Name: Marbled Cheesecake Brownies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: ½ cup sugar; 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature); 1 egg (room temperature); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon all purpose flour; ½ cup all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 4 oz dark chocolate (chopped); ¾ cup unsalted butter; 2 eggs (room temperature); 1 egg yolk (room temperature); ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ cup vegetable oil; ½ cup sugar; ½ cup light brown sugar; ¼ cup cocoa powder

These marbled cheesecake brownies are made from a fudgy cheesecake base and topped with a tangy cream cheese layer! These delicious homemade brownies take just 20 minutes to make.

A stack of three cheesecake brownies on a silver baking tray.

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These cream cheese brownies are so delicious! The bottom layer is made of a fudgy chocolate brownie, and it's then covered with a simple cheesecake swirl topping.

The brownie layer is based off of my brownies with peanut butter cups, and the cheesecake layer comes together quickly in 1 bowl.

The chocolate brownie layer is super chocolatey since it's made with both cocoa powder and melted chocolate - a dream for chocolate lovers! The cheesecake filling is just 4 simple ingredients.

This recipe was originally published in January 2021. It has been updated with a new recipe and new images in July 2022.

Ingredient Notes

All the ingredients needed for brownies weighed out into small bowls.

All the ingredients needed for a cheesecake layer weighed out into small bowls.

Sugar: the brownie batter has both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. The cheesecake layer has just white sugar in it.

Chocolate: I used dark chocolate (70% cocoa) in this recipe, make sure to use a good quality chocolate as it makes all the difference!

Cocoa Powder: I used dutch processed cocoa powder. Not sure what you have in your pantry? If the ingredient list mentions acidity regulators or alkali, then you have dutch processed cocoa powder!

Oil: be sure to use a neutral tasting oil, like vegetable oil or sunflower oil.

Cream Cheese: I always use Philadelphia full fat cream cheese.

Step by Step Instructions

Steps 1 and 2 in the marbled cheesecake brownie baking process.

Step One: Whisk all the cheesecake ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth, then set aside.

Step Two: Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Steps 3 and 4 in the marbled cheesecake brownie baking process.

Step Three: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl until completely melted. Add your chopped chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes so the chocolate melts. If the chocolate isn't melting completely, place it back in the microwave in 15 second increments until melted.

Step Four: In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the oil, sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, oil and vanilla extract together. Whisk for about 6 minutes, it should be very thick with some bubbles on the top.

Steps 5 and 6 in the marbled cheesecake brownie baking process.

Step Five: Add cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and use a rubber spatula to combine until smooth.

Step Six: Pour in the sugar mixture into the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Then pour in the flour mixture and stir until there are no more streaks of flour.

Steps 7 and 8 in the marbled cheesecake brownie baking process.

Step Seven: Line an 8x8 baking pan with aluminum foil. Pour the brownie batter (except for about 1 cup) into the pan. Pour the cheesecake batter on top, and use a small offset spatula to even out the cheesecake batter. Pour 1 tablespoon of hot water into the remaining brownie batter and whisk until smooth. Dollop this on top of the cheesecake and then use a butter knife or toothpick to swirl everything together.

Step Eight: Bake at 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius for 30-35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely in the pan.

several marbled cream cheese brownies on light brown parchment paper.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Weighing ingredients - I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
Let them cool completely - if you try and lift out the brownies before they're completely cool, they might collapse in on themselves! Let them cool completely in their baking pan.
Chill the Brownies - Because of the cream cheese layer, you'll need to keep these brownies in the fridge. During brownie testing, I've found this actually makes the brownies even fudgier!