Some days are worth celebrating with an extra special dessert. Our copycat Cheesecake Factory celebration cheesecake features seven total layers worth celebrating on their own. The recipe is a duplicate of the celebration cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory without having to go to an actual restaurant location. While the result looks complex, the recipe is quite simple; it’s only a matter of baking a cake, preparing pudding from a mix, then assembling and icing the dessert. Be ready to hear some oohs and ahhs when you bring this to the table!
Ingredients for Copycat Cheesecake Factory Celebration Cheesecake
- Â Milk: Milk is needed to prepare pudding; 2% milk reduces some fat compared to whole milk.
- Instant white chocolate pudding mix: This cake has some colorful layers, and using an instant pudding mix simplifies the pudding-making process.
- White cake mix: White cake is the perfect shade to highlight its colorful sprinkles. Using a cake from a mix saves time, as there’s less measuring and fewer ingredients to wrangle when making it.
- Rainbow sprinkles: Rainbow sprinkles bring little specks of cheer to every bite of celebration cheesecake.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: The freeze-dried strawberries provide color and flavor to one of the layers in this scrumptious dessert.
- Blue food coloring: Blue food coloring lightly tints one of the pudding layers to make it visually pop.
- Baking cocoa: The cocoa turns the pudding into chocolate pudding for one layer of this celebration cheesecake.
- Cheesecake filling: Using a Philadelphia ready-to-serve cheesecake filling saves loads of time in this recipe since there’s no need to bake a cheesecake separately; it’s also the secret to layering cake and cheesecake in this manner.
- Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese frosting is the perfect tart-yet-sweet pairing for a cake containing cream cheese.
- Rainbow sequin sprinkles: These sprinkles in another shape add even more of a playful, cheer-worthy vibe to this already wonderful dessert.
Directions 
Step 1: Prepare pudding mix
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk 1-1/3 cups of milk and one package of pudding mix for two minutes in each of three small bowls. Cover and refrigerate until you’ve finished baking the cake layers.
Step 2: Prepare and bake cake layers
Line the bottoms of two greased 9 inch round baking pans with parchment paper, then grease the paper. Prepare the cake mix batter according to the package directions, then fold 2/3 cup of the rainbow sprinkles into the batter. Transfer the batter to the cake pans. Bake and cool the cake layers as the cake-mix package directs.
Step 3: Trim the cake layers, re-bake the trimmings
Using a long serrated knife, trim off the tops of the cake layers to make them level with the top of their respective pans. Crumble the cake trimmings and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them at 350° until crisp but not browned, or about five minutes. Leave them on the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 4: Modify the pudding
Line two 9 inch springform pans with plastic wrap, letting the ends extend over the sides. Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until they’re ground. Stir the strawberries into the first bowl of pudding. To another bowl of pudding, whisk in the blue food coloring. In the third bowl, whisk in cocoa and refrigerate the chocolate pudding.
Step 5: Add pudding and cheesecake filling
Place one cake layer in one prepared springform pan; spread strawberry pudding over it. Place the remaining cake layer in the other prepared springform pan; spread the blue pudding on it. Freeze both pans for at least one hour. Top each cake layer with one carton of cheesecake filling, then freeze the pans for at least one hour longer.
Step 6: Add to the strawberry-layered pan
Remove the strawberry-layered pan from the freezer and spread chocolate pudding over the top of the cake. Return the pan to the freezer for three hours. Meanwhile, stir the remaining 2/3 cup of sprinkles into the cooled cake crumbs.
Step 7: Assemble the celebration cheesecake
Remove the rims from the springform pans and discard the plastic wrap. Place the strawberry-layered cake on a serving plate, then top it with the blue-layered cake. Frost the top and the perimeter with cream cheese frosting. Gently press the crumb mixture into the frosting on the perimeter of the cake and apply the sequin sprinkles. Freeze the cake until you’re almost ready to serve it. Take it out 10 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Variations
- Change the sprinkles: Instead of rainbow sprinkles, use sprinkles that match the theme of the celebration. For instance, use school colors to celebrate a graduation or someone’s favorite two or three colors for a birthday celebration.
- Add mini chocolate chips: Chocolate lover? Just add more in the form of mini chocolate chips. Mix a handful or two into the prepared cheesecake filling before spreading the filling over the cake layers.
- Serve with fruity syrup: Serve the cheesecake with warmed cherry or strawberry ice cream topping, pie filling or spoon some atop each slice. Other options include warm caramel, hot fudge or even warm marshmallow topping. Decadence overload!
How to Store Copycat Cheesecake Factory Celebration Cheesecake
Copycat Cheesecake Factory celebration cheesecake should be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator, where it will be kept for five to seven days.
Can you freeze copycat Cheesecake Factory celebration cheesecake?
This cheesecake freezes quite well, so you can save some for later! (Is there ever really anything left, though?) Wrap the cheesecake in two layers of plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for up to several months. Place it in the refrigerator the night before you plan to have another slice (or three). Another option is to wrap individual slices in plastic and place them in an airtight container; they’ll thaw faster than the entire cheesecake.
Copycat Cheesecake Factory Celebration Cheesecake Tips
What are rainbow sequin sprinkles?
Sequin sprinkles are flat disks similar in size to sequins, yet without the hole typically found in the center of a sequin made for clothing. They also look a bit like celebratory confetti, perfect for the outside of a celebration cheesecake.
Could I use different pudding flavors instead?
Yes, you could whip up chocolate, strawberry and vanilla pudding mixes instead of using all one flavor and adding in the cocoa or strawberries for separate layers. However, you’ll still need the blue food coloring for one layer to stay true to the look of the celebration cheesecake. Or if you’re celebrating someone who loves one particular pudding flavor, feel free to stick with just one pudding flavor instead of three; the end result will just be a modification rather than an exact copy of the celebration cheesecake.
What other festive cheesecakes could I make?
We’re glad you asked! Try this festive holiday cheesecake recipe with a graham cracker and pecan crust, or this New-York-style cheesecake topped with peppermint candies and chocolate syrup. This sweet-potato cheesecake recipe offers a delicious new way to enjoy sweet potatoes, perfect for a special holiday meal. Holiday spice cheesecake features the flavors of cinnamon, allspice and brown sugar in the cream cheese filling, and this cranberry celebration cheesecake recipe has cranberries in the crust and in the cheesecake filling. Yum!
