Cinnamon Bun Cheesecake Bars

Base

• 1/3 cup Milk, warmed
• 1 1/8 tsp Yeast — Instant/quick-rise: stir straight into the dry ingredients, no proofing needed.
• 2 tbsp Granulated sugar
• 1 Egg
• 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 cups All-purpose flour

Cheesecake

• 16 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Swirl

• 3 tbsp Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tbsp Ground cinnamon

Base

1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm milk and let stand until foamy.
2. Whisk in the egg and melted butter, stir in salt and flour to form a soft dough, and knead briefly, about 4 minutes, until smooth.
3. Press into a greased 9x13 pan, cover, and let rise until slightly puffy. (Tip: This only needs a short single rise — it's a base for a heavy topping, not a full standalone dough.)

Cheesecake

1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.

Swirl

1. Whisk the swirl butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together until smooth and pourable.

Assemble

1. Pour the cheesecake batter over the risen dough base and smooth it out. Drizzle the cinnamon swirl over the top and drag a knife through in wide loops.

Bake

1. Bake at 165°C (330°F) until the edges are set and the centre still has a slight jiggle when the pan is nudged. (Tip: Judge this like any baked custard — a fully firm centre means it's overbaked, since it keeps setting as it cools.)

Cool

1. Cool completely, then chill at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.