What is in that crust?

I have made this cheesecake with a variety of crusts. I made it with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal in honor of National Cereal Day (good flavor, but the texture didn't hold up like I wanted), I have made it with good ol' graham crackers or other neutral cookies with good success. My favorite dulce de leche cheesecake/crust combination was the biscoff cookie crust. I highly recommend you give it a try if biscoff is something you can access, but feel free to use what you have!

Does the crust need sugar?

When making a graham cracker crust, I often add 2 Tablespoons of sugar to my cookie crumbs. I would suggest that you do the same if you choose graham crackers for this recipe. The added sugar bakes into the crumbs and helps the crust hold together. I find that the biscoff cookies have a fair amount of sugar in them already, so the crust I made is just cookie crumbs and melted butter.

Please bring all ingredients to room temperature.

I cannot stress this enough! With cheesecake, especially, it is imperative to mix your ingredients at room temperature. This will ensure a smooth cheesecake rather than one with lumps.

Alas, there is a water bath.

I am fine with a water bath for my classic cheesecake baked in a one piece pan, but this recipe is baked in a springform. In the past, I have struggled to wrap enough foil around my pans to keep water from seeping in and making my crust soggy. The struggle is real. My compromise solution to this problem is to create a semi water bath. I place a deep pan of water on the lowest rack of my oven, and bake the cheesecake directly above it at a lower temperature. The oven gets steamy, and I find that I can deliver a non-cracked cheesecake with a dry crust using this method.

Dulce de leche is simple to make, but it does take time. A simple shortcut is to simply buy a ready made commercial jar of dulce de leche. I won't tell. If you want to make your own dulce de leche, plan ahead and see the notes in the recipe.

The dulce de leche looks lovely spread over the top of the cheesecake, but if you won't be consuming the entire cheesecake in short order, consider adding the sauce to individual slices. When stored in the refrigerator on the cheesecake the sauce will start to spread. Still delicious, but not as aesthetically pleasing.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake - Just Desserts Bakehouse

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Print Recipe

A decadent and indulgent cheesecake with simple straightforward ingredients. It is sure to impress family and friends with the rich, creamy textures and flavors.

Author: Darla McVay

Ingredients

Scale

For the Crust:

2 cups cookie crumbs (biscoff is my cookie of choice for this cheesecake).

6 Tablespoons of melted butter

For the Dulce de Leche:

One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk* or one jar of prepared dulce de leche (see note).

For the Cheesecake:

32 oz (4 8oz bricks) of full fat cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup dulce de leche (plus more for topping)

4 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.

For the Crust: Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 5-7 minutes to set.

Once the crust has baked, place a large pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven to create a steamy oven environment for the cheesecake.

For the Cheesecake: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and large bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Mix until light and fluffy then add the dulce de leche, vanilla, pinch of salt, and sour cream. Once blended, add the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to over mix your batter once the eggs have been added.

Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prepared crust and return the springform pan to the oven to bake for approximately 45 minutes. You want your cheesecake to be set, with just a hint of jiggle at the center.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Chill your cheesecake for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight). Before serving, top with remaining dulce de leche.

Notes

The dulce de leche will need to be made in advance. The method I prefer is to empty the can of sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil. Place the pie plate into a larger pan filled with water and bake in the water bath at 350 for about 2 1/2 hours. This method allows me to check on the progress of my dulce de leche to make sure I’m getting the color and texture I want. This method also keeps the sweetened condensed milk from scorching.

Find it online: https://justdessertsbakehouse.com/dulce-de-leche-cheesecake/