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Millionaire Cheesecake

4.75 from 4 votes
prep 1 hour
cook 1 hour 15 minutes
12 hours
total 14 hours 15 minutes
Serves 12 slices
Creamy vanilla cheesecake baked on top of a shortbread crust and topped with homemade salted caramel sauce and chocolate ganache. 
Servings 12 slices

Equipment

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

  • 56 grams salted butter, melted
  • 25 grams granulated sugar
  • 16 ounces shortbread cookies (like 3 packs of walkers)
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Cheesecake

  • 907 grams cream cheese, room temperature
  • 266 grams granulated sugar
  • 240 grams sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste, or extract
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 200 grams granulated sugar
  • 60 mL water
  • 84 grams salted butter, room temperature
  • 80 mL heavy cream, room temperature
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Chocolate Ganache

  • 113 grams dark chocolate , chips or chopped
  • 120 mL heavy cream
  • Sea Salt Flakes

Method

Shortbread Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F (149C) convection (with the fan) and grease and line an 10 inch springform or cake pan with baking spray and parchment paper (can also do a square pan if you want to cut into bars).*
  2. Place the cookies in a food processor and grind until they're powdered.
    56 grams salted butter melted
  3. Add the cookies to a bowl with the melted butter and sugar and mix until they're well combined.
    25 grams granulated sugar, 16 ounces shortbread cookies (like 3 packs of walkers)
  4. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly along the bottom and little up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Leave oven at 300F but turn off convection.

Cheesecake

  1. It's important that everything is softened to room temperature. If you need to, place the cream cheese (with the packaging) and the eggs in a bowl of hot water for 5-10 minutes and microwave the sour cream for 10-20 seconds.
  2. Place the cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer). Add the granulated sugar and then the mixer up to medium-low speed. Mix for 1-2 minutes, scraping the edge of the bowl every so often to make sure the mixture is smooth and there are no chunks of cream cheese left.
    907 grams cream cheese room temperature, 266 grams granulated sugar
  3. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix at low speed, until they're fully combined.
    240 grams sour cream, 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  4. With the mixer still at low speed, add the first egg and mix just until it's combined. Then add the second egg. Scrape the edge of the bowl well and give it one more good mix. Make sure to get smooth out any visible chunks and don't increase the speed so you don't incorporate air.
    4 large eggs room temperature
  5. Fold the batter a few times before pouring it over the crust. Place the cheesecake on the bottom rack of the oven and place another pan full of hot water next to it.
Bake for 45 minutes. The edges of the cheesecake should be set but the center should still be jiggly.
  6. Turn the oven off and pull out the cheesecake just slightly so you can reach it. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake so it can release from the pan and prevent cracking as it cools. Put the cheesecake back in the oven and leave the door halfway open for 15 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before topping with the salted caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

  1. Place the sugar and water in a medium size heavy bottom sauce pan. Swirl the pan until the sugar is immersed in water. Place the saucepan over medium heat and allow the sugar to fully dissolve in the water, gently swirling the pan every minute or so.
    200 grams granulated sugar, 60 mL water
  2. Bring the sugar and water to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Place the lid on the pan and allow the mixture to simmer until the color begins to darken to a light amber color, this should take about 10 minutes. Make sure to remove the lid and check the color at least every minute.
  3. You can gently swirl the pan every couple of minutes but DO NOT STIR IT WITH ANYTHING. If there are crystalized pieces of sugar on the sides of the pan, the steam running down from the lid should dissolve them but if it doesn’t, you can use a pastry brush wet with water to brush them away.
  4. Once the sugar is an amber color, remove it from the heat, stir in the butter and then pour in the heavy whipping cream while stirring constantly.
    84 grams salted butter room temperature, 80 mL heavy cream room temperature
  5. Pour the caramel sauce in a heat proof jar and stir in the salt and vanilla.
    1 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  6. Allow to cool completely to room temperature (can cover and refrigerate) before spreading on top of chilled cheesecake.

Chocolate Ganache

  1. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and place the heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan.
    113 grams dark chocolate chips or chopped, 120 mL heavy cream
  2. Heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer (bubbling all around the edge).
  3. Pour the cream over the dark chocolate and cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap for about 5 minutes, so the chocolate melts.
  4. Gently stir the ganache until it's completely smooth. Gently spread on top of the chilled caramel sauce and refrigerate for another couple of hours. Top with fresh sea salt flakes.
    Sea Salt Flakes

Notes

*would also work in a 9inch springform pan but will be taller and bake for an additional few minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 548kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 10gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 723mgPotassium: 248mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 696IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 192mgIron: 3mg
Course: Cheesecake
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate caramel cheesecake, millionaire bars