Double Decker Cheesecake is two creamy layers of cheesecake with two graham cracker crusts and decorated with homemade whipped topping roses. If you love cheesecake, be sure to check out this single cheesecake recipe.
Double Decker Cheesecake
Not only is this dessert two complete cheesecakes stacked on top of one another, but it is topped with my homemade whipped topping. And, I didn’t stop there…I even covered the cheesecake with whipped cream roses, tinted in a pale yellow. So, just like a double-decker bus and a double-decker sandwich, you can now add a double-decker cheesecake to the mix!
Double Decker Cheesecake Ingredients
There are three main parts to this recipe–the graham cracker crusts, the double layer of cheesecakes, and the whipped topping.
Graham Crackers: You can buy graham cracker crumbs at the store or crush your own for the two crusts.
Butter: Make sure you have melted enough butter to coat all of the graham cracker crumbs. It is the glue that holds the crust together.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure to use room temperature ingredients (cream cheese, milk, sour cream, and eggs) when making the cheesecake filling. This will ensure a smooth and creamy consistency.
Sour Cream: The amount of sour cream used in the filling is just enough to give the cheesecake a creamier texture, but not too much to be noticeable. It should be at room temperature.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream is at least 36% fat. (Using a lower-fat cream or milk will not whip as well; the end result would be a more unstable form.)
Food Coloring: I used a drop of ivory-colored gel food coloring in the whipped topping; you could definitely leave that out if you don’t have any on hand. Or, make it the color you want!
How to Make the Cheesecake Filling
The cheesecake filling will be equally divided into two, 7-inch springform pans, on top of the cooled crust. To make the filling, grab a hand mixer or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat the cream cheese until it’s creamy. Then, just add the sugar to the cream cheese. Doing this and scraping down the sides of the bowl after every step will ensure there are no lumps left before adding the ingredients with more of a loose consistency.
Next, add the sour cream and vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Finally, add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Pour the filling into the prepared pans and bake at the same time for about an hour. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and let them cool in the pan before transferring them to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
After the cheesecakes have set, place them in the freezer for 15-30 minutes before stacking them. This would be a good time to make the whipped topping.
How to Make Whipped Cream Rosettes
Once you have your whipped cream made, cover the stacked cheesecakes with it. Then, if you are feeling motivated, use a 1M tip and this technique, (video tutorial) to cover the cake in whipped cream roses. (I tinted mine slightly yellow, but pink or even white would be so lovely!) You may need to make more whipped cream, depending on how elaborate you decorate the cake. Chill the cheesecake until ready to serve.
Tips for Success
- Make sure your whipped cream is very chilled and that you have whipped it long enough. The roses will just slide down the sides if they are too soft.
- This feeds a LOT of people (around 24), so making it for a big crowd is the ideal scenario!
- If you want you can use chocolate whipped cream, strawberry, or even blueberry. You could also use some homemade caramel…try drizzling a little on each piece right before serving.
Double Decker Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Whipped Topping
- 1 pint (454 g) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (31 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 drop ivory-colored gel food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 7-inch springform pans by lining each with parchment paper.
Crust
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Make sure all graham crackers are coated in butter and that it is a coarse sand consistency.
- Press crust onto the bottoms of both pans. Bake each crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before adding the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth (about 3 minutes). Lower speed and slowly add in milk.
- Once the milk is incorporated, add in the sour cream and vanilla. Then add in eggs, one at a time. Finally add in flour, mixing only long enough to incorporate.
- Pour the filling equally over the cooled crusts in the 7-inch springform pans.
- Bake both cheesecakes for one hour at 350°F. Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and let cool in the pans on wire racks.
- Place cheesecakes in the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to assemble the double-decker cheesecake, place the cheesecakes in the freezer for 15-30 minutes just prior to assembly.
Whipped Topping
- Add heavy cream to a mixing bowl. Start mixing at the lowest speed, and then gradually increase speed to medium until the cream starts to get thicker. (The gradual progression prevents you from spraying yourself with cream.)
- When the cream starts to thicken, stop the mixer. Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar and then resume mixing again, starting with low speed and increasing to medium speed and eventually moving to a high speed.
- The cream will thicken and start to peak. Mix on high until the cream is thick and stiff. This happens quickly, the stage between soft and stiff peaks, so watch it closely.
Assembly
- Stack the cheesecakes on top of each other. Then, pipe or spread the whipped topping. If your cheesecakes have a ridge around the outside edge, you may want to trim them to level so they are easier to stack.
- Decorate with whipped cream roses. (You may have extra whipped topping, depending on how much you decorate the cheesecake.)
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
After the cakes were refrigerated over night,I topped each cheesecake with homemade lemon curd then stacked them. This gave the cake a wonderful kick and made the cake more like a layer cake.
LOVE that!!
Is it really 7” springfoam pan to feed 24 people? Am I missing something?
Yes, it’s 2 cheesecakes.
Thank you. Can you confirm you don’t mean two 9” springform pans? 9” diameter is the typical cheesecake size.
Yes, it should be 7inch springform pans for this double decker cheesecake.
How do you get the cheesecakes out of the springforms to stack it? I always left the cheesecake in the springform bottom when serving. Thanks