Oh dear me.
Do you even know how long I’ve been dreaming about this Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake!?
Forever. Â That’s how long.
I mean look at that folks. Â Pure cheesecake awesomeness. Â Of course, how could a cheesecake not be awesome? Â I”m pretty sure that’s against the law or something.
This little number, although not against the law…yet, was dreamt up on a trip to California. Â How appropriate. Â And it was while I was eating dinner too. Â Apparently even while I’m eating food I have an insatiable desire to talk about even more food. Â What can I say, it’s a gift.
So there I am sitting with my wonderful, beautiful cousin, who I’ve now realized is a total enabler as she  plants this idea of an orange creamsicle cheesecake in my brain.  Evil genius right?
I only wish she could have been here to taste the final result. Â I guess that just means I’ll have to make it again when I visit California.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 - 3 oz box orange flavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 - 8 oz container of whipped topping such as Cool Whip
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Stir until combined. Pat into a 9" springform pan. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl whip the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time then beat in sour cream. Pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Turn of the oven and crack the oven door for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled mix the creamsicle layer by stirring the gelatin with the boiling water until it dissolves. Then gently whisk in the whipped topping until it's completely combined. Pour over the cheesecake. Set on a plate or dish in case of dripping and place in the freezer for an hour. Remove from the freezer and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I suggest chilling it over night.
- When ready to serve use a sharp knife and run it around the pan to separate the gelatin layer from the side. Unhinge the pan and gently lift from the cheesecake.
Notes
This cheesecake is best made the day before but can be made the day of as long as you plan accordingly and chill it for at least 2 hours.
HELLLOOOO heaven on a plate!! WOW
Ha! Thanks! It totally was and I’m seriously looking forward to the next party when I can make it again. And I’m sure I’ll be seeing it in my dreams tonight too.
should I have allowed the gelatin mixture to cool before putting on top of the cake?
I allowed it to sit for just a few minutes but not long because I didn’t want it to set. I had already chilled the cheesecake in the freezer, poured the gelating but then I immediately placed the cheesecake right back in the freezer. Did it melt the cheesecake?
I’m speechless…
Wow, now that looks really really tasty! I’ll definitely have to try this one!
Wow! That looks so incredibly awesome! It’s like there is a thin layer of jello in between the cheesecake and orange cream part! So cool! And this recipe looks easy too, WIN-WIN!!
That looks so pretty! What a clever idea for a cheesecake!
It’s so pretty! I love how perfect those layers are.
I am so in love with this – you don’t even know!!
OMG I love this!!! PINNED.
Speaking of amazeballs. You rock! And I’m putting in my request for your next cheesecake good/bad thing to come to my house!
I love creamsicles! And you made this treat into a cheesecake – now that is just perfect! Lovely photos!
Krista you did a great job on this recipe it looks wonderful. I would love to have a slice and in fact I think I’m going to have to make it very soon!!
Wow! Looks great!
Oh my goodness! This looks and sounds amazing!
Wow! Two of my favorite desserts! Looks incredible!
Brilliant…. simply Brilliant!!
What a beautiful cheesecake!
OMG! All the good childhood flavor memories are rushing back to me right now! Wish I can have a slice now!
This looks delicious! In the directions it only mentions the two different layers. Does the thin orange jello layer separate from the cool whip layer as it cools?
Thanks Candice! Yes, it’s just the two layers. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting that middle layer so when I sliced into it I was stunned but in a good way {I think I literally jumped in the air with delight}. I’m assuming it was from the jello separating from the cool whip.
I love love love cheesecake and this sounds like the perfect end of the summer treat!
Found your post via Photograzing–looks absolutely delish! Next time you make the trip out to California, can you make an extra and drop it off at my place en route? Thanks!
Hmmm, I would love to…if I can make it that far without devouring it myself!
How awesome of a flavor! Anything creamsicle is good, but this is amazing!
Oh wow! That is definitely a slice of awesomeness!!! You can never go wrong with cheesecake and creamsicle.
It looks fantastic ! I adore cheesecake but this orange top is really excellent!
I made this the other weekend and not only was it simple, it was so delicious! All my girlfriends (and boyfriend) raved about this cake!
Oh I’m so glad Johnna! They say the way to man’s heart is through his stomach so nice work!
Making this now! I might try with raspberry jell-o if I like it!
Oh my goodness…the flavors are endless!!! That sounds so good Vanessa. I hope you like it!
Are you SERIOUS? I used to ADORE orange creamsicles as a kid and to have it in a cheescake…….OMG!
Ha! Thanks Christine! I was so excited with how it turned out. Such classic flavors.
I am totally mesmerized by this cheesecake…. GORGEOUS GENIUS!
Thank you so much Anna!
This looks so amazing! I’m trying this tonight for Thanksgiving. Everything was going great until I poured the jello mixture onto the cheesecake part and it totally leaked out the bottom! Oh noz! Should I have waited for it to settle a little first?
Oh no Roni! I’m so sorry! When I made mine it did leak out the bottom but only slightly. I poured it over the chilled cheesecake, placed it on a plate or dish, then set it in the freezer for it to set quickly. I honestly cannot remember if I put that in the directions but I’m going to fix that now. I hope it worked out and you and your family enjoy it for Thanksgiving!
No worries. I used your tip so most of the overflow went into my dish. I was left with a orange tinted cheesecake and another chance for the layer so I bought more jello and Cool Whip and did it again. Last time I may not have put enough whip so I made sure I did this time and let it chill for a bit before pouring it on. Success! Not as pretty as yours but it was delicious. My very first cheesecake I’ve ever made and it was great. Thank you!
Just took these out of the oven, I made them in mini individual cheesecakes, can’t wait to try them tomorrow for our Boxing Day dinner with extended family; they look delicious!!
Oh how fun! I hope they turned out fabulous Pam!
this is just genius! you have just raised the bar of cheesecake to ridiculousness. looks so good!
When I came across this recipe I knew I had to bake it, only change the gelatin flavor to share with my buddies today al superbowl, thanks
Awesome! I hope it turned out great Danhy!
….I’m seeing a layer of orange gelatin between the cheesecake and orange creamsicle but nothing in the directions….
o.O
That’s actually just how it separated once it cooled. I was pleasantly surprised when I cut into it! I hope you like it!
Thank you for sharing. Saw this and instantly thought of my husband his two favorite things, Cheesecake and 50/50 bars. Made it yesterday, It came out wonderful and is now a permanent recipe on file ♥ TY
Oh yay!!!! I’m so glad! Thanks for the sweet comment…it made my day!
I plan to make this for Easter and I wanted to know if it would be OK to sub plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream? I’ve never made a cheesecake before, but my health conscious husband suggested I use Greek yogurt instead.
You bet! It should work great. I hope you enjoy it and Happy Easter!
Looks really good! I am definitely going to make this. Thanks!
That looks so yummy!
I made this the other weekend and it was divine. The cheesecake was creamy and not too rich…so now, I want to use the cheesecake base recipe all the time. So I have a question – would I just double the ingredients to make a full one without the topping? And then would I have to double the baking time too? I have always made my cheesecakes with the pan wrapped in foil and in a “water bath”. It was wonderful to not have to do that this time.
Thanks Rachel! Doubling it should work great. Usually I bake a full cheesecake for around 60 minutes. I’m thinking if you double this recipe it may be pretty tall so watch it closely. Once the middle is mostly firm turn off the oven and crack the oven door ajar and allow to cool for 30 minutes before you take it out. I may just have to experiment with this recipe this weekend!
Would love to hear how your experimenting goes. I did double it (I needed it for Monday night company – so I made it Sunday night). The guests were gracious and said that it was delicious. I think that it “stunk”. I think that I over-baked it. Instead of being nice and creamy, it was “grainy”. But I didn’t turn off the oven until the center was mostly firm, as I normally do with my cheesecakes. So….I will chalk it up in my books as a cheesecake fail and will have to try again sometime
And yes, it did bake up nice and tall, until I turned off the oven, then it dropped back down, but that isn’t a problem, as I always line my springform with parchment paper so that I can pop the side off and peel the paper off and it doesn’t stick to the pan 
Nice! I’m sure it was delicious. I’m ALWAYS tougher on my own cooking than anyone else. I can’t wait to start trying out different variations of this cheesecake…I’m just itching for a weekend when I have nothing going on just so I can bake. And sample, of course!
If I don’t have a springform can I bake this in another pan or will it change times or just not work?
First cheesecake so don’t have one and almost every recipe calls for one
You should totally be able to make this into bars! The benefit of a springform pan is the ability to remove the sides without damaging the cake. But who needs that as long as you have cheesecake!?! As far as cooking time…I honestly can’t say but my guess is that it would take less time to bake. Depending on how thin the cake is and what size pan you use will determine the baking time. 8×8 will be deeper requiring more time than an 8×10. Watch the middle and once it starts to firm up you should be good. Start at 30 and work up from there. Good luck!
Thanks for sharing this! I swapped yogurt instead of sour cream and it worked out nicely as well. I’m already thinking on riffs for the next time. Coconut yogurt and pineapple jello, fresh strawberries and strawberry jello. Mahalo
YUM!!! What great variations! I’m so glad you liked it.