Birthday Cake Cheesecake
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This Birthday Cake Cheesecake recipe is fun, festive, and filled with a birthday cake flavor! Made with creamy cheesecake filling, graham cracker crust, and lots of rainbow sprinkles!
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Birthday Cake Cheesecake Recipe
Birthday Cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make especially for birthday celebrations, any special occasion, or anytime you’re craving cheesecake.
Loaded with colorful sprinkles and a creamy cheesecake filling that’s even better than any regular ol’ birthday cake.
Top the Birthday Cheesecake with the same toppings as you would a birthday cake, swirls of frosting and sprinkles, or eat it just as it is! You can decorate this fun dessert any way you like. Any cheesecake lover will love this decadent dessert and you can feed a crowd with this recipe.
Other fun birthday recipes to make are my Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats and Birthday Cake Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Birthday cake flavors: This cheesecake is creamy, dreamy and filled with the delectable flavors of an actual birthday cake. Each bite is heavenly and so so delicious.
- Celebration cheesecake: This dessert is so fun and perfect for a birthday party or celebration!
- Simple ingredients: You need less than 10 easy ingredients to make this so nothing fancy is required for this birthday cheesecake recipe!
- Make ahead: You can easily make this a 2-3 days ahead of time. It will taste even better since the cheesecake will have time to sit and chill.
Key Ingredients
- Cream cheese: Softened and full-fat cream cheese works best with this recipe. You’ll need two 8 ounce packages total.
- Granulated sugar: Used to sweeten the cheesecake filling and tanginess of the cream cheese.
- Eggs: Adds richness and gives these cheesecake a rich and creamy texture. The eggs will also make the cheesecake batter smooth.
- Graham crackers: Used to make the crust.
- Pure vanilla extract and almond extract: Adds the signature “birthday cake”flavor. You could also use cake batter extract instead to create a similar flavor.
- Sprinkles: The star ingredient! We use rainbow jimmies but you can use any color for any occasion. I do not recommend using nonpareils sprinkles as the colors can smear off in the batter.
How To Make Birthday Cake Cheesecake
Prepare Springform Pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the pan with nonstick spray or line with stripes of parchment paper.
Make Graham Cracker Crust: In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Pulse until graham cracker crumbs form and the mixture is combined. Add mixture to the pan and press into the bottom and 1 inch of the sides using your hands. Bake the crust for 8-9 minutes then cool.
Make Cheesecake Mixture: In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream, heavy cream, and extracts. Continue to beat together just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in eggs one at a time.
Add Sprinkles: Fold in sprinkles, be sure not to fold too much otherwise the sprinkle colors can wear off in the batter.
Water Bath: Cover the sides of the springform pan with foil, this will help the cheesecake from browning and from water getting into the cheesecake. Pour mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust. Fill a 9×13 inch roasting pan with hot water covering about 1-2 inches of the springform pan. This will help the cheesecake be extra smooth, creamy, and prevent any cracks.
Bake Cheesecake: Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the center is set. You can check by gently shaking the cheesecake, and it should be mostly firm with a slightly jiggly center. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature, about an hour. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill overnight or at least 6 hours.
Cut & Serve: When ready to serve, carefully and slowly release the springform pan and remove the rim of the pan. Top the cheesecake with frosting or whipped cream, and more sprinkles (optional). Slice into slices by cutting with a sharp knife and enjoy!
Pro Tips
Softened cream cheese: It’s extremely important that the cream cheese is at room temperature and soft enough to blend together smoothly to create an extra creamy texture.
If you do not have a food processor: Crush the graham crackers by sealing them in an airtight bag and smashing them with a rolling pin or another hard object.
Toppings: Add swirls of vanilla, chocolate, buttercream, or cream cheese frosting, lots of sprinkles, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or crushed cookies to the top of the cheesecake.
Don’t skip the water bath! If you want a super thick, creamy, and moist, cheesecake don’t skip the water bath. You will be glad you did and so will everyone else! The water bath will allow the cheesecake to cook evenly creating a custardy center.
Recipe Variations
Cheesecake crust: Instead of using a graham cracker crust use Golden Oreos, regular Oreos, sugar cookie dough (or crushed sugar cookies), Nilla wafers, or chocolate graham crackers.
Sprinkles: Switch up the sprinkles to any color for any occasion. Use red and green sprinkles for Christmas or pastel sprinkles during the spring or Easter.
Gluten-free cheesecake: Use gluten-free graham crackers instead of regular graham crackers.
Add-ins: Chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and crushed or chopped cookie pieces make great additions.
Do you need a water bath?
You do not! However, I highly recommend it when baking a regular size cheesecake as apposed to cheesecake bites. The cheesecake will cook evenly creating a custardy and creamy cheesecake center. It will also prevent cracks and it takes little time to prepare a water bath.
Leftovers & Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze your cheesecake by cutting the cheesecake into individual slices or you can leave it whole. Wrap the cheesecake or cheesecake slices in plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Place them in an airtight container or large freezer bag. Be sure the cheesecake is completely cool before freezing.
Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, simply defrost on the counter for 4-6 hours and enjoy. You can also thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Other Cheesecake Recipes
- Cheesecake Sprinkle Cookies
- Apple Pie Cheesecake Bites
- Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bites
- Lemon Cheesecake Bites
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Best Ever Mini Cheesecake Bites
- Funfetti ‘Dunkaroo’ Cheesecake Bites
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
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Birthday Cake Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs about 11 sheets
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cheesecake Mixture
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3 whole eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup rainbow jimmy sprinkles
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Toppings (optional)
- frosting
- whipped cream
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides of the pan with nonstick spray or line with stripes of parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Pulse until graham cracker crumbs form and the mixture is combined. Add the graham cracker crust mixture to the pan and press into the bottom and 1 inch of the sides using your hands. The crust should be an even layer, you could also use the bottom of a drinking glass to press down. Bake the crust for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and extracts. Continue to beat together just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add in eggs one at a time.
- Fold in sprinkles, be sure not to fold too much otherwise the sprinkle colors can wear off in the batter.
- Cover the sides of the springform pan with foil, this will help the cheesecake from browning and from water getting into the cheesecake. Pour the cheesecake filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Fill a 9×13 inch roasting pan with hot water covering about 1-2 inches of the springform pan. This will help the cheesecake be extra smooth, creamy, and prevent any cracks.
- Bake the cheesecake for 60-70 minutes or until the center is set. You can check by gently shaking the cheesecake, and it should be mostly firm with a slightly jiggly center. Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature, about an hour. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill overnight or at least 6 hours.
- When ready to serve, carefully and slowly release the springform pan and remove the rim of the pan. Top the cheesecake with frosting or whipped cream, and more sprinkles (optional). Slice into slices by cutting with a sharp knife and enjoy!
This is birthday month over here! And this birthday cheesecake is the star of the show!
This birthday cheesecake looks gorgeous and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Birthday cake and cheesecake are favorites and now I can have both in one delicious bite. Fun and festive.
This is so fun! I love cheesecake and this one did not disappoint. yum!
This Birthday cake is super cute and fun to make. Perfect for festive occasions or Birthday parties. This recipe is a keeper.
I plan to cut batter in half and add chocolate to it and do a layer effect with having the sprinkles in the vanilla part