Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Why you’ll love this recipe:

It’s no secret I love cheesecakes. The taller and creamier, the better! And preferably with lots of crust. If you do too, this cheesecake is for you!

• Tall, buttery and crumbly crust
• Smooth, creamy filling
• Indulgent dulce de leche topping
• Sprinkle of chunky sea salt to offset the sweetness

Don’t let the fancy name to fool you! Dulce de leche is nothing but cooked sweetened condensed milk. And I have an easy tutorial to make it at home!

This easy cheesecake is a perfect make-ahead dessert for any occasion!

Key Ingredients:

You only need 10 ingredients to make this cheesecake.

• Graham crackers – I use regular plain graham crackers, but you can use any flavored graham cracker you like. You can also use digestive biscuits if you’re outside of the U.S.
• Cream cheese – Be sure to use brick-style full-fat cream cheese for the creamiest and tastiest cheesecake. That means no whipped or low-fat cream cheese.
• Sour cream – Adds incredible creaminess to the filling. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt, if you’d like.
• Dulce de leche – Use either store-bought or homemade dulce de leche, or substitute caramel sauce, if needed.

How to make this recipe:

1. Prepare the pan

To ensure smooth, evenly-cooked cheesecake with no cracks, we’ll cook it in a water bath. And to prevent soggy crust we need to wrap the springform pan in a foil first.

1. Arrange 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil criss-cross pattern on top of each other. And place the springform pan in the middle.
2. Ensure at least an inch of foil on each side of the pan.
3. Gently wrap the foil up the sides of the pan.

2. Make the crust:

We’re going to make a tall cheesecake crust to wrap the creamy cheesecake filling all the way up.

First, we’ll crush the crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs. Then stir in sugar, followed by melted butter. The mixture should be evenly moistened and resemble a wet sand.

Now, transfer the mixture into the prepared springform pan, then evenly spread and press the crust mixture onto the bottom and all the way up the sides.

Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

3. Make the filling:

First, we’ll whip the softened cream cheese with a paddle attachment until nice and fluffy.

Then add dulce de leche, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl half way.

Stir in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

4. Bake

Pour the filling into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter couple of times to pop any trapped air bubbles.

Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan and pour 1-2 cups of hot water into the pan.

Bake the cheesecake for about an hour at 350°F.

Once the cheesecake is set around the edges and slightly wobbly in the center, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven slowly for at least an hour.

Then cool completely on a cooling rack and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.

Spread reserved dulce de leche and sprinkle some sea salt flakes before serving.

Cheesecake Tips for Success:

• Be sure to soften the cream cheese for the smoothest filling. Simply bring cream cheese out on the counter about an hour before you start.
• Room temperature eggs incorporate easier into the batter.
• Avoid mixing the filling on high speed when adding the eggs to prevent incorporating too much air into the batter, which is #1 reason for cracked cheesecake.
• If you don’t have a large roasting pan to fit your springform pan, simply place a pan of water on the bottom rack.
• Avoid sudden temperature change, which may cause a crack, and cool the cheesecake gently in the turned off oven for about an hour.
• Sprinkling some sea salt on top balances out the sweetness. I love this Maldon sea salt flakes, it’s the best stuff!

Cheesecake FAQ:

Storing Tips:

This cheesecake is a perfect make-ahead dessert.

• Store cooled cheesecake, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Or freeze for up to 1 month.
• Refrigerate leftover cheesecake, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.