Wild Yeast

Notes from my kitchen, in which I bake bread and raise a few other matters

Caramel Cheesecake

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In my family, Thanksgiving is not the only important November celebration. My mom and my niece have birthdays one day apart, and this year the party called for cheesecake.

This is a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth kind of cake with a traditional graham cracker crust, adapted from the one we made at SFBI. The topping was inspired by this one at Epicurious.

I’m not a cheesecake expert, but here are a few tips I’ve learned that have helped mine be better:

  • To make a smooth batter, the cream cheese needs to be very soft. Leave it out to soften overnight, or put it in the microwave a few seconds at a time.
  • Keep the mixer on low-medium speed, to avoid incorporating too much air. Scrape the bowl and paddle frequently.
  • Avoid using a Springform pan, which can allow water to seep into the crust when you bake the cake in a water bath (even if you protect the bottom with foil). A deep, straight-sided cake pan works just fine.
  • Cool the cake completely at room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
  • To cut cleanly, dip the knife in hot water and dry it with a towel before cutting each slice.

Caramel Cheesecake
(Cake adapted from SFBI. Topping adapted from Epicurious.)

Yield: one 8-inch cake

Time:

  • Mix: 15 minutes
  • Bake: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Cool: at least 2 hours
  • Chill: overnight
  • Unchill and top: about an hour
  • Chill: 2 hours or longer

Crust Ingredients:

  • 132 g graham cracker crumbs
  • 44 g sugar
  • 64 g butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

  • 532 g cream cheese, softened
  • 160 g sugar
  • 26 g melted butter
  • 10 (2 t.) g lemon juice
  • 5 g (1 t.) vanilla extract
  • 139 g (3 medium) eggs at room temperature
  • 46 g heavy cream
  • 46 g sour cream

Topping Ingredients:

  • 150 g sugar
  • 14 g (2 T.) water
  • 1/4 t. lemon juice
  • 120 g heavy cream
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 Heath Bars, coarsely chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 285F if you have a convection setting, or 325F for the regular bake setting. Start boiling water for the water bath.
  2. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-inch deep x 8-inch diameter cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.
  3. Mix the crust ingredients together well with your fingers. Press the crust into the pan and partway up the sides, to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
  4. In a small bowl, blend the cream and sour cream together.
  5. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese on medium-low speed until it is very smooth.
  6. Add the following ingredients is this order, mixing on medium-low speed until smooth after each addition and scraping the bowl frequently:
    • butter
    • sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla
    • eggs, one at a time
    • cream/sour cream mixture
  7. Pour the batter over the crust in the prepared pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
  8. Place the cake on a rimmed sheet pan and set it in the oven. Pour boiling water in the sheet pan to just below the rim.
  9. Bake until the cake has just a slight wobble in the center when nudged.
  10. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool, still in its water bath, to room temperature.
  11. Run a knife around the edge to make sure it is free of the pan, then invert the cake onto a plate and again onto a second plate so that it is right-side-up.
  12. Cover the cake with plastic wrap directly on its surface, and chill overnight.
  13. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it unchill slightly while you prepare the topping. Keep the plastic wrap on during this time so any condensation forms on the plastic and not on the cake.
  14. In a medium saucepan, stir together the topping sugar, water, and lemon juice over medium-high heat to dissolved the sugar. Heat on medium-high without stirring, washing down the sides with a wet pastry brush occasionally, until the mixture turns an amber color.
  15. Add the cream and the salt and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time, until the caramel is thick but not chewy (gauge the consistency by dripping a bit onto a metal spoon).
  16. Remove from the heat and pour into a metal bowl. Cool at room temperature until it is slightly warmer than body temperature; it should still be quite pourable at this point.
  17. Pour the topping over the cake; use an offset spatula to spread it to the edges and let it drip down the sides.
  18. Top with chopped Heath Bars.
  19. Cover with a cake dome and chill for 2 – 6 hours before serving.

CommentsLeave a comment

  5. Looks delicious!

    I’d say that my favorite cheesecake tip (to prevent cracking) is to cool it GRADUALLY. When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and crack the door. After 15 minutes, open the door all the way. After another 15-20 minutes, pull the rack partway out of the oven. After another 15-20 minutes, put the rack on the counter. Etc etc etc…no increment too small.

    I’ve never had one crack 🙂 ::knock on wood::

  13. Wow that looks incredible. That is one decadent cheesecake!

    I would like to try this recipe. I bet it is so creamy.

  16. I’ve never made cheesecake before because I don’t have a mixer or a Springform pan and thought you had to have them, almost as if you weren’t “allowed” to make it otherwise. After reading this post, I decided to go for it! Final product looks great. It was a gift for a friend, so I’m awaiting their feedback as to taste. I was surprised at how easy this was to do. Seemed like way too much caramel for one cheesecake, so next time I’m making two!

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  18. Being a tremendous fan of cheesecake, I just HAD to make this for my husband’s birthday. It turned out to be the best cheesecake I may have ever had.

    I did, however, have a terrible time getting the cake out of the 8″ pan, even though I buttered pan and parchment. Anything you’d recommend there? I broke the cheesecake in half getting it out, but once it was covered in caramel, it was perfectly fine. Oh and I’ve decided to pre-bake the crust for 10 min or so as well, to make sure it’s nice and crisp as Cook’s Illustrated suggests in their CC recipes.

    Thanks so much for the marvelous recipe! I WILL be making it again!

  19. Hatchet, glad you liked the cake but sorry it broke! If you also followed Step 11, then I’m guessing maybe the cake was not cool enough before you de-panned it?

  20. Hi Susan,

    I think the cheesecake looks absolutely fabulous. The directions recommend not using a springform pan as it it baked in a water bath, but I would like to know how did you remove it intact from the pan?

    Thanks for your advice
    Nora
    btw I love going to your site

  22. Nora, if the cake was fully baked and allowed to cool before removing it from the pan, I can remove it without messing up the top by doing the double-inversion method in step 11.

  24. Would love to try this recipe, it looks delicious. I live in Canada, not sure what a Heath bar is? Is it like a Crispy Crunch?

  26. I really want to make this, but having a hard time converting the measurements to u.s. Can you help?

    Thanks,

    Lori

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