Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are an easy layered dessert with cinnamon-sugar, flaky crescent dough, and a creamy cheesecake filling. You’ll love this twist of a traditional Mexican pastry and it tastes like a filled churro.
Want more Mexican recipes? Check out my horchata recipe, strawberry agua fresca, tres leches cake, and Mexican corn salad.
What is a sopapilla?
Sopapillas (also known as sopaipillas) are a pillowy pieces of fried dough that are dusted with sugar; sometimes with ground cinnamon added in. They are often served with honey drizzled on top.
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
These easy sopapilla cheesecake bars mimic the puffy dough of sopapillas by using crescent dough.
Instead of being fried, the dough is baked inside of a pan with cinnamon-sugar. Cheesecake filling is added between the layers to make this dessert even more delicious.
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{Think filled churros, but in bar form.} They taste as good as they look/sound and are the perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo!
You don’t even have to worry about a water bath or cracks in your cheesecake, since it’s sandwiched between two crusts. This is basically the easiest cheesecake you will ever make.
Ingredients
You only need six ingredients to make these sopapilla cheesecake bars:
- Ground Cinnamon
- Granulated Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Crescent Dough Sheets OR Crescent Rolls
NOTE: Exact measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Prepare the Fillings
Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
- Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed.
Layer the Dessert
Lightly grease a 13×9-inch pan with non-stick spray. (Lining the pan with parchment paper overhanging is optional, but nice to lift the dessert out of the pan for easy cutting.)
- Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Unroll one of the crescent dough sheets and set it on top of the cinnamon-sugar. Arrange the dough to fit the pan. Pinch together any tears in the dough.
- Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the dough.
- Unroll the second can of dough and place it over the cheesecake filling.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the dough.
Baking and Serving
Bake the sopapilla cheesecake bars at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes until dough is baked and cheesecake seems set when gently shaken.
Allow the dessert to cool for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to firm up before cutting and serving it. Then you may cover and chill the dessert in the fridge for 1-2 hours, if desired. It’s great warm or cold.
Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended, as the crescent dough may be a bit soggy once thawed.
Tips for Best Results
- If using crescent ROLLS instead of SHEETS: Place the second can of dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to press the perforations together. Then carefully turn the dough over on top of the cream cheese filling, peeling the parchment away.
- Flatten/stretch crescent sheets minimally. The sheets should fit the pan almost entirely without needing to flatten or stretch the dough much. If you have to use crescent rolls and press the seems together, you may need to trim or fold any excess dough.
- Use a pan with square corners. This helps the dough fit seamlessly. I love and recommend this 13×9-inch USA pan (affiliate link) as shown in the photos.
More Cinnamon Desserts
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Cinnamon Twist Recipe
- Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Bars
- Easy Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
- Cinnamon Chip Coffee Cake
If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces (452 g) block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Crust:
- 2 cans Pillsbury crescent dough sheets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed. Set aside.
- Lightly grease a 13×9-inch pan with non-stick spray. (Lining the pan with parchment paper overhanging is optional, but nice to lift the dessert out of the pan for easy cutting.)
- Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Unroll one of the crescent dough sheets and set it on top of the cinnamon-sugar. Arrange the dough to fit the pan. Pinch together any tears in the dough.
- Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the dough.
- Unroll the second can of dough and place it over the cheesecake filling. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the dough.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 30 minutes until dough is baked and cheesecake seems set when gently shaken.
- Allow the dessert to cool for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to firm up before cutting and serving it. You may cover and chill the dessert in the fridge for 1-2 hours, if desired. It’s great warm or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
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Wow! Amazing, sure delicious but What about those of us who don’t live in the United States and don’t have crescent dough (by the way, no idea what it is) in the supermarket? What mass could we replace it with? Is the dough puff pastry?.thank you in advance and take care of yourself. Regards
It’s kind of like a bread dough, but less fluffy. Puff pastry would possibly work, but I worry about it baking all the way through. I did find a copycat recipe for Pillsbury Crescent Dough. You wouldn’t need to cut it into triangles though: https://www.alyonascooking.com/crescent-rolls-pillsbury-copycat/#recipe