This salted caramel cheesecake is absolutely to die for! It layers classic cheesecake and salted caramel for the most addictive dessert!
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’m gonna stop talking about it and just get to the tips and tricks below….don’t let me get in your way!
How to make the best salted caramel cheesecake
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.
If you LOVE cheesecake, be sure to check out my Classic Cheesecake Recipe and my Peach Cobbler Cheesecake Recipe!
Tip #1–DO NOT OVERMIX the cheesecake batter! In order to create a 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. Cracked cheesecake still obviously tastes amazing, but if you’re looking for flawless cheesecake, 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.
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 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!
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!
Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups (240g) graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tbsp (24g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp (10g) brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp (85g) (3/4 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
- 16 oz (452g) (2 blocks) full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 3/4 cup (160g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp (20g) brown sugar)
- 2 (100-110g) large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/2 cup (130g) sour cream room temperature
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and spray and line a 6" or 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 6 Tbsp (85g) 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. The crust won't reach the top of the 7" springform which is fine. 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
- To a medium bowl, add 16oz (452g) (2 blocks) of full fat cream cheese at room temperature. Use a hand mixer to break down the cream cheese slightly.
- Add 3/4 cup (160g) of granulated sugar and 2 Tbsp (20g) of brown sugar and cream until combined. Do your best to not add too much air into the cheesecake batter, just mix until well combined.
- Add in 2 large room temperature eggs (100-110g), 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 1/2 cup (130g) of room temperature sour cream until everything is evenly mixed in.
- Add all of the cheesecake batter to the springform pan with the cooled graham cracker crust and spread evenly. Place a pan or baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven and pour boiling water into it. 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 350°F (180°C) for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. For my oven 55 minutes works perfectly. You're looking for a slightly golden outer edge and a slightly wobbly center. When you stick a toothpick into the center it should come out with some batter on it, as long as it isn't liquid, the cheesecake is done!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 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, serve and enjoy! Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.