This king cake cheesecake is vanilla-flavored with a hint of cinnamon and a delicious graham cracker crust. It’s a festive, colorful twist on classic cheesecake that’s perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations!
Mardi Gras Cheesecake
Whether you’re in New Orleans celebrating carnival season on the streets of the French Quarter or just wanting to bring a little New Orleans to your kitchen, you’ll love this king cake cheesecake recipe!
Inspired by a classic King Cake, this easy cheesecake recipe is made purple, green, and gold for the festivities!
Why You’ll Love this King Cake Cheesecake Recipe:
- Easy: This mardi gras cheesecake recipe is super simple and fun! The multi-use of colors is a piece of cake (literally and figuratively)!
- Colorful: This cheesecake is full of color and can be topped with mardi gras sprinkles or glitter to celebrate Mardis Gras season!
Be sure to try this King Cake Poke Cake and Mardi Gras Cupcakes.
How to Make King Cake Cheesecake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Crust: Combine ingredients to make the graham cracker crust, and press it into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes then let it cool slightly.
- Cheesecake: Mix ingredients according to the recipe card to make the cheesecake batter. Separate it into 3 portions, and dye each a different colors. Pour alternating colors into the crust to create a circular design.
- Bake: Wrap the pan in foil and place in a water bath. Bake according to instructions.
- Chill: Let the cheesecake chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Frosting: Combine ingredients to make the frosting, then transfer it into a piping bag.
- Assembly: Remove the chilled cheesecake from the pan, then frost and decorate.
Mardi Gras (aka: Fat Tuesday) is a festive day celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The name comes from the French custom of using up all of the fats in the house before Lent in preparation for fasting.
King cake is a traditional cake also called the three kings cake. It is served during mardi gras with a cinnamon flavor, and decorated with yellow, green, and purple sugar. The name comes from the Biblical story of the three kings who bring gifts to baby Jesus. Yellow/gold stands for power, green stands for faith, and purple stands for justice!
Cheesecakes require the use of a springform pan. This type of pan allows for even baking, easy release, and less mess. If you don’t have one, you should be able to pick one up at most stores in the aisle with other baking pans.
Absolutely! Graham crackers are classic, but you could also use crushed Golden Oreos or vanilla wafers.
Yes! This is a baked cheesecake recipe, and it will not turn out correctly unless it is baked in the oven. If you’re looking for a no bake cheesecake recipe, start with my no-bake lemon cheesecake. Use plain gelatin, omit the lemon juice and zest, and add cinnamon. Split the batter in 3, dye it, and swirl it together.
I do not recommend using fat-free ingredients to make this cheesecake, as it just won’t taste as rich and delicious. However, you can use light cream cheese or Neufchatel for a lower-fat alternative. This will change the flavor slightly.
If you want to keep the cheesecake from cracking, turn the oven off, and let it cool with the door closed for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 3 hours.
Cheesecake should come out of the oven with a slightly jiggly center. It will take a few hours to cool and set properly, so don’t worry! If after baking, you press gently in the center of the cheesecake and runny batter comes off on your finger, it needs a bit longer to bake.
What Day Is Mardi Gras Celebrated?
Mardi Gras translates to ‘fat Tuesday’ in French. So as you can imagine, this holiday is celebrated on a Tuesday. It’s always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Cities such was New Orleans and St. Louis usually celebrate a full month leading up to the official holiday, which is usually mid- to late-February.
Make Ahead Instructions
Make king cake cheesecake up to 2 days in advance and store, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover king cake cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve cold or let come to room temperature before serving. Do not leave cheesecake unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze king cake cheesecake whole or in individual slices in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Allow cheesecake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Substitutions
- For a slightly different flavor, use vanilla wafers or Golden Oreos in the crust.
- You can use granulated sugar in the crust instead of brown sugar.
- ⅔ cup heavy cream can be used instead of the sweetened condensed milk.
- Plain yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of the cornstarch; simply increase the amount used to 2½ tablespoons.
Decorating Ideas
- I love the piped rosettes of frosting around the cake. For a surprise cheesecake, cover the entire top of the cheesecake in a layer of frosting. This way, the color will only be visible once sliced.
- Top with Mardi Gras sprinkles or festive Sixlets (pictured).
- For a traditional king cake, hide a plastic baby inside the cheesecake before baking, or for a nontraditional idea, place a plastic baby on one of the frosting rosettes.
Tips for the Best King Cake Cheesecake
- When making the cheesecake, be sure to beat the cream cheese well at the beginning to ensure that it is smooth. If, when the cheesecake batter is complete, you still have lumps, simply press them against the side of the bowl using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Use room temperature ingredients for best results.
- Do not overmix the cheesecake batter as it will add air and result in uneven baking and can cause it to crack at the end.
- Be sure to leave the cheesecake in the oven for the hour after baking to rest. This allows the cheesecake to set, thus preventing or at least lowering the chances that the cheesecake top cracks.
- Once the cheesecake is baked, placing it onto a cooling rack allows all of the cheesecake to be exposed to the air to cool more quickly. However, you can place the cheesecake onto a hot pad to cool, it may just take a little longer.
I hope you enjoy this king cake cheesecake! Have you ever made a multi-colored cheesecake before? Let me know how your Mardi Gras cheesecake turned out in the comments below!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
King Cake Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2½ cups graham crackers 355 grams, from about 23 cracker sheets
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar 40 grams
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113 grams, melted (1 stick)
For the Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese 681 grams, room temperature (3 bricks)
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 396 grams (1 can)
- ¼ cup sour cream 57 grams, room temperature
- 4 large eggs 200 grams, room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon 14 grams
- 1 tablespoon lime juice 14 grams, from ½ lime
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch 14 grams
- Food coloring green, yellow, and purple
For the Frosting
- 1 cup powdered sugar 113 grams
- 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 6 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 grams
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
For the Crust
- Whisk the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar together in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the butter and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.2½ cups graham crackers, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan in as even of a layer as possible.
- Place the pan into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool slightly while you make the cheesecake batter.
- Increase the oven heat to 400°F.
For the Cheesecake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and sugar together on high speed for 2 minutes to ensure that it is smooth and that no cream cheese lumps remain.24 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add in the sweetened condensed milk and sour cream and mix until fully combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down after mixing in each ingredient.14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, ¼ cup sour cream
- Add in the eggs, cinnamon, lime juice, vanilla, and salt and beat together for 30 seconds, then add in the cornstarch and stir for 30 seconds.4 large eggs, 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Divide the cheesecake batter evenly into 3 separate bowls (about 494 grams per bowl). Separately, add green, yellow, and purple food coloring to the cheesecake batters and mix well so that one bowl of batter is green, another yellow and a final bowl is purple.Food coloring
- Pour half of the purple batter into the crust. Pour half of the green batter into the center of the purple batter then pour half of the yellow batter into the center of the green batter. Repeat these steps using up the remaining cheesecake batter.
- Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent any water from seeping in. Place the wrapped springform pan into a larger baking pan or broiler pan. Fill the broiler pan with 1 inch of water to create a water bath.
- Place the pans into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the oven heat to 250°F and allow the cheesecake to bake for 70 minutes.
- Once baked, turn the heat off and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Prop the door open and let the cheesecake continue cooling for another 30 minutes.
- After the hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, unwrap the aluminum foil and place the springform pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, cover the springform pan with aluminum foil and place it into the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
For the Frosting
- Once the cheesecake has chilled, make the frosting: Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat together on low speed for 30 seconds, until the powdered sugar starts to become incorporated.1 cup powdered sugar, 8 ounces cream cheese, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 1-2 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.
For Assembly
- To release the cheesecake, run a butter knife around the inside edge of the springform pan. Release the springform and remove the sides of the pan from around the cheesecake.
- Place the cheesecake onto a cake stand or serving platter. Pipe swirls of frosting onto the top of the cheesecake. Slice and serve.
Notes
- For a slightly different flavor, use vanilla wafers or Golden Oreos in the crust.
- You can use granulated sugar in the crust instead of brown sugar.
- ⅔ cup heavy cream can be used instead of the sweetened condensed milk.
- Plain yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of the cornstarch; simply increase the amount used to 2½ tablespoons.
- When making the cheesecake, be sure to beat the cream cheese well at the beginning to ensure that it is smooth. If, when the cheesecake batter is complete, you still have lumps, simply press them against the side of the bowl using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Use room temperature ingredients for best results.
- Do not overmix the cheesecake batter as it will add air and result in uneven baking and can cause it to crack at the end.
- Be sure to leave the cheesecake in the oven for the hour after baking to rest. This allows the cheesecake to set, thus preventing or at least lowering the chances that the cheesecake top cracks.
- Once the cheesecake is baked, placing it onto a cooling rack allows all of the cheesecake to be exposed to the air to cool more quickly. However, you can place the cheesecake onto a hot pad to cool, it may just take a little longer.
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