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This creamy dreamy Caramel Toffee Cheesecake is impressive out of all proportion to the effort you will actually put into making it. Use your favorite caramel sauce and crunchy toffee bits for added sweetness. It's gonna be awesome.
Has anyone else read that book Grit by Angela Duckworth? My educator friends will know what I'm talking about. It's all about how your drive to succeed is a much greater determinant of your actual success than any natural talent you may have.
I've definitely been applying plenty of grit to this whole food blogger thing since I absolutely don't have a natural talent for food photography. Turns out that's the most important thing. I wish I'd known that before I got addicted to it. Apparently, you can't just cook and write clever words. You also have to make things look nice.
She also talks about making yourself do hard things. I feel like I've been taking on a lot of hard things lately. Photography, SEO, marketing. And on top of all that, I've been running twice a week, which for me is super hard. It's exhausting, but also strangely satisfying. That award-winning PhD author might be on to something.
After all that hard work we've been putting in to make our dreams come true and manifest our heart's desires, I think we deserve a treat. But if we want to continue our personal growth, maybe it should be a treat with a bit of a challenge. Enter Caramel Toffee Cheesecake.
Tips for awesome cheesecake
Cheesecake is easy to make if you're armed with a bit of knowledge. You can't just wing it. You definitely need to follow instructions. Start by taking all of your ingredients out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Just let them hang out for an hour. This will make your cheesecake mixture blend together much more smoothly.
The other key thing to know is that you should let it cool very slowly. Otherwise, your cheesecake is likely to crack. That's where the caramel comes in. It covers any imperfections in the appearance of the cheesecake. It also tastes awesome, so there's that. My cheesecake didn't crack this time, but there was some browning on top because my oven sucks.
How to make Caramel Toffee Cheesecake
Once you've summoned all your patience, you're really just mixing. Make your crust in the food processor by blitzing some graham crackers or digestive biscuits with some sugar, then drizzle in the butter with the machine running. Press it into your springform pan that you've lined with plastic wrap and foil in preparation for its water bath later. Let that hang out in the fridge.
When mixing your cheesecake batter, you want to make sure you have a smooth mixture before add the next ingredient. This is why it's so important to have everything at the same temperature. Scrape down the bowl a few times throughout the process. The recipe card has all the details.
Once your cheesecake is slowly cooled then chilled, preferably overnight, all you have to do is add some caramel sauce and scatter on some toffee bits. Use as much as you'd like. Go for store-bought because the hard part is over. It's going to be an absolute joy to eat, and you'll feel so accomplished.
Let's all give ourselves a high five. We're out here doing hard things and evolving into our most awesome selves, and it's exhausting and amazing all at the same time. Cut yourself a piece of Caramel Toffee Cheesecake. You've earned it.
PrintCaramel Toffee Cheesecake
Caramel Toffee Cheesecake is a creamy baked cheesecake topped with your favorite caramel sauce and crunchy toffee bits.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 75
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 9-inch round cheesecake 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the crust
- 9 graham crackers or 140 grams digestive biscuits
- 44 grams (¼ cup) sugar
- 64 grams (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) butter, melted
For the cheesecake
- 46 grams (1.5 ounces) sour cream
- 46 grams (1.5 ounces) heavy cream
- 532 grams (18 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 26 grams (2 tablespoons) butter, melted
- 160 grams (⅔ cup) sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, room temperature
For the topping
- Approximately 1 cup of your favorite caramel sauce
- Approximately ¼ cup toffee bits or 1 Heath bars, chopped
Instructions
For the crust
- Assemble your 9-inch springform pan and cover the bottom and outside with plastic wrap then foil to make sure no water creeps in once the pan is in its water bath.
- Give your graham crackers or digestive biscuits a good smash, then dump them into your food processor along with the sugar, and whiz to sandy bits.
- With the processor still running, slowly pour in the melted butter. Mix for a few seconds until combined.
- Dump your crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan.
For the cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C) and put a kettle of water on to boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and heavy cream until relatively smooth. Set aside.
- Put your cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium low with an electric mixer for a few minutes until smooth.
- Add the butter and continue to mix on medium low until smooth and incorporated. Next add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, beating until smooth after each. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Finally, blend in the cream mixture. Give the bowl a scrape, and turn your mixer on again for about 30 seconds to make sure everything is nice and smooth.
- Pour your cheesecake mixture over your crust. Place your foil-covered pan in a roasting pan. Carefully open your oven door, pull out the rack in the middle, and place the roasting pan on it. Pour the water from your recently boiled kettle into your roasting pan until it’s about halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Very carefully push the rack back in and close the door.
- Bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the cheesecake is just slightly wobbly in the center.
- Remove the whole roasting pan from the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool, still in the water, for about two hours.
- Put some plastic wrap right on the surface of your cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
For the topping
- After your cheesecake is thoroughly chilled, top it with your favorite caramel sauce. Use as much as you need to make it look pretty. Sprinkle on your crunchy bits. Use as much as you like.
- You can serve it immediately, but if you chill it again for another hour or two, your caramel won’t be as runny.
Keywords: Cheesecake, Caramel, Toffee
Looking for more awesome cheesecake recipes? Try these Cookies & Cream Mini Cheesecakes.
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