This Little Debbie Christmas tree cheesecake is the ultimate in holiday treats. It has big vanilla flavor in such a festive package. Let me tell you, it lives up to the hype!
It is that time of year when holiday treats are a must. The more festive, the better. And this cheesecake screams Christmas!
I have been seeing Little Debbie Christmas tree cheesecakes floating around social media. There are cute short videos that made me know I needed to make one.
But when I searched for a recipe, I couldn’t find one. So, of course, I had to make one.
Luckily, I am no stranger to cheesecake recipes. We have quite a few favorites around here.
So I put this over the top treat together. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I do have to say it was delicious!
If you are looking for something different to make this holiday season, put this recipe at the top of your list. It is sure to become a new favorite for you as well.
The Crust
Like most cheesecakes, this one starts with a simple crumb crust. To really play into the vanilla goodness of the snack cakes, golden Oreos are a perfect option.
If golden Oreos aren’t your thing, of course you can use other cookies. Graham crackers are a classic and would work here as well.
You could also use vanilla wafers if you prefer. But to really lean into the frosted snack cake vibes, I would highly recommend the sandwich cookies.
Just crush them into crumbs to get started. I like using a food processor to make it easy, but you can use a plastic bag and a rolling pin if you prefer.
Once the cookies are crumbled, add a little melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form a crust.
You don’t have to bake the crust to set it. Just set it aside and move on to the filling.
The Filling
If you are going to call the cheesecake a Christmas tree cheesecake, you need to bring the trees. So go ahead and put a layer of Little Debbie cakes on top of your crust.
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I thought the cakes might really be more of a gimmick than anything. But, I have to say they really added something to the cheesecake.
I was worried that putting too many cakes in the pan would cause it to be too full, and I would find a mess in my oven, so I only used 4 snack cakes. I wish I would have used at least 5 or even 6 because the slices with the cake were really that much better.
So do as I say and not as I do and use that whole box. It will be worth it, I am telling you!
For the cheesecake batter, I used the recipe for our favorite condensed milk cheesecake. It is so easy to put together and we love it!
Just make sure your cream cheese is good and softened. Then make sure it is lump free before you add any other ingredients.
Other than that, it comes together in just a couple of minutes. Pour it over the Christmas tree cakes.
Give the pan a couple of good thumps on the counter to make sure any big air bubble can escape. Then stick it in the oven to bake, no water bath required.
In addition to not whipping too much air into the batter, cooking the cheesecake slowly and cooling it slowly are keys to preventing a crack. However, we are topping this cheesecake with frosting, so if it does crack, it will be hidden anyway!
The Topping
To mimic the fluffy filling of the cakes, we topped this crazy concoction with marshmallow fluff buttercream.
I know, it sounds like that will be too much, but it really isn’t. You are going to have to trust me on this and just do it.
You will want to dye a little bit of it red to make those classic red squiggly lines on top. You don’t need much, maybe ¼ cup or so.
Spread the rest of the buttercream over the chilled cheesecake. Pipe the red frosting in wavy stripes across your cheesecake.
Use some chunky green sanding sugar to finish it off. Then, get ready to dig in.
Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 14 ounces golden Oreos
- ¼ cup melted butter
Cheesecake
- 5 Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes
- 24 ounces cream cheese softened
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff
- red food coloring gel
- green sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉ and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Crush 14 ounces golden Oreos or other vanilla cookies into small crumbs. Mix with ¼ cup melted butter and press into the bottom of the springform pan to form a crust.
- Unwrap 5 Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes and arrange over crust.
- Make sure the 24 ounces cream cheese is really softened. In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese until completely smooth, being sure the scrape the sides of your bowl a couple of times.
- Add the 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk a little bit at a time, mixing well between each addition.
- Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 4 large eggs one at a time. Stir well after each addition, but try not to whip too much air into the mixture at this point.
- Pour cheesecake batter over the cakes in the springform pan. Thump the pan on the counter a couple of times to allow any air bubbles to rise out of the batter.
- Bake until the cheesecake is just set, about 1 hour. Then cool slowly to room temperature. Chill until ready to decorate.
- To make the frosting, beat ½ cup softened butter in medium mixing bowl until fluffy.
- Add the 1 cup powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Beat in 1 cup marshmallow fluff until smooth and fluffy.
- Pull out about ¼ cup of frosting and dye red with food coloring gel. Spread remaining white buttercream over chilled cheesecke.
- Pipe wavy red lines of buttercream over frosting. Sprinkle with green sanding sugar.
- Serve cold or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Video
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Check out my collection of Christmas recipes for even more inspiration, and let me know how this cheesecake goes if you decide to make it. I hope you do!
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This worked exactly as written, thanks!
For some reason my tree cakes floated up while baking so I have tree-shaped lumps barely covered by cheesecake. How do I prevent this next time?
@Kerry Ausmus, that happened to mine too! It seemed too runny and they immediately floated up.
That is really strange. I was concerned they would do that to me the first time I made the cheesecake, but they stayed under the cheesecake batter. I suppose you could hold them down with toothpicks or something. The holes would get covered up by the frosting anyway.
I followed the recipe provided but the frosting was way too sticky and had a heavy feel to it. After I added the marshmallow fluff, it just seemed heavy and I never could get it to be the consistency I expected.
Any idea what I might have done wrong? Cake was delicious but the frosting was a disappointment. As an important note, I am not a cheese cake baker so experience is not on my skills list.
Well, I am glad you liked the cheesecake part. The frosting should have had a fluffy buttercream texture with just a little something extra from the fluff.
Would it be ok to break the cakes up into pieces and mix that into the cheesecake batter?
That should work. Or sprinkle the cake pieces over the crust and then pour the cheesecake batter over it. Either way should be good.
That is sooooo cool! I’m not sure I’ve even heard of these Christmas tree cakes, but now I need to hunt them down!
They are a Christmas must have!
Most fun and creative cheesecake ever!
It is so festive and really tasty! My whole family loved it!