A Gourmet Cheesecake Recipe
A close cousin to my salted caramel cheesecake, this decadent turtle cheesecake is the dessert to make if you are trying to impress dinner guests. It’s gorgeous, it’s rich, and it’s most definitely impressive.
Why you’ll love my recipe:
Captures all the elements of classic Turtle candies: pecan infused crust, thick ripple of chocolate and caramel throughout, and of course more caramel, chocolate, and pecans on top. No water bath required! Like all of my cheesecake recipes (I have more than 30 now!), this turtle cheesecake is made WITHOUT a water bath. Don’t worry though, I include lots of tips for preventing cracks! Can be made a few days in advance and also freezes well! The perfect way to cap off an evening, especially after enjoying something equally gourmet like garlic butter shrimp or beef ragu.
This recipe is so much fun despite being a bit messy and involved. The end result is 100% worth the effort though, and I can’t wait for you to try it 🤩
What You Need
Despite being an elaborate and gourmet dessert, this turtle cheesecake requires just 12 ingredients. That’s not too bad, considering my turtle cookies require the same amount!
Cream cheese. You must use full-fat, block-style cream cheese for this recipe. Low-fat or spreadable cream cheese will prevent your turtle cheesecake from setting up properly. Sour cream. I love adding sour cream to my cheesecakes; it adds depth of flavor and that signature cheesecake tang. Brown sugar. We’ll add light brown sugar to the crust (which I always do with my graham cracker crust), and we’ll also add a bit to the cheesecake itself. This adds a subtle flavor that goes SO well with the caramel and pecans! Caramel Sauce. You can use store bought caramel sauce (usually sold with the ice cream toppings) or use my homemade caramel sauce, which is what I prefer. You’ll dirty a few more bowls if you make the caramel from scratch, but it’s so worth it! Chocolate. While you could use chocolate chips, I prefer to make my chocolate ganache with couverture chocolate or a chopped baking bar. I like to use semisweet or dark chocolate to cut the richness of the caramel; milk chocolate would likely be too sweet.
SAM’S TIP: Toast your pecans! It’s easy to do and really enhances their flavor. Need a quick tutorial? Check out my post on how to toast pecans. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Tips for Preventing Cracks
Cracks aren’t too much of a concern here, since we will be covering the top of our turtle cheesecake; however, the perfectionist in me (and many of you!) can’t help but want a smooth, crack-free surface. Here’s how to achieve that!
Press the crust high up the sides of the pan. This is the #1 tip I can give you! Doing this will allow your crust to shrink with the cheesecake as it cools, which is a very common reason for cracks. Use room temperature ingredients. This will allow your ingredients to combine more easily and prevent over-mixing. Do not over-mix. Over-mixing can cause your cheesecake to puff up during baking, then shrink (and crack) while it cools. Go easy on the eggs. Mixing the eggs too much can cause a curdled, eggy tasting cheesecake that puffs in the oven and sinks in on itself. To prevent this, lightly mix each egg before adding it, add the eggs one at a time, and mix until just combined after each addition. Cool slowly. Turn off your oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecake remain inside for 1 hour. This will slow down the cooling process instead of immediately bringing the hot cheesecake out into the room temperature air.
These are all tricks that I use in every single one of my cheesecakes and you can use them for any cheesecake you bake.
How to Make Turtle Cheesecake
Chocolate Ripple
Crust
Filling
Cooling & Decorating
SAM’S TIP: Run your knife under hot water, dry it off, and then slice! Do this between each cut and you will have gorgeous cheesecake slices. Want to try another gourmet cheesecake? Try my blueberry cheesecake or peppermint bark cheesecake! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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