Confetti Celebration Cheesecake + Birthday Cake Hybrid Recipe

Yesterday marked my husband's 29th birthday, and the 10th one I've had the honor of celebrating with him. This time of year is super busy for him, so he requested a low-key day with steaks and potatoes at home for dinner. I wanted to make him a birthday cake and know he loves Funfetti cake and loves cheesecake, so I started thinking of how I could combine the two into a birthday cake cheesecake hybrid. 

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A couple of years ago, my sister got me a cookbook by Melanie Underwood called Making Artisan Cheesecake for Christmas. I made the red velvet cheesecake from it for her birthday, and it was a big hit. I used that as my inspiration for this birthday cheesecake, using a white cake recipe with sprinkles in the batter for the bottom half and topping with a classic Philadelphia style cheesecake.

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This recipe uses half cream cheese, half neufchâtel for a lighter texture. If you prefer a richer cheesecake, use all cream cheese or for an even lighter recipe, use all neufchâtel. I finished it with whipped cream instead of buttercream, since that's what Sam likes, and sprinkles to tie everything in together. 

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Confetti Celebration Cheesecake Recipe

Makes one 8.7" cake

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Cake ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3 egg whites

2 1/2 tbsp sprinkles

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Preheat oven to 350 and position rack in center. Cream butter and sugar in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add oil and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt, then add half into the butter mixture until combined. Slowly pour milk into butter mixture, then finish with the other half of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add into batter. Fold in sprinkles and pour batter into a greased and floured 8.7" springform pan with a parchment circle lining the bottom. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back when lightly touched. Let cool completely. 

Cheesecake ingredients: 

1 lb. cream cheese

1 lb. neufchâtel 

1 1/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

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Preheat oven to 450. Beat cream cheese and neufchâtel until smooth. Add sugar. Add in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, then mix in vanilla. Pour into springform pan over the cooled confetti cake. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 225 and continue baking for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the cake rest in the oven with the door propped open for 1 hour, then let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to fully set. 

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Whipped cream ingredients: 

1/2 cup chilled whipping cream

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

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Put mixer bowl and whisk attachment in freezer for 5 minutes. Mix all ingredients on high speed until stiff peaks form. Place whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe decorations along the top of the cake. Finish with sprinkles, if desired. 

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The Details

Need a little more info? Let's break down the recipe even more.

Make the Cake

The same year my sister got me the cheesecake cookbook, my mom and stepdad got me a KitchenAid stand mixer. It really is as great as everyone says, and if you love baking or do it a lot throughout the year, it's well worth the investment.

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Preheat the oven to 350 and position the rack in the center of the oven. Using the paddle attachment, beat 3 tbsp of room temperature butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. It's important that your ingredients are room temperature so that they all blend together. Cold eggs or milk can cause a lumpy batter when adding them into the mix. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. 

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In a separate bowl, sift together 1 3/8 cups of flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until all flour is combined, then slowly add in 1/2 cup milk. Finish by adding in the other half of dry ingredients until fully combined, then fold in 2 1/2 tbsp colorful sprinkles.

Once you begin working with the flour, you want to be cautious that you don't overmix the batter. That will make for a dense cake. I usually use 3 or 4 on the mixing speed, and mix just until all traces of white flour are gone. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between each step. 

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In a separate bowl, whisk 3 egg whites until foamy, then add into the batter. Pour batter into an 8-9" buttered and floured springform pan (mine is 8.7", so this will make a thick 8" cake or slightly thinner 9' cake, but will work for anything between 8 and 9") with a parchment paper circle lining the bottom. Tap on the counter several times to even out the batter and get out any air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes. Let it cool completely before adding the cheesecake batter. 

How to Make a Parchment Circle

To make a parchment paper circle from a standard roll, rip off a rectangular piece and fold it in half, repeating until you have a pointed triangle. Flip the pan over and position the point of the triangle at the center, then cut off anything hanging over the edge. Unfold and set inside the pan to make sure it fits. If it is too big, refold and cut the excess. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan, then stick in the parchment circle. Butter the top of the parchment, then flour the pan. 

Make the Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 450. Bring your cream cheese and eggs to room temperature. With the paddle attachment, combine two 8 oz packages of cream cheese with two 8 oz packages of neufchâtel until smooth. Add 1 1/3 cup sugar. Scrape down sides of bowl and get any lumps off the paddle.

Add 4 eggs, one at a time, until combined. I crack all of my eggs into a measuring cup, then use the spout end to pour them in. The whites will cling to the yolks, so pour until a yolk falls in, mix until the egg is completely incorporated into the cream cheese mixture, then add the next one.  Add 2 tsp vanilla extract. 

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Pour into the springform pan right on top of the cake. Tap the pan on the countertop a few times to even out the batter. Bake for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce heat to 225 and continue to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.* 

After the baking time is up, check for doneness by moving the cheesecake back and forth. The very center of the cheesecake should still jiggle, and the outsides should be set. Turn off the oven and prop the door open, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for an hour, then let cool at room temperature. By slowly bringing the cheesecake temperature down, we reduce the chance of cracking. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to make sure it is completely set. 

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*This is the Ina Garten method to baking a cheesecake. By starting at a high temperature, it sets the cheesecake and gets the outside baked quickly while the moisture content is still high, then the low and slow portion of baking gets the inside of the cheesecake set and baked. You may see cheesecake recipes where they have you create a waterbath - wrapping the springform pan in foil and setting it inside a roasting pan filled with hot water. This will prevent cracks as well, but I find the Ina method easier and have always had success with it. 

Decorate

Stick the metal mixer bowl and the whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes to make sure it's extra cold. This will add some extra insurance that your cream whips into a nice fluffy cloud. Whip 1/2 cup cold whipping cream with 1 tbsp sugar and a dash of vanilla extract. Start at low speed, gradually increasing to high speed over about 2-3 minutes. This will help your cream to maintain stiff peaks until consumption. Once your cream forms stiff peaks, place in a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

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Slide a small knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it, then release the sides of the springform pan and carefully pull straight up. Slide the cake onto whatever platter or stand you'd like to use for serving. 

Pipe the whipped cream however you like around the top and/or sides of the cake (if covering the entire top and sides, double the whipped cream recipe). You can also sub buttercream for the whipped cream if preferred. Finish with sprinkles.