Funfetti Cheesecake

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This deliciously creamy funfetti cheesecake has plenty of sprinkles inside and out! Perfect for birthdays, parties, or any celebration. This post has plenty of tips, tricks, and photos to insure you have a perfect and beautiful rainbow-filled cheesecake every time, and I’ve included instructions for making the easiest water bath (no foil necessary!).

At the time, I was SO nervous, admittedly quite intimidated, and honestly just winging it with my best guesses about what made a great cheesecake based on what I’d read on the internet and seen in videos from my favorite food legends (Ina and Alton forever).

And you know what? It turned out great! But great is not the same as perfected.

Fast forward to 2024, when I dedicated an entire year to monthly cheesecake recipes. I made (banana pudding) cheesecake after (coffee) cheesecake— testing, tweaking, tasting, and refining– until I landed on a base recipe I was truly proud of.

And with that perfected foundation came the obvious next step: it was time to revisit this funfetti classic and give it the upgrade it deserved.

My taste testers who remembered the 2021 version unanimously agreed: this updated and improved one is better. And that is exactly why we keep evolving as bakers and as teachers of baking. I’m so excited for you to try this new and improved version!

If you’re pressed for time, you can let the cubed cream cheese sit in a warm oven or microwave, just be sure not to melt the cream cheese, because that’s too soft.

Other ingredients will be at room temperature in more like 45 to 60 minutes. But definitely don’t skip this step, or you’ll wind up with a lumpy cheesecake.

So let’s talk about how all of those ingredients get to their final presentation.

There will be a little bit of bleeding as the sprinkles sit in the batter, so make sure your whole cheesecake batter is ready before you add the sprinkles. You should only need to stir it a few times to disperse the sprinkles evenly.

Pour the batter into the springform pan, and then quickly but gently smooth out the top.

The springform pan makes for easier removal of delicate cakes and tortes and other cakes with loose toppings. Though you can bake a cheesecake without a springform pan, know that you’ll be digging into your cake pan to remove slices and they will absolutely lose their shape (but of course, still taste perfect!).

Press this mixture into the springform pan and a little bit up the sides. This does not have to be perfect. Just make sure the whole bottom of the springform pan is covered in graham cracker crust before moving up the sides. The bottom is the most important part!

Cheesecake has no leavening agents, so it relies on steam from the water bath to rise slowly and evenly. That humid environment is what gives you a smooth, crack-free top and a cheesecake that stays tall after it cools rather than sinking in the center.

Here’s my no-foil method: place your 9″ springform pan inside a slightly larger pan (a 10″ cake pan works great), and then set both of those inside an even larger pan or roasting pan. Fill the outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the middle pan, then carefully transfer everything to the oven. Here is a bundle that includes all the pans I use (10″ and 12″).

This nested pan setup keeps water from seeping into the cheesecake without the hassle of wrapping the springform pan in layers of foil. I have an entire post dedicated to how to make a no-foil water bath if you want all the details.

First: visual– gently wiggle the outer/roasting pan. A finished cheesecake will jiggle just a little bit (you’re looking for a couple inch radius in just the center of the cheesecake to jiggle, not the entire top).

Second: internal temperature– you’ll want an internal temperature of 145ºF (63ºC), which you can test with a digital instant read thermometer. Just know that if you’re inserting it in the center, there will be a hole. You can, of course, cover this with something if you prefer.

When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven, prop the door open slightly with a wooden spoon or spatula, and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 1 hour.

After that, remove the springform pan from the water bath setup and let it continue cooling on a wire rack on the counter for about 2 hours. Once it’s at room temperature, cover and refrigerate it for a minimum of 6 hours. Overnight is even better.

You can leave the cheesecake on the platform or remove it.

To remove the cheesecake from the platform: run that same spatula or knife under the cheesecake to separate it from the platform, then use two large spatulas to carefully lift it up and onto a serving plate.

To slice cleanly: use a very sharp knife, and wipe the blade clean between every single cut. The cheesecake is soft and it will cling to the knife– a clean knife means clean, beautiful slices.

I hope this post (and this updated recipe!) gives you the confidence to tackle your first cheesecake or to come back and try this new and improved version even if you’ve made the original. Once you understand that it’s really all about patience and following the steps, I think you’ll surprise yourself. I can’t wait to see your funfetti slices!