King Cake Cheesecake Bars (Printable)

Buttery cinnamon crust with colorful swirled layers for a festive celebration treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crust

01 - 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
05 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

→ Cheesecake Layer

06 - 16 oz cream cheese, softened
07 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 1/3 cup sour cream
10 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

→ Swirl Colors

13 - Gel food coloring in purple, green, and yellow

→ Icing

14 - 1 cup powdered sugar
15 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
16 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Topping

17 - Purple, green, and gold sanding sugar for garnish

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on sides for easy removal.
02 - Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly set. Remove and cool slightly.
03 - Beat softened cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in sour cream, flour, vanilla extract, and almond extract until just combined.
04 - Divide cheesecake batter evenly into three separate bowls. Add purple gel food coloring to one bowl, green to another, and yellow to the third. Stir each until color is uniformly distributed.
05 - Drop spoonfuls of each colored batter randomly over the cooled crust. Using a knife or skewer, gently swirl the colors together to create a marbled effect. Avoid overmixing to maintain distinct color separation.
06 - Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the center is just set with a slight wobble. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
07 - Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a small bowl until smooth and drizzleable consistency is reached.
08 - Drizzle icing glaze over chilled bars. Sprinkle with purple, green, and gold sanding sugar for festive decoration. Slice into 16 bars and serve chilled.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like a party tastes—festive, a little indulgent, and impossible to eat just one.
  • The marbled colors are genuinely stunning without requiring any piping skills or fussy decorating.
  • These bars are sturdy enough to transport to potlucks or celebrations, so they're basically edible gifts.
02 -
  • Room temperature cream cheese is absolutely critical—cold cream cheese will refuse to blend smoothly and you'll end up with lumps that no amount of beating can fix.
  • Gel food coloring is your secret weapon here; liquid coloring will thin out the batter and you'll lose that dense, creamy texture you're after.
03 -
  • Swap graham crackers for vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits if you want a slightly different flavor profile without changing the technique.
  • Make sure your oven is calibrated correctly—cheesecakes are sensitive to temperature, and five degrees too hot can cause cracking at the edges.
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