This Easter swirl cheesecake is a vanilla cheesecake with beautiful pastel swirls. Vanilla whipped cream and mini eggs decorate the top. It's a perfect cake for an Easter celebration!
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🐇A cheesecake for Easter
This Easter swirl cheesecake is so fun! The pastel swirl on top matches the colours of chocolate mini eggs! I used my classic cheesecake recipe to make this, and then added the swirl on top.
The swirl is made by reserving some cheesecake batter, dividing it into 4 bowls, and adding food colour to each one. I chose colours that are spring-like, but use whichever colours you prefer.
I added a simple, piped vanilla whipped cream to the top, and stuck a chocolate mini egg into each whipped cream mound. This cheesecake is so pretty and will defiantly get a lot of wows from friends and family. It's a perfect cake for Easter!
For more spring desserts, try my lemon blueberry cheesecake cake or spring blossom cookies!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Graham cracker crumbs - chocolate cookie crumbs can be substituted if you want a chocolate crust.
- Gel food colouring - I don't recommend using liquid food colouring. You won't get the vibrant colours.
- Cream cheese - Make sure to use block cream cheese which is meant for baking and cooking.
- Sour cream - I use full fat sour cream (14% or 18%). I don't recommend substituting for a lower fat sour cream.
- Milk - I use full fat milk. 2% can be substituted.
- Unsalted butter - Salted butter can be substituted.
🔪Instructions
Crust
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a medium sized bowl, and stir to combine.
Press crust into the bottom and partially up the sides of a parchment lined springform pan. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Vanilla Cheesecake
Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Mix until combined, and then add flour, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, and mix after each addition. Reserve a ½ cup of cheesecake batter and pour the remaining batter into the crust.
Divide cheesecake batter into 4 small bowls. Use food colouring to colour each amount of batter a different colour. I chose pink, purple, yellow, and blue. Pour each colour randomly all over the top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to gently swirl the colours together. Don't overmix.
Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil then tie a crockpot liner bag or chicken bag around the springform pan. Make sure the bag goes up the sides of the pan. This will stop water from seeping into the cheesecake.
Place springform pan into a larger pan, and fill the outside pan with water. Fill until it goes half way up the outside of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door closed for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Slowly cooling the cheesecake like this will help keep the cheesecake from cracking.
Take the cheesecake out of the oven and take the springform pan out of the water bath. Cover the top of the springform pan and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Whipped Cream Topping
Combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip until stiff peaks form.
Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a cake stand. Pipe whipped topping around the top of the cheesecake. Add a chocolate mini egg to each whipped cream mound.
✔️Expert Tips
- Gel food colouring - oil based food colouring will work too. I don't recommend liquid food colouring because you won't get these vibrant colours with them.
- Bring all your ingredients to room temperature before baking. It will help to make a smooth cheesecake.
- Don't skip the water bath. Cheesecakes bake evenly in a water bath, and it helps against cracks.
- Make sure to chill the cheesecake before decorating and serving. Cheesecakes need at least 6 hours in the refrigerator to firm up.
💭FAQs
You can refrigerate the baked cake over night and decorate the next day.
Place baked cheesecake on a plate and wrap in plastic wrap and a final layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
There could be a few reasons why a cheesecake cracks? Incorporating too much air in the batter can cause cracks. Make sure you mix on low to avoid incorporating too much air.
A drastic temperature change can also make a cheesecake crack. Cool the cheesecake slowly in a turned off oven.
🔖Related Recipes
📋 Recipe
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Easter Swirl Cheesecake
Equipment
- 8" or 9" springform pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Vanilla Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- gel food colouring pink, purple, blue, and yellow
Whipped Cream Topping
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8-10 chocolate mini eggs
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line a 9 inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Allow the parchment paper to extend out from the springform pan, for easier removal of the cheesecake.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a medium sized bowl, and stir to combine.
- Press crust into the bottom and partially up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Vanilla Cheesecake
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Mix until combined, and then add flour, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and mix after each addition. Reserve a ½ cup of cheesecake batter and pour the remaining batter into the crust.
- Divide cheesecake batter into 4 small bowls. Use food colouring to colour each amount of batter a different colour. I chose pink, purple, yellow, and blue.
- Pour each colour randomly all over the top of the cheesecake. Use a knife to gently swirl the colours together. Don't overmix.
- Cover the outside of the pan with aluminum foil then tie a crockpot liner bag or chicken bag around the springform pan. Make sure the bag goes up the sides of the pan. This will stop water from seeping into the cheesecake.
- Place springform pan into a larger pan, and fill the outside pan with water. Fill until it goes half way up the outside of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the oven door closed for 30 minutes.
- Crack the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Slowly cooling the cheesecake like this will help keep the cheesecake from cracking.
- Take the cheesecake out of the oven and take the springform pan out of the water bath. Cover the top of the springform pan and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place on a cake stand. Pipe whipped topping around the top of the cheesecake. Add a chocolate mini egg to each whipped cream mound.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Gel food colouring - oil based food colouring will work too. I don't recommend liquid food colouring because you won't get these vibrant colours with them.
- Bring all your ingredients to room temperature before baking. It will help to make a smooth cheesecake.
- Don't skip the water bath. Cheesecakes bake evenly in a water bath, and it helps against cracks.
- Make sure to chill the cheesecake before decorating and serving. Cheesecakes need at least 6 hours in the refrigerator to firm up.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️