Dumbo's Circus Cheesecake
Updated: Sep 15, 2020
Dumbo's Circus Cheesecake
If you are looking for another way to enjoy some frosted animal cookies, here's an excuse to buy a bag (or several ;)) of your favorite nostalgic treat!
This white chocolate cheesecake features frosted animal cookies in the crust, within layers of the cheesecake, and as a garnish for the buttercream! It's also no-bake, so no worries about any of the typical pitfalls when it comes to making cheesecake! Serve some up to cool off during these last few weeks of summer!
Servings: 1 9-inch cheesecake
Prep Time: 4 Hours
Total Time: 15 Hours
Ingredients
Animal Cookie Crust
2 + ¼ cups frosted animal cookies, crushed
¼ cup salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
3 tablespoons gelatin powder
6 tablespoons water, cold
24 ounces (3x8 oz blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
1 + ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white chocolate, melted
Pink food gel
1 cup frosted animals cookies, chopped
White Chocolate Ganache Topping
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Cream Cheese Buttercream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Crust: Line a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
Crust: In a food processor (or using a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin), crush enough animal cookies to fill 2 + ¼ cups. Melt ¼ cup of salted butter in the microwave. Combine in a small bowl.
Crust: Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan using a spoon. Chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Cheesecake: Add 3 tablespoons of gelatin powder and 6 tablespoons of cold water together in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined; wait for 5 minutes.
Cheesecake: In a large microwave safe bowl or using a double boiler, melt 2 cups of white chocolate chips. Allow time to slightly cool.
Cheesecake: In a large bowl, add 3 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese,1 + ½ cups of heavy whipping cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until well combined. Heat the gelatin in the microwave for 30 seconds and then add the gelatin and white chocolate to the mixture. Beat until well-combined.
Cheesecake: Split the cheesecake batter into three bowls, ½ mixture in one bowl, ¼ mixture in one bowl, and ¼ mixture in another bowl. Set aside the bowl with ½ of mixture for now. In one of the ¼ mixture bowls, stir in pink food coloring until the desired color is reached.
Cheesecake: Line a small bowl with plastic wrap. Pour in enough of the pink batter to cover the bottom of the bowl. Then add some of the white batter in the ¼ bowl on top. Alternate until you have used up all of the batter in the ¼ cup bowls. Chill in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
Cheesecake: While the pink and white dome is chilling, the remaining ½ batter may have begun to set. If so, microwave it for 30 seconds until it is workable.
Cheesecake: Take the pink and white dome out of the plastic wrap in the bowl and place in the center of the cheesecake crust. Pour in 1/3 of the ½ remaining mixture around it. Sprinkle chopped animal cracker cookies on top. Pour in another 1/3 of the ½ remaining mixture, and then top with chopped animal crackers. Pour in the remainder of the batter until the dome is covered. Chill for at least 5 hours or overnight (preferably). Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. Sprinkle with chopped animal crackers.
White Chocolate Ganache: Put ¾ cups of white chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave ¼ cups of heavy whipping cream until it begins to bowl. Pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 3 minutes and then whisk until smooth. If not completely melted, microwave for an additional 20 seconds on defrost setting. Color the ganache with pink food gel.
White Chocolate Ganache: Pour the ganache onto the cheesecake and spread into an even layer. Chill for 1 hour.
Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, 1 cup cream cheese, and 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Buttercream: Beat 5 cups of powdered sugar into the mixture.
Buttercream: Pipe dollops of buttercream on top of the ganache. Sprinkle rainbow sprinkles on top of the buttercream and top with an animal cookie.
Enjoy!
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