Think salted caramel is old news? Think again. You’ll never look at it the same way once you’ve had a slice of homemade Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
What could be more decadent than Salted Caramel Cheesecake? I started with a simple cheesecake recipe then maxed it out by swirling in homemade salted caramel sauce. I know you’ll be tempted to just drink (glug glug glug) the rest of the sauce, but resist. Please. When you’re ready to serve the cheesecake, pour the remaining caramel over top. It’s like a slice of cheesecake heaven, really.
We’ve got a foolproof cheesecake baking method for you below and some tips for making the perfect cheesecake every time here, and if you’ve never made your own caramel before, prepare to be amazed at how easy it is. Really, this whole recipe is easy. You’ll never feel intimidated by cheesecake again. You might even decide to make a S’mores Cheesecake next time. Or what about a whole cheesecake party? We’ve got all the recipes for you right here.
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Salted Caramel Cheesecake
Think salted caramel is old news? Think again. You’ll never look at it the same way once you’ve had a slice of homemade Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 4 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Cheesecake
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
- 1 and ⅓ cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 and ½ tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Before beginning, set all ingredients out to come to room temperature. This is very important because it ensures a creamy cheesecake.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add 4 tablespoon of the butter, brown sugar, half and half and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, whisking occasionally. Let the mixture boil for about 8 minutes until it thickens. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool to room temperature.
Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and put a large pot of water on to boil. When it reaches a boiling point, turn the heat to low and allow the water to simmer.
- Grease a springform pan with the butter and coat with the graham cracker crumbs. Wrap the springform pan with foil to make sure there are no water leaks. Place the pan in a large roasting pan.
- Add the cream cheese to a bowl and beat with stand or hand mixer for 30 seconds until smooth. Add sugar and continue to mix (to cream it all together) for about 1 minute.
- Crack the eggs into a separate bowl. Add the eggs one at a time to the cream cheese, beating and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add ½ cup of the caramel, sour cream, remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract and the sea salt. Beat until everything is mixed well. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform pan that’s sitting in the roasting pan.
- Place the roasting pan with the cheesecake in the middle rack of the oven. Pour the hot water into the roasting pan about ¾ of the way up the side of the springform pan, being careful not to splash water into the cheesecake. Slide the rack into oven and bake between 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes. The cheesecake will be done when the sides look set but the center still jiggles slightly when the pan is nudged.
- Turn the oven off and prop it open with a spoon. Allow the cheesecake to cool for an hour in the oven. After the hour has passed, remove the pan from the oven and lift the cheesecake from the water bath to cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Once it reaches room temperature, place it in the fridge to cool, for a least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.
- When you’re ready to serve, warm the remaining caramel sauce, pour over the top and slice with a sharp knife. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch more sea salt if desired.
Is there a standard size springform pan for cheesecake? I have found three different sizes,6,8 and 10 inches. In none of the recipes I have looked at does anyone specify a size for the pan.
9-inch is usually considered standard size for both springform pans and regular cake pans. Thanks for the question!
Salted Caramel cheesecake
In the sauce ingredients there is 1/2 c half and half. In the cheesecake ingredients this is 1/3 c sour cream
The half and half gets used in step 1 of the sauce. In step 3 there is a reference to cream. Sour cream I suppose. Step 5 adds the sour cream.
Is there suppose to be cream in step 3? How much? Because it isn’t specified.
Verify and please save someone from this confusion.
also, it would be helpful to mention the depth of the water bath. 1/4 inch of water will produce way different results than 2 inches of water. The 2 inch deep water bath has much more mass and would retail more heat.
Ahhh I think there is something ambiguous in the recipe instructions. It says “and sugar and cream together for about 1 minute.” In that case the word “cream” is being used as a verb. It is a way of saying “mix”. I’ve edited it to make it more clear. I agree about the water bath and have fixed it.