Bourbon Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Published on March 13, 2021 | By
Bourbon salted caramel cheesecake

Lauren Mitterer operates The Wild Flour Bakery and is part of the culinary scene in Charleston, South Carolina. Lauren has a reputation from her bakery on King Street in Charleston for baking comfort desserts and “out of the box” pastries. She is also known for making pastries and confections that showcase and contrast her love for combining sweet and salty.  In an article in Garden and Gun in 2017, she created a dessert that demonstrated her belief that bourbon and pecans are king. The Bourbon Salted Caramel Cheesecake was born! So southern and so right!

My cousin’s husband Cal recently learned what a springform pan is and decided to begin his journey with his removable bottom pan in hand to perfect the cheesecake. Taking a lesson from Lauren Mitterer, he decided to tackle this bourbon and pecan cheesecake, the “Bourbon Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Pralines.” I can tell you from personal experience that it is good. Every bite is filled with a smooth and silky richness that stimulates your palate with salt and the caramelized sugar flavor of pralines simultaneously.

We won’t talk about how many calories may be in each slice of this decadent cake. However, it should come with a warning, “only one small sliver of a piece, ” please.

The cheesecake starts with a graham cracker crust. Then it is filled with a cream cheese, egg, bourbon and salted caramel sauce. Finally, it is topped with more salted caramel sauce and bits of pecan pralines. Can you imagine it now?

This is a special cake that takes a little time but it is worth the effort. Lauren recommends using a pre-made caramel sauce and pralines. So that will save you a couple of steps. I suggest that you serve a light dinner or lunch before this cake so you can allow it to take center stage, the place that a royal cheesecake deserves, of course.

    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 6 TBSP butter, room temperature
  • 6 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 6 large eggs
  • ¾ cup purchased salted caramel sauce, such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s Salty Caramel Sauce or cook’s preference, divided use
  • 2 TBSP bourbon
  • 12 pralines, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in bowl of a food processor or stand mixer. Blend until crumbs stick together. Press crumbs onto the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. If an outer edge of crust is desired, press crumbs up 2 inches on the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Cool.
  2. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix cream cheese until soft. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt; mix on low until very smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer; scrape the sides of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer. Slowly add eggs just until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl.
  3. Carefully add and fold ½ cup of salted caramel sauce and bourbon into the mixture. Pour batter into crust. Wrap foil around the outside of cheesecake pan. Place a sheet tray or larger pan underneath the wrapped cheesecake. Slowly add water to the pan to create a water bath approximately 2 inches deep. Carefully place the cheesecake in the oven. Bake until its center is set and the rest of the cake has a uniform jiggle, at least 50 minutes.
  4. Start checking the cake after 30 minutes. If the top gets too dark, gently cover with foil. Remove cake from the oven as well as the water bath pan. Cool to room temperature, and then cool completely in the refrigerator.
  5. When ready to remove from the pan, gently run a knife around the outside edge of the cheesecake and unlock the springform.
  6. Place on a serving platter or cake plate. Cover the top with ¼ cup of caramel sauce and chopped pralines. Cut and serve from the bottom pan or carefully slide a cardboard cake circle underneath.
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