Caramel Cheesecake
Creamy baked caramel cheesecake smothered in homemade caramel sauce.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
For the Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup Sugar 200g
- ¼ cup Water 56g
- 6 tablespoon Butter 86g
- ½ cup Heavy Cream 120g
- 1 tablespoon Corn Syrup (or liquid glucose, or golden syrup)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
For the Cheesecake Base
- 1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs 180g (or Digestive Biscuits)
- ¾ stick Unsalted Butter 86g
- 2 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
For the Cheesecake
- 31 oz Cream Cheese 900g
- ½ cup Heavy Cream 120g
- ½ cup Sugar 100g
- 3 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¾ cup Caramel Sauce 250g (as prepared above)
Instructions
Make the Caramel Sauce
- Put the Sugar, water, and Corn Syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Do not stir, just let everything melt and dissolve.
- Let the mixture bubble, still not stirring, until it starts to get a bit of color. Watch it closely to avoid burning. Once it turns amber, add the butter and stir it in
- Let the mixture boil for about a minute, stirring every few seconds. After a minute, slowly add the cream and stir in - it will bubble up and might spit, so be careful.
- Once the caramel has settled back down after adding the cream, boil for roughly 1 minute. Check the color - if you are happy with the color, remove it from the heat and stir in the salt. If you'd like it darker, keep boiling for a little longer until you reach the desired color. Just be careful not to let it burn!
- Let the caramel cool completely to room temperature before using.
Make the Cheesecake Base
- Blitz up your graham crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can also put them in a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin.
- Add the brown sugar to the graham cracker crumbs.
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 30-second increments, then pour melted butter into the graham cracker crumbs and mix together. Once combined, it should look a little like wet sand, you should be able to squeeze it together in your hands.
- Pour into the base of a loose-bottomed cake pan and use your hands or a glass to press it down and pack it tightly.
Make the Cheesecake
- Prepare the cheesecake pan for a water bath by wrapping the outside of the pan tightly in aluminium foil. Make sure no water is going to get in! Preheat your oven to 335°F / 170°C.
- Cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth and free from lumps. It's best if the cream cheese is at room temperature first.
- Add in the eggs and egg yolk and beat until combined. Don't overmix, we just want to combine the ingredients, not incorporate any air into the batter.
- Add vanilla and caramel sauce, then mix them in completely.
- Gradually add the heavy cream, while mixing it in slowly.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared cake pan. Put it in a deep roasting dish and place on the middle shelf of your oven. Once it is on the shelf, pour water in until it comes about halfway up the cheesecake. Be careful not to splash any water inside the cheesecake.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the outer 1-2 inches of the cheesecake are set and firm, but the middle is still wobbly.
- Turn the oven off and crack the door open slightly, let the cheesecake sit in there for about an hour.
- After an hour, remove the cheesecake and let it cool completely on the countertop, then transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
- When you are ready to serve, slice the cheesecake and then drizzle the leftover caramel sauce on top of each slice. Top with whipped cream for an extra touch.
Notes
I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a scale for the most accurate measurements and the best results.
See blog post above for tips on how to get the perfect slices of cheesecake.
Note: I highly recommend slicing your cheesecake slices first and then drizzling with caramel sauce right before serving. This is the best way I have found of serving so it looks beautiful and fresh.