Luscious caramel sauce meets tangy cream cheese and a sugar cookie crust in this Caramel Cheesecake Recipe. Because it uses fruit-based Amarula Cream Liqueur, this show-stopping dessert is perfect for the holidays.
This post is in sponsored partnership with Amarula Cream Liqueur. All thoughts and options are our own.
A Holiday Caramel Cheesecake
Cheesecake is one of those desserts that always makes it to the table anytime family gathers ‘round. It’s difficult to polish off on your own (believe us, we’ve tried!), so we save cheesecake for larger celebrations.
Because it is topped with creamy, salted caramel, no slice is left behind this holiday season.
Tasting Notes
This cheesecake incorporates the fabulous flavors of Amarula Cream Liqueur. The distinctly rich and smooth taste boasts flavors of vanilla, caramel, and nuttiness from the exotic, natural Marula fruit.
Its creamy texture and taste makes the liqueur extremely versatile - enjoyed both baked in a recipe or mixed into a cocktail.
In this case, it adds dimension to rich cheesecake and balances out the sweetness of caramel sauce.
Thus, the velvety smooth and caramel characteristics made replacing a portion of the heavy cream in our favorite caramel sauce an obvious choice.
Amarula Cream Liqueur is the only cream liqueur that uses real Marula fruit. The Marula trees that bear the fruit only grow wild in Africa and are only harvested once a year! Once sun-ripened, handpicked, and turned into the cream liqueur, it is a gift from the macula tree made for us to share and savor this holiday season. This caramel cheesecake recipe is bound to be a holiday staple in your home for years to come!
Recipe
Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 cup butter cookie crumbs
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoon butter melted and cooled
- 1 pinch salt
Cheesecake
- 2 lbs cream cheese softened
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup Amarula Cream Liqueur
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 ⅓ cup sour cream at room temperature
Sour Cream Topping
- 1 ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon Amarula Cream Liqueur
Amarula Caramel
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup Amarula Cream Liqueur
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter diced
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Add the crumbs to a mixing bowl along with the sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and stir to combine.
- Pour the crust mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Press the crust into an even layer on the bottom of the pan using your fingers tips or the bottom of a flat measuring cup or drinking glass.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack as you prepare the filling.
Cheesecake
- Increase the oven to 350°F. Bring 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil (enough to halfway fill a large roasting pan) and set aside. Place a large roasting pan on the very bottom rack of your oven. Place a second rack just above the roasting pan.
- Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese on medium-low for 4 to 5 minutes, or until completely smooth. Stop and scrape down the bowl every couple of minutes.
- Add the sugar and salt into the cream cheese and mix for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to smooth out any lumps.
- With the mixer on low, add in the Amarula Cream Liqueur, eggs, and egg yolk. Allow each egg to fully incorporate into the batter before add in the next. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
- Add the sour cream. Mix on lo speed for a couple of minutes or until the batter is creamy and uniform.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Smooth out the top as needed. Rap the bottom of the cake pan on top of the counter a few times to expel any trapped air bubbles. Wrap the sides of the pan in a double layer of foil.
- Very carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (pouring the water into the pan while it is already in the oven may be easier than trying to carry and place a pan full of boiling water into the oven). Place the baking pan on the rack above the roasting pan and bake for 1 hour. When done, the sides should be puffed and set while the center 2 to 3 inches should jiggle when the pan is moved. If it is not ready, check again after an additional 10 minutes of baking. Once done, turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cake to cool inside the humid oven for about 30 minutes.
- Once cool, removed the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack. Turn the oven back on to 350°F. As the oven heats back up, combined the sour cream, sugar, and Amarula Cream Liqueur for the topping (recipe to follow). Carefully spread the sour cream topping over the top of the cheesecake with a small offset spatula. When the oven is ready, return the cake pan back to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the cheesecake cool for an additional 30 minutes on a wire rack, then place in the refrigerator. Drape a piece of parchment paper over the top of the cheesecake to prevent condensation from forming and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- To unmold the cheesecake, carefully run a think knife around the edges of the cake before unlocking the spring-form pan. Warm a metal spatula under hot water, dry, the run it around the edges of the cheesecake to smooth. Top with the cooled Amarula Caramel Sauce (recipe to follow) before serving.
Sour Cream Topping
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
Amarula Caramel
- Place the sugar, syrup, and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil and cook without stirring until the mixture turns a medium amber color. Meanwhile, gently microwave the cream for 15 to 20 seconds, or until room temperature.
- Once it reaches the correct color, remove from the heat. Slowly (and carefully) whisk in the cream (the mixture will bubble up a bit, so use caution).
- Whisk in the Amarula Cream Liqueur and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Transfer the caramel to a heat-safe container and stir in the salt and vanilla. Let cool until thickened.
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