Peanut Butter Caramel Cheesecake

 

It's times like these that I love having a stand mixer! Almost a kilo of cream cheese went into this bad boy. I simply don't have the muscle mass to deal with mixing that (and now I never will since I don't have to). On a flavor note, this cheesecake is more peanut butter than caramel, perhaps due to substituting American ingredients. It's still got all of the lovely baked cheesecake flavor with a fabulous peanut butter kick. On the presentation side, I couldn't recreate the swirls of the original and instead my blobs of peanut butter-caramel sank to the bottom. Apparently that didn't affect the taste, as I have just overheard cheesecake aficionado and birthday boy Kyle say to his Mum "it's one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had".

 

 

 

Peanut butter caramel cheesecake (adapted from here)

 

1 3/4 cups Arnott's Shredded Wheatmeal crumbs

3 tbsp sugar, plus 1 1/3 cup extra

Pinch salt, plus 1/2 tsp extra

60g butter, melted

900g cream cheese, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/3 cups cream

1/2 cup tinned caramel

1/3 cup peanut butter

 

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a 22-23cm springform tin with butter.
2. Combine biscuit crumbs, 3 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt and butter. Press into the base of the tin in an even layer. Wrap the outside of the tin with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat of oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Boil a full kettle.
4. Beat the cream cheese for 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1/2 tsp salt and beat for a further 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Add the cream and beat until combined.
5. Combine the peanut butter and caramel in a small heatproof bowl and heat gently over a saucepan of simmering water until softened and less viscose.
6. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the pre-baked crust. Swirl or dollop the peanut butter mixture over the top.
7. Place the foil wrapped pan in a larger roasting pan and fill halfway up the sides of the springform pan with boiling water. Bake for 1 hour or until the top is slightly browned. Turn off the oven, prop open the door and leave there for another hour.
8. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 hours until set.