Cinnamon Roll Honeybun Cheesecake Recipe

A cinnamon roll honeybun cheesecake is a cheesecake built from the parts of a honey bun: the buns themselves as the crust, a cinnamon and brown sugar swirl in the filling, and a glaze on top. Press six halved honey buns into a springform pan, pour over a batter of cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and eggs, swirl in the cinnamon paste, bake at 325°F and chill overnight.

What goes into a honeybun cheesecake

A honey bun is a fried yeast roll with honey and a swirl of cinnamon in the dough, glazed with icing and sold wrapped by brands such as Little Debbie, as Wikipedia describes it. The cheesecake takes it apart: the bun becomes the base, the cinnamon goes into the filling, and the icing comes back as a honey glaze.

Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Honeybun Cheesecake

A baked cheesecake on a crust of honey buns, with a cinnamon and brown sugar swirl through the filling and a honey glaze. One 9-inch cheesecake, twelve slices.

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Prep

25 min

Cook

50 min

Total

8 hr 15 min

Serves

12

Cuisine

American

Ingredients

• For the crust:
• 10 1/2 ounces glazed honey buns (6 buns)
• For the cinnamon swirl:
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• For the cheesecake:
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• For the glaze:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F and line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment.
2. Slice each honey bun in half horizontally. Lay the halves cut side up over the base of the pan, tearing pieces to fill the gaps, and press them into an even layer.
3. Stir the brown sugar, the cinnamon and the melted butter into a thick paste.
4. Beat the cream cheese and the granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, the flour and the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, on low speed, just until mixed.
5. Pour half of the batter over the crust and drop half of the cinnamon paste over it in small spoonfuls. Cover with the rest of the batter, add the rest of the paste and draw a knife through the top in loops.
6. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the edge is set and the middle still wobbles. Turn off the oven, open the door a hand's width and leave the cheesecake inside for 1 hour.
7. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Whisk the powdered sugar, the honey and the milk together and drizzle the glaze over the cheesecake before serving.

Nutrition

Calories:

375

Calculated from the ingredient quantities above using the USDA FoodData Central database, then divided by the number of servings. It is an estimate and will vary with the exact products you use.

Honey buns as a crust

Halved, the buns cover the base of a 9-inch pan in one layer. Cut side up, they take up a little of the batter and bake into a soft, sweet base, softer than a graham cracker crust.

Without honey buns, a tube of refrigerated cinnamon rolls does the job. Slice each roll in half, press the slices over the base and bake them for 10 minutes before the batter goes on.

A swirl that stays where it is put

The paste has to be thick. A runny swirl sinks through the batter and collects on the crust. Small spoonfuls, dropped all over the surface, and a few loops with a knife are enough; stirring blends the paste in and the swirl disappears.

When the cheesecake is done

The edge is set and puffed a little, and the middle, a circle about 2 inches across, moves like jelly when the pan is nudged. It firms up as it cools. The hour in the switched-off oven lets it cool slowly, which is what keeps the top from cracking.

Cold eggs and long beating bring air into the batter, and air makes a cheesecake rise and fall. Low speed, and only until each egg has vanished.

Scoopable, without baking

For a cheesecake eaten with a spoon from the dish, beat 16 ounces of cream cheese with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and fold in 1 cup of heavy cream whipped to soft peaks. Layer it in an 8-inch dish with 4 chopped honey buns and the cinnamon paste, and chill for 4 hours.

Cheesecake in an even smaller no-bake form is on the no-bake peanut butter cheesecake balls page.

Keeping it

Covered, the cheesecake keeps 5 days in the refrigerator. Slices without glaze freeze for 2 months; thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.

Other cheesecakes on this site are the Costco tiramisu cheesecake and the strawberry crunch cheesecake.