix the swirl and pour the rest of it on top of the cheesecake batter, then use a toothpick and insert it about an inch into the batter and move it around in circles to create swirls.

  Place the roasting pan in the oven, then fill the pan with water halfway up the side of the cake pan.
• Bake the cheesecake for an hour and ten minutes.

  Once the cheesecake has baked for an hour and ten minutes, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside the oven to rest for an hour. Leaving the cheesecake to rest inside the warm oven will ensure that your cheesecake doesn't crack.

  After an hour has passed, take the cheesecake out of the oven (and remove the aluminum pan/or foil) and set it on the counter to cool completely. Once it has cooled completely, place it in the fridge to set overnight, or for 6 hours at the very least.
• Once the cheesecake has set, gently remove the sides of the springform pan then use a 10-12 inch offset spatula (or a long thin knife) to run it around the perimeter of the cheesecake to loosen it off the pan then push it onto a cake stand.
• Once it is ready to serve, cut it into equal sized portions, cleaning the knife blade every time you cut into the cheesecake for a cleaner slice.

  Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of cajeta or caramel.