Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Crème brûlée cheesecake is decadent silky cheesecake with a layer of bruleed sugar, topped with more cheesecake batter, then covered in vanilla pastry cream and of course another layer of bruleed sugar! It’s honestly even better than it sounds!
Equipment
- 7" springform pan
- food processor/blender
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 sleeves (275g) graham cracker pulverized into crumbs
- 2 Tbsp (24g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp (10g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (110g)(1 stick) unsalted butter melted
- pinch of salt
For the Cheesecake Batter
- 24 oz (675g) (3 blocks) full fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp (20g) brown 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
For the Pastry Cream
- 1 cup (236ml) whole milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean pod scraped, or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp (15g) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large (35g) egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp (15g) unsalted butter cold
Instructions
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and spray a 7" springform pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
- In a food processor, blitz 2 sleeves (275g) of graham crackers.
- In a medium bowl stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 2 Tbsp (24g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp (10g) of brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Melt 1/2 cup (110g) 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 Cheesecake Batter
- 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 cup (200g) of granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp (20g) of brown 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.
- Pour half of the cheesecake batter into the cooled graham cracker crust and then add an even layer of sugar on top of the batter.
- Using a handheld torch toast the sugar until golden brown. Then add the second half of the cheesecake batter on top and bake for 40-45 minutes or until there is a slight wobble in the middle of the cheesecake.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool completely.
For the Pastry Cream
- While the cheesecake is cooling, add 1 cup (236ml) of whole milk to a saucepan over medium/low heat.
- Scrape the seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean pod and add them to the milk (or add 1/2 tsp of vanilla bean paste). Optionally you can add the vanilla bean pod after being scraped to the milk, just remember to to remove it later on!
- Heat the milk until it is simmering, making sure not to scorch the milk on the bottom of the saucepan.
- In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup (50g) of granulated sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp (15g) of cornstarch, 1/4 tsp of salt and 2 large egg yolks (about 35g). Whisk until smooth and lighter in color, about a minute or so.
- Scoop about 1/4 cup of the warm milk mixture and slowly pour it into the egg mixture whisking continuously until everything is mixed together.
- Pour the egg mixture that has been brought up to temperature by the warm milk back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk.
- Stir continuously over low heat until the mixture thickens. Then remove it from the heat.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp (15g) of cold unsalted butter until it melts into the pastry cream.
- Pass the pastry cream through a sieve to remove any lumps and then cover it with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is touching the pastry cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the Assembly
- Remove the completely chilled cheesecake and pastry cream from the fridge.
- Add the pastry cream on top of the cheesecake and spread it in an even layer.
- Add an even layer of sugar overtop of the cheesecake and use your handheld torch to toast it until it is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy! Best when eaten 1 or 2 days after making!