Taste Buds: Cheesecake Funk

Taste Buds: Cheesecake Funk

 On this week's episode of Taste Buds, Stephanie Hansen visits Cheesecake Funk in Excelsior. 

(FOX 9) - Stephanie Hansen visits Cheesecake Funk in Excelsior, MN to bake with Vanessa Drews, whose cheesecakes became a favorite of Prince at Paisley Park in 2013.

After Prince’s passing, Vanessa left her career as a paralegal to follow her passion full-time. In 2025, she opened her first retail location just seven minutes from Paisley Park on Highway 7 – a number famously significant to Prince.

Vanessa gives Stephanie a masterclass on her espresso cheesecake with Oreo brown butter crust, before sharing her hack for gluten-free cheesecake made with Heath bar toffee bits.

Back in her kitchen, Stephanie makes brownie cheesecake bars before adding them to a vanilla milkshake.

Brownie Cheesecake Bars

Brownie Layer Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 stick softened butter
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup high quality unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder

Cheesecake Layer Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature

Instructions are available in the video above and here.

Brownie Cheesecake Milkshake

Ingredients (for 1 milkshake)
1 brownie cheesecake bar (from recipe above)
1 cup vanilla bean ice cream
1/4 cup milk
Chocolate sauce swirl
Whipped cream
Crushed Oreos

 Instructions are available in the video above and here.

Craving more cheesecake? Watch our 2023 Halloween episode with Vanessa and her pumpkin cheesecake here.