Perfect for any party, the Celebration Cheesecake is a star on The Cheesecake Factory’s dessert menu. Now you can make this copycat version at home!
Get your sprinkles ready! This copycat dessert was inspired by The Cheesecake Factory’s famous Celebration Cheesecake, which debuted on their menus in 2017. It has a whopping 8 layers of flavor – actually 9 if you count the exterior. And lots of sprinkles. I love the original, but it’s been a goal of mine to figure out a scratch-made version. And here it is – The Cheesecake Factory Copycat Celebration Cheesecake.
I know it looks like a lot of work, but it’s actually not that hard to make. First, let me give you an overview of the layers from top to bottom.
- Cream cheese frosting
- Classic cheesecake
- Blue vanilla mousse
- Funfetti cake
- Chocolate mousse
- Classic Cheesecake
- Strawberry mousse
- Funfetti cake
This cake looks like sweet overload, but it’s not the sugar coma you might expect. All the layers are well balanced. It helps that the mousse is fluffy and the cake is just sweet enough. It is rich, though! (But perhaps not as rich as I made in 2011!)
Let’s get into it!
To get started, the thin crustless cheesecake layers should be made first and frozen solid. As a result, they’re easier to work with. For the mousse layers, you’ll mix up one big batch of mousse. Then you’ll divide it into three bowls and flavor them. The confetti cake is baked as a single layer and then divided into two (torted). Not so bad, eh? Use the numbered pictorial as a guide for assembling the chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and strawberry mousse layers.
I know this sounds repetitive, but it is essential that all of the mousse and cheesecake layers are frozen because they hold together for assembly. Therefore, I recommend making this recipe over the course of two days. Dedicate the first day to making all the layers. The second day can be for assembly and frosting.
Assembly’s not so bad!
Remove the frozen layers from their pans and start stacking! First, you’ll lay down a funfetti layer on a serving plate. Second, the frozen tri-layer of chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and strawberry mousse goes on. Third, invert the frozen bi-layer of vanilla mousse and cheesecake on top. Now you’re ready to cover it with cream cheese frosting.
The exterior of the original tastes like cake crumbs or soft vanilla cookie pieces mixed with sprinkles. So I went with crushed Nilla wafers. I think they are just perfect.
A few more confetti sprinkles on top, and you’re ready to party! This cake looks great with birthday candles on top, too.
Fans of The Cheesecake Factory’s will love this version too. It’s a wonderful tribute to the original, and easy enough for the home baker. Just make sure you have plenty of people to share it with because a little goes a long way!
Please note, no restaurant recipes were used in this dessert. It was inspired by the restaurant original, but developed with my own formulas.
Cheesecake Factory Copycat Celebration Cheesecake
The confetti cake formula in this recipe contains no eggs! It’s not an error.
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Equipment
- Two 8×2 inch round cake pans
- One 8×3 inch round cake pan (can be spring form)
Ingredients
Crustless cheesecakes
Confetti cake
Mousse layers
Cream cheese frosting and decors
Instructions
Crustless cheesecakes
- Fill a 13×9 baking pan with hot tap water and place on the bottom oven rack. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Grease two 8” round cake pans with shortening, line the pans with parchment and then lightly grease the parchment.
- Divide the batter evenly between pans. Smooth batter with an offset spatula and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cheesecake will puff around the edges then deflate when removed from the oven. Do not turn out cheesecakes when they are finished baking. Put them directly in the freezer and leave until frozen solid, 4 hours.
Confetti cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8×3-inch round cake pan (springform, or otherwise) with flour based baking spray (or grease and flour pan).
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In a separate bowl or in a liquid measure with a pour spout, combine the water, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients with the mixer running on low speed. Blend until well combined. It’s ok if a few small lumps remain. Stir in the sprinkles. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake will not crown much, but if there’s a small upward bow in the center, press it down with a clean tea towel with a flat hand – and be careful of the hot pan edge and escaping steam when you do so.
- Turn out of the pan and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic cling film and refrigerate.
Mousse layers
- In a medium saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over water. Let stand for 1 minute until absorbed. Whisk in the eggs and sugar. Stir in the hot milk. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly. Mixture will thicken after about 5 minutes. Add in chopped chocolate and whisk until blended and even in color. Divide mixture evenly into three separate medium bowls (a little more than 2/3 cup per bowl). To one bowl, stir in the fresh strawberry puree, strawberry extract, and pink food color. In another bowl add the melted semisweet chips. Stir well until thoroughly combined. In the last bowl stir in the vanilla extract and blue food color. Add purple food color one drop at a time until a sky blue color is achieved (without the purple the hue will be turquoise/aqua). Allow all 3 bowls to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into each of three bowls. Stir well until no streaks of white remain in each bowl.
Assemble cheesecake and mousse layers
- Gently remove frozen cheesecakes from their pans. Trim off the puffed ring of cheesecake around the top edges of the cakes using a serrated knife. Wash the pans and line them with plastic wrap that overhangs all sides of the pans.
- Into one pan, pour the strawberry mousse and spread until even. Top the mousse with a frozen cheesecake layer. Pour the chocolate mousse over the cheesecake layer and spread evenly. Gently fold the edges of the plastic wrap in to cover the pan and transfer to the freezer.
- Into the other pan, place a cheesecake layer into the bottom. Top with the blue vanilla mousse and spread evenly. Fold in the edges of the plastic wrap to cover the pan and transfer to the freezer. Freeze both pans overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
Cream cheese frosting and decors
- Combine the butter and the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Beat on high until creamy and no lumps remain. Add vanilla extract and salt. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix on low until combined, then switch to high and beat until lightened in color and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and the rainbow sprinkles (jimmies). Reserve confetti sprinkles for the top of the cake.
Assemble entire cake
- Using a cake leveler or serrated knife, evenly cut the confetti cake in two (torte horizontally). Place one layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Remove the chocolate mousse, cheesecake, and strawberry mousse layer from the freezer. Remove from the pan using the overhanging plastic. Unwrap and place so that the strawberry layer is touching the confetti cake layer. Next, add another confetti cake layer. Remove the blue mousse and cheesecake layer from the freezer. Remove from the pan using the overhanging plastic. Unwrap and place so that the blue vanilla layer is touching the confetti cake.
- Cover the sides of the cake with the cream cheese frosting. Pat on the mixture of cookie crumbs and sprinkles. Frost the top of the cake with the cream cheese frosting creating a swirl from the middle using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the confetti sprinkles.
- Refrigerate cake until it is no longer frozen and just well chilled, about 2 hours.
