They say “necessity is the mother of invention,” and after coming up with this absurdly simple Cheesecake/Quesadilla mashup, I have to say I agree. It started innocently enough with a hankering for a creamy dessert. Normally this wouldn’t be a huge issue in my home as my fridge, freezer and pantry are almost always stocked with the makings of any number of desserts.
Unfortunately I had just moved, and both my fridge and pantry were woefully barren. Since I had some cream cheese, my thoughts wandered in the direction of Banana Cheesecake Potstickers, but with no bananas and no wrappers, that wasn’t going to happen.
I did however have some flour tortillas leftover from making quesadillas, and like a bolt of lightning, inspiration struck with a thunderous roar. CHEESECAKEDILLAS!
With a crisp, buttery, cinnamon-sugar crust and a rich, creamy cheesecake center, these things are good regardless of what you compare them to. But when you factor in the time it takes to make them (less than 10 minutes), I may never make a real cheesecake again. While they’re good on their own, serve them with your favorite fruit coulis and they become a dinner party worthy dessert.
Cheesecakedilla

This easy-to-make mashup of cheesecake and quesadilla has a crisp, cinnamon-sugar crust and rich, creamy center.
(Recipe Courtesy: Marc Matsumoto from the Fresh Tastes Blog)
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 small (7-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 teaspoon butter, at room temperature
Ingredients
- Put the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl, and use a silicone spatula to beat the mixture together until smooth and uniform in color.
- Stir the cinnamon and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Spread a 1/2 teaspoon of butter onto one side of each tortilla.
- Flip one of the tortillas over (so that the buttered side is facing down), and then spread the cream cheese mixture onto the non-buttered surface.
- Top this with the other tortilla with the buttered side facing up. You want to sandwich the cream cheese between the two tortillas with the buttered surfaces facing outwards.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until the pan is hot, and then add a cheesecakedilla. Fry pressing down gently with a spatula to flatten it (but not enough to squeeze the cream cheese out of the sides) until it's browned and crispy on one side, and then flip.
- Brown the other side, and then transfer it to a cutting board before dusting it with the cinnamon sugar. Slice into wedges and serve with your favorite fruit coulis.
Directions
Yield: 1 small cheesecakedilla
