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Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Annalise, Completely Delicious

Elevate your classic cheesecake with a buttery, velvety caramel. Using real butter is also key to bind and add richness to the graham cracker crust. Top off the cheesecake with flaky salt, and you have a decadent and flavorful dessert.
30 min Prep Time
11 hr 10 min Cook Time
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 11 hr 10 min

Ingredients

  • Graham Cracker Crust

  • 14 graham cracker sheets (or 2 cups graham cracker crumbs)
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Cheesecake Filling

  • 24 ounces full-fat cream cheese, cubed and softened to room temperature (3 packages)
  • 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup heavy cream, at room temperature

  • Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon flaky salt , plus more for sprinkling over cheesecake

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray.

Step 2

Pulse graham crackers in food processor to crumbs. Add butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Pulse until combined.

Step 3

Pour graham cracker mixture into greased pan. Use the underside of a measuring cup to pack crust into an even layer on the bottom of pan and 1 inch up the sides.

Step 4

Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and cool completely.

Cheesecake Filling

Step 5

Reduce oven to 325°F. Place the top rack in the center of the oven.

Step 6

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 7

Add sugar, flour, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth and light, about 2 to 3 minutes. It’s key to stop and scrape the bowl at least 2 times. There should be no lumps when complete.

Step 8

Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in heavy cream. Scrape down bowl.

Step 9

Pour filling into springform pan with cooled graham crust. Prepare water bath (see notes).

Step 10

Set springform pan inside large roasting pan and place in oven. Fill roasting pan with hot water, 1 to 2 inches up the sides of the springform pan.

Step 11

Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Key: Do not over bake. Edges will be set, and the center will still be slightly wobbly. The top should have a light golden color (you can cover with foil if cheesecake browns too quickly). An instant thermometer will read 155°F when placed in the center.

Step 12

Turn off oven and crack open the door, letting cheesecake cool in oven for an hour.

Step 13

Take out of oven and transfer to cooling rack, letting cool for another hour. Then transfer to fridge to chill for 4 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Caramel Sauce

Step 14

Spread sugar evenly on the bottom of a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow sugar to melt and caramelize, swirling as needed to promote even caramelization. Do not stir. This step will take about 10 minutes.

Step 15

When caramel turns dark amber in color, reduce heat to low. Gradually add heavy cream while constantly whisking. Caramel will aggressively bubble.

Step 16

Stir caramel sauce over low to medium heat until all clumps have dissolved, and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in butter, then vanilla and salt. Cool to room temperature.

Step 17

Pour ½ cup of caramel sauce over chilled cheesecake, generously covering the top. Let set for a few minutes, then sprinkle on flaky salt.