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Turtle Cheesecake
Creamy rich brown sugar cheesecake with soft milky pockets of caramel, toasted pecans, thick rich salted caramel on top and a cracking dark chocolate shell!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups (160g) graham cracker crumbs from about 24 individual squares
- 2 tablespoon (30g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 22 oz (625g) brick cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 15 soft wrapped caramels, unwrapped and cut into quarters
- ⅓ cup (50g) toasted chopped pecans
1 recipe Rich Salted Caramel Sauce
Chocolate topping:
- 6 oz (170g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (14g) coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round non-stick springform pan with a round of parchment paper, then wrap the outside of the pan with 2 layers of thick aluminum foil so that it comes a couple of inches up the sides. This will prevent water from going into the pan when you place the pan in the water bath for baking.
- Make the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together graham crumbs, melted butter and sugar until evenly combined. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and about ¾-inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and feels dry. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- Make the filling. Beat soft cream cheese in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Do not over-beat because large bubbles will cause the cheesecake to crack during baking and cooling. Add eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until well blended between each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Add vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Again, do not beat the mixture excessively at this point as the eggs will whip up and create air pockets in the batter. Add chopped caramels and pecans and fold them in.
- Pour the batter over the pre-baked crust, spreading it out evenly and popping any air bubbles that you see. Rap bowl down against the counter to release any large air pockets. Place the pan onto a rimmed baking dish or a rimmed cookie sheet and place it in the oven. Set a kettle to boil and carefully pour boiling water into the dish or sheet so that it comes about 1 inch up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Close the oven door and bake for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave it in for another 15 minutes. It is ready when the filling is set but the center is slightly wobbly or jiggles when the pan is shaken. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes of cooling, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides and then remove sides of pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely and then place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once the cheesecake is chilled, spread salted caramel sauce over top. Place toasted pecans evenly over the surface. Combine chopped dark chocolate with coconut oil in a bowl and microwave on 50% power in 20 second bursts with frequent stirring until completely melted and smooth. Drizzle this melted chocolate mixture over the pecans to cover the cheesecake and let set until hardened. Slice and serve!
