This Salted Caramel Cheesecake is absolutely to die for! It layers silky, creamy classic cheesecake and homemade salted caramel for the most addictive dessert, perfect or any celebration or holiday!
You will honestly be surprised at how delicious this salted caramel cheesecake is! I had taken a bit of a break from caramel because back in my cake selling days, it’s all people ever wanted to order—salted caramel filled cake.
I felt I was all carameled out.
Enter salted caramel cheesecake. This dessert revived my love for salted caramel! The creaminess of the cheesecake paired with the toasty salted caramel is just unmatched! I’ll stop talking about it and just get to the tips and tricks below….don’t let me get in your way!
How to make graham cracker crust
The graham cracker crust has always been one of my favorite parts of a cheesecake recipe! I love how buttery and crumbly it is and how it compliments the cheesecake so well! My recipe makes sure that you will have ample graham cracker crust in every bite because I figure there must be other people out there who love the crust as much as I do!
The process of making the graham cracker crust is very simple:
- Blitz 2 sleeves of honey graham crackers into fine crumbs. You’ll want to use honey graham crackers, trust me. I’ve tried all the graham crackers out there and this is the one that will give you the best flavor.
- Mix your brown sugar and granulated sugar in with the graham cracker crumbs.
- Melt the butter and stir it into the crumb mixture.
- Line the bottom of a 7″ springform pan with parchment paper and add the graham cracker crust into the pan.
- Press an even layer of the crust onto the bottom and into the sides of the pan. Press hard to make sure the crust is stuck in place before baking it to set.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes and then allow the graham cracker crust to cool before the cheesecake batter gets added.
Why this is the best Salted Caramel Cheesecake recipe
My cheesecake recipe is as simple as it gets. As always, I’m going to recommend that you buy good quality ingredients, especially for recipes with a few simple ingredients, the better the quality, the better it will taste.
This salted caramel cheesecake is creamy, and perfectly balanced in flavor. The homemade salted caramel is super easy to make (find step by step instructions for how to make homemade caramel below).
When the caramel and the cheesecake combine, the result is a delicious toasty, perfectly sweet and salted confection!
If you LOVE cheesecake, be sure to check out my
- Classic Cheesecake Recipe
- Peach Cobbler Cheesecake Recipe
- Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
- Cookies and Cream Cheesecake
Top tips for how to make a Salted Caramel Cheesecake
I must admit, for some odd reason I always used to think that making cheesecake was a complicated affair. Then I learned and started putting into practice a few simple cheesecake tips that made the process totally approachable! Once you catch on to the cheesecake learning curve, you’ll be baking them like a total pro!
Tip #1–DO NOT OVERMIX the cheesecake batter! In order to create a classic cheesecake that is rich and creamy it is important to mix the ingredients until they are combined and not much longer. If you beat too much air into the batter you’ll risk it cracking when baked and cooled. Plus, you’ll have a light and airy cheesecake which, there is a time and a place for, it’s just not here! Cracked cheesecake still obviously tastes amazing, but if you’re looking for flawless results, pay attention to this step.
Tip #2–Be sure to use ROOM TEMPERATURE ingredients! I can’t emphasize this enough, in every dessert recipe that calls for room temperature ingredients, listen to it! We don’t call for ingredients to be at room temperature to make your life more complicated. There are many reasons ingredients must truly be at room temperature and one of those reasons is because the ingredients will combine much easier when they’re all at room temp!
Tip #3–Use a CHEAT WATER BATH! Listen folks, I don’t have the time, energy or patience to be fooling with a traditional water bath. Unless it is absolutely necessary for the dessert like maybe a crème brûlée…I’m using my cheat water bath method every time! Simply place a rimmed dish on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it with boiling water. Then bake the cheesecake on the top rack of the oven and you’ll get a lot of the same effects as a water bath. Basically you want the steam from the water to soften the bake, so as long as there is steam, you’re in business!
Tip #4–bake the cheesecake LOW AND SLOW! We bake this classic cheesecake at 325F for around 50 minutes. One of the characteristics of a classic cheesecake is the mostly pale top. This is one of the ways we achieve that.
How to bake Salted Caramel Cheesecake step-by-step
While your graham cracker crust is cooling, it’s time to get to work on the cheesecake batter. Pull out those completely room temperature ingredients and let’s get started!
- Set a kettle or a pot of water to boil and set a deep rimmed pan on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl. I actually prefer to use a hand mixer when making cheesecakebecause I find it helps me have more control over how much air I’m adding into the batter.
- Beat the cream cheese slightly to break it out of the block form it came in.
- Add the sugars and cornstarch and beat again until combined, but not for too long as previously mentioned. Overbeating can also lead to cracked cheesecake! We add the cornstarch for a little extra insurance against a cracked cheesecake top.
- Add the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla after the last egg is incorporated and beat until combined.
- Switch to a spatula and add the sour cream. Stir until completely mixed in.
- Add the boiled water to the rimmed pan at the bottom of the oven.
- Pour half the cheesecake batter into the cooled graham cracker crust, then add a layer of homemade salted caramel (see instructions below.
- Add the rest of the cheesecake batter overtop of the caramel.
- Bake on the rack above the pan of water at 325F for roughly 50 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven when it has a slight wobble.
How to make the salted caramel
A homemade caramel is always going to be superior to a store-bought caramel. Always. You likely already have all of the ingredients on hand to make caramel at home AND it’s super easy to put together.
Check out my post for a full tutorial on how to make homemade caramel.
If you follow the below steps very carefully, you shouldn’t have any issues even on your first attempt at making this homemade salted caramel!
Step 1: Add the sugar and water and give the two a slight mix to evenly distribute the water. Then remove your spatula and RESIST THE URGE TO STIR! The beauty of homemade caramel is that you don’t really have to do too much work–you just have to know what you’re looking for!
Step 2: The sugar water mixture will begin to bubble fiercely. Remember not to stir, swirling the pan a bit is okay to help evenly distribute the heat. After a few minutes you will start to see some color. It will turn slightly yellow, then light brown and then a deep amber color. Depending on how you prefer your caramel you can pull it off the heat when it is lighter or darker. Just beware that the sugar can burn in an instant! Once it starts to deepen in color you have seconds before it burns!
Step 3: Remove from the heat once you reach your desired color, immediately add room temperature unsalted butter and whisk until well combined. The mixture will bubble violently–this is normal, and kind of fun!
Step 4: Add heavy cream and salt and mix again until combined. Allow to cool and then use as you prefer!
How to cool cheesecake?
Arguably the most annoying part of making this classic cheesecake is the patience it requires. I always recommend making your cheesecake the night before you want it so that it has time to cool completely in the fridge. Here are the steps I take to allow my classic cheesecake to come up to room temperature slowly, a process that will help you avoid cracks and give you the best creamy texture!
- After the cheesecake has completed baking, turn the oven off and crack open the door of the oven for one hour.
- After the hour of cooling in the oven, remove the cheesecake and set it on the counter for at least 1 hour. The goal here is for the pan to no longer feel warm to the touch so this could take longer than 1 hour.
- Cover the cheesecake and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or preferably, overnight!
I know the process is tedious but it really helps to not shock the cheesecake with a cooler temperature. We baked it slowly and now we must cool it slowly.
Additional Tips
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep an eye on the homemade caramel as you are making it. This isn’t a confection that you can make while you do other things. I recommend setting out all of the ingredients before starting so that once you start, everything is already measured out!
My recipe uses ¾ tsp of salt which, in my opinion, creates a really well balanced caramel. If you want to make a more salted caramel, try adding more salt to taste, ¼ tsp at a time!
Baking this Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Once you have all of your elements made for this salted caramel cheesecake (graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling and salted caramel) you are ready to assemble and bake!
Place about half of the cheesecake mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust and spread until even. Then add a few dollops of the slightly cooled homemade salted caramel and swirl. Add the rest of the cheesecake mixture, spread evenly and bake.
Once the cheesecake has completely cooled (see above for cooling tips), use the rest of the caramel to spread over top and sprinkle the outer edge with flaky salt!
As always, if you have any questions or tips of your own you’d like to share, be sure to contact me here!
Enjoy and Happy Caramely Baking!
Can baking be therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you! When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Equipment
- 7" springform pan
- food processor/blender
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups (275g) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tbsp (24g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp (10g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (113g) (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
- pinch of salt
For the Salted Caramel
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream room temperature
- 3/4 tsp salt
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 24 oz (675g) (3 blocks) full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 (150-155g) large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3/4 cup (195g) sour cream room temperature
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and spray and line a 7" springform pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl stir together 2 cups (240g) of graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp (24g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp (10g) of brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Melt 1/2 cup (113g) of unsalted butter and mix it in with the graham cracker mixture.
- Add the mixture to the lined springform pan and press it down in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. I sometimes use a measuring cup to press everything really flat.
- Place the filled springform pan onto a baking sheet (to trap any leakage) and bake for 8-10 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool.
For the Salted Caramel
- Prepare all of your ingredients before starting the process of making the caramel.
- To a saucepan add 1 1/2 cups (300g) of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup (60ml) of water. Give the mix a very slight stir just to evenly distribute the water. Then remove the spatula and turn the burner to medium/high heat.
- It is important not to stir the sugar water mixture while it toasts. If you would like to make sure the heat is distributing evenly, swirl the pan slightly from time to time.
- The mixture will bubble fiercely and turn light yellow, then light brown and then a deep amber. Pull the sugar off of the heat at your preferred color keeping in mind that the deeper the color, the bolder the flavor!
- Once you've pulled the sugar off of the heat, add 6 Tbsp (85g) of unsalted butter at room temperature to the saucepan. Whisk vigorously until the butter fully melts.
- Add in 1/2 cup (120ml) of heavy cream at room temperature and whisk again until combined. Add in 3/4 tsp of salt and mix!
- That's it-homemade caramel complete! Leave the caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes and then use as desired!
For the Cheesecake Filling
- Set a large pot or a kettle of water to boil, place a rimmed pan in the bottom rack of the oven. Reduce the oven to 325°F (roughly 160°C)
- To a medium bowl, add 24oz (675g) (3 blocks) of full fat cream cheese at room temperature. Use a hand mixer to break down the cream cheese slightly.
- Add 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and cream until combined. Do your best to not add too much air into the cheesecake batter, just mix until well combined.
- Add in 3 large room temperature eggs (150-155g), one at a time, and mix until combined. Then add 2 tsp of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and mix until incorporated.
- Switch to a spatula and stir in 3/4 cup (195g) of room temperature sour cream until everything is evenly mixed in.
- Add half of the cheesecake batter to the springform pan with the cooled graham cracker crust and spread evenly, then add about half of the salted caramel on top. Finish by adding the rest of the cheesecake batter on top of the salted caramel. Set the rest of the caramel aside for topping.
- Pour the boiling water into the pan at the bottom of the oven. Then place the cheesecake on the rack directly above the pan with the hot water. Remember to place the cheesecake on a tray to avoid leakage.
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 45-50 minutes depending on your oven. For my oven about 50 minutes works perfectly. You're looking for a slightly wobbly center and a top that is barely browned. The wobble will settle as the cheesecake cools, leaving you the perfect texture in the end.
- When the cheesecake is done baking, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door of the oven slightly open for 1 hour. This helps the cheesecake cool down slowly, instead of shocking its temperature, potentially leading to splits.
- Once the cheesecake has cooled in the oven for 1 hour, remove it from the oven, place it on the counter and allow it to come close to room temperature for another hour or so. Then cover it and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 5 hours or, preferably, overnight.
- Once the cheesecake is done cooling, top with the remaining caramel. Optionally, add a sprinkling of salt around the border. Then serve and enjoy! Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Absolutely DELICIOUS!! My mouth was truly watering with each bite! You are so talented and the photography is incredible.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Jasmine! Thanks for the comment and the love!