Caramel Cheesecake

Caramel

1. In a large saucepan or frying pan, add the granulated sugar and water and stir it together so all of the sugar is wet. Flatten it out into an even layer, so it melts evenly. Melt it over medium/high heat until golden brown. Once you can see it starts slightly brown, give it a stir once in a while so it all melts evenly.

2. Once the caramel is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium heat and stir in the butter until it has melted into the caramel. Then add the heavy cream, a little at a time, stirring in each addition until incorporated. It will bubble up strongly so be careful of your fingers. Stir constantly until it has gathered.

3. Turn off the heat and add a pinch of salt and vanilla and stir it in. Transfer it to a shallow bowl, so it can cool down faster, and let it cool down in the fridge. It takes about 30-60 minutes to become room temperature.

Cookie Crust

1. Before starting, preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 23 cm/9-inch springform tin lined with parchment paper in the bottom.

2. In a food processor, add the cookies and granulated sugar and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies.

3. Add the cookie crumbs to the springform and press the cookie crumbs down with the bottom of a glass, and up against the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out.

4. Bake it for 10 minutes. Let it cool down while making the cheesecake filling. Keep the oven turned on.

Filling

1. With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 minute on low speed. Then add the granulated sugar and caramel and let it mix for 1 minute on low speed or until smooth.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the vanilla extract and let it mix until combined.

3. Then add two eggs at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.

4. Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan.

5. Boil up water in a kettle. Place the springform in a 25 cm/10 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in another baking pan or roasting pan and fill it with hot water ⅓-2/3 up the side of the pan. This method will prevent water from getting into the crust.

6. Bake for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.

7. Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a small wobble in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.

8. Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminium foil, if added, and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.

9. Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight before eating.

10. When ready to serve, add the caramel on top of the cheesecake and optionally sprinkle it with a bit of sea salt.