Cherry Cheesecake Cake
Cherry Cheesecake Cake is a fun twist on a classic dessert. Fluffy white cake topped with cheesecake whip and sweet cherry pie filling is lighter than traditional cheesecake, but every bit as delicious.
What is Cherry Cheesecake Cake?
Sort of a mouthful to say, but it is dang good! This cake is my husband’s favorite dessert and he requests it every year on his birthday, and any other special occasion he can think of.
Classic cherry cheesecake is typically a graham cracker crust, filled with a dense, creamy cake of simple ingredients: cream cheese, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla extract and sugar. The creamy filling is then baked and topped with cherry pie filling or fresh cherries.
Cherry Cheesecake Cake features all of the same flavors, but in cake form with a whipped cream cheese frosting, so its lighter and not as rich.
Plus isn’t it just the best thing when a recipe starts with a boxed cake mix to save on ingredients and time?
This is truly one of the easiest desserts that I make it all year round.
Ingredients needed
- White cake mix like this or this one
- cream cheese like this one
- cool whip topping
- powdered sugar
- canned cherry pie filling
How to make Cherry Cheesecake Cake
In a large bowl, prepare the white cake batter per the instructions on the box. Note: you will not use all of the batter.
Grab a 9×9 baking dish and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour approx half of prepared cake batter into the bottom of the pan. Spread it evenly. You will want the batter to be about 1″ deep. Tip: Use a toothpick or an uncooked spaghetti noodle to dip into the batter to confirm that its around 1″ deep.
Bake at 350 degrees until the center of the cake is cooked though and the edges are a slight golden brown. This typically takes 8-10 mins in my oven. Note: that since we are using less batter, the cake cook time will be less than the time listed on the box. Pay close attention as cake bakes so that it does not burn.
Remove cake from oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 4oz of softened cream cheese, 4oz of whipped topping, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whip together using an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to ensure ingredients are well combined.
Pro Tip: Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time being sure to scrape on the sides of the bowl in-between mixes to prevent it from flying out of bowl and causing a mess, and to ensure it gets fully mixed into the whipped topping.
Once cake is cooled to room temperature, scoop the cream cheese mixture on top of cake, and use a spatula to spread evenly on top of the cake. You will have a nice, thick layer.
Open the can of cherry pie filling and pour the cherry filling over top of the whipped cream cheese layer. Use the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the cream cheese filling layer.
Slice into equal pieces and serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container or leave in pan and cover with plastic wrap. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
What can you do with leftover cake batter?
We only use half of the cake mix in this recipe so that we have a good ratio of cake to whip topping which allows for the cheesecake flavors in the whip to be the star, and not be overpowered by too much cake.
But I hate wasting perfectly good cake mix, so here are a couple of ideas for the remaining cake mix.
Double the recipe: Pour the the half of the cake batter into a second, greased baking dish and make a second Cherry Cheesecake Cake. You will also need to double the creamy cheesecake filling layer, and you will need two cans of cherry pie filling.
Or, make a variation of this recipe on your second cake by swapping a few ingredients…
To make a blueberry cheesecake version, substitute canned blueberry pie filling for the cherry.
Or try mixing half a can of diced pineapple and half a can of cherry pie filling for a cherry pineapple dump cake-like flavor.
Make cupcakes: If you are making this recipe for a party or family gathering where kids will be present, use the leftover cake batter to make cupcakes for them.
Divide batter into a lined cupcake tin and bake. Use store-bought frosting and sprinkles to decorate. You should have enough remaining batter to make approx 6 full sized cupcakes.
FAQ’s
Can you use homemade cherry pie filling in this recipe?
Sure! If you have a good homemade pie filling recipe, by all means use that in place of the canned version. I like to keep this an easy recipe, and taking shortcuts like boxed cake mix and canned filling, is a great way to do that. But if you prefer to take the extra time to make those from scratch, go for it!
Can you substitute yellow cake mix for white cake mix?
Yellow cake typically has more butter and egg giving it a richer, butter flavor. While delicious on its own, I recommend sticking with the white cake mix in this recipe as it has a more subtitle, vanilla flavor that will not overpower the cheesecake whip and cherry flavors.
Is this a good summer dessert?
We make this cake all year round actually. My husband’s birthday is in March, so I make it then and usually at Easter. It’s also great at Memorial Day and 4th of July festivities especially if you do a mix of cherries and blueberries. The bright red cherry color also looks so elegant on a Christmas table. So really anytime of year is a good time to make Cherry Cheesecake Cake.
Bonus Recipes
Looking for more dessert ideas to wow a crowd at your next gathering? Try these fun recipes:
White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Sugar Cookie Strawberry Shortcake
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Cherry Cheesecake Cake
Equipment
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 9×9 baking pan
- 1 electric mixer stand mixer or handheld
- 1 spatula
- 1 can opener
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix plus oil, water and eggs to prepare per box instructions
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 4 oz cool whip
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 can cherry pie filling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, prepare the white cake batter per the instructions on the box. Note: you will not use all of the batter.
- Grab a 9×9 baking dish and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour approx half of prepared cake batter into the bottom of the pan. Spread it evenly. You will want the batter to be about 1" deep. Tip: Use a toothpick or an uncooked spaghetti noodle to dip into the batter to confirm that its around 1" deep.
- Bake at 350 degrees until the center of the cake is cooked though and the edges are a slight golden brown. This typically takes 8-10 mins in my oven. Note: that since we are using less batter, the cake cook time will be less than the time listed on the box. Pay close attention as cake bakes so that it does not burn.
- Remove cake from oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, in another large mixing bowl, combine 4oz of softened cream cheese, 4oz of whipped topping, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Whip together using an electric mixer on medium speed to ensure ingredients are well combined. Tip: Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time being sure to scrape on the sides of the bowl in-between mixes to prevent it from flying out of bowl and causing a mess, and to ensure it gets fully mixed into the whipped topping.
- Once cake is cooled, scoop the cream cheese mixture on top of cake, and use a spatula to spread evenly.
- Open the can of cherry pie filling and pour the cherry filling over top of the whipped cream cheese layer. Use the back of a spoon to spread over the cream cheese filling layer.
- Slice into equal pieces and serve.
