Dulce de leche is a caramel-like sweet confection made with sweetened condensed milk. It is used in many Hispanic desserts and is probably one of my favorite sweeteners to use. It has a richness to it that is subtle yet flavorful at the same time. My grandma always had dulce de leche dips in her home that we would eat with crackers and wafers. I decided to put one of my favorite flavors in an elevated dish that really isn't too difficult to make. The smooth caramel-like flavors are a perfect way to enhance your traditional cheesecake! The graham cracker crust and its sweetness balance out the sea salt sprinkled at the end!
Sprinkle some large sea salt bits on top of the dulce de leche layer to break up the sweetness with something a little salty!
You can substitute the graham crackers with vanilla wafers for an even sweeter crust, but I prefer the coarser texture that the graham crackers give!
Dulce de leche is a bit different than traditional caramel because it is made with sweetened condensed milk instead of water. This makes it a lot richer and sweeter and much preferable on desserts in my opinion! Dulce de leche is very popular in Colombian desserts and I decided to make a dessert dedicated to this childhood memory of mine!
Cheesecake is a very tricky dessert to tackle sometimes because you don't want it to be too heavy but you also need some density to it so it can hold together. I've come up with a fool-proof recipe that is extremely simple to follow and gives you the perfect cheesecake! Be warned, this is not a dessert you can whip up in an hour. Although it is simple, you need a few hours to let it set and cool, so if you are planning on serving it to guests, I suggest making it the night before!
Prep Time: 35 minutes Serves: 8 People
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, and 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the Crust:
1 Box of Graham Crackers (about 300 gr)
1/4 cup Sugar
10 Tbsp. Butter, melted
For the Cheesecake Filling:
24 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Sugar
8 oz. Dulce de Leche
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 Eggs
For the Topping:
4 oz. Dulce de Leche
Sea Salt Flakes
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a processor, crush the graham crackers into a fine crumb texture. Make sure it is smooth with no cracker chunks in it.
Add in the sugar and melted butter until ingredients are combined evenly and molded together.
Transfer the graham cracker base in a 9-in. spring form pan and press evenly on the bottom and sides of the pan. Make sure you take the crust up the sides of the pan to hold the cheese cake together when baking and cooling.
Refrigerate the crust while working on the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed until it becomes fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in the sour cream and yogurt and continue to beat until incorporated.
While mixing the cream cheese, add in the sugar and dulce de leche. Continue to mix until ingredients are combined well.
Stir in the vanilla and salt, and one by one add in the eggs while mixing. Mix on low speed while adding eggs so that you don't incorporate too much air into the batter. This can cause cracks when baking that you don't want.
Add the batter to the chilled crust.
Bake for 45-50 minutes in the oven until the top is a golden brown, edges are stiff, and the center is just slightly wobbly. Do not over bake! The center shouldn't be stiff when you take it out. This will set when cooling and chilling.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, run a knife along the edges of the crust to separate it from the pan. Let the cake continue to cool in room temperature for 2 hours.
Transfer the cake to the fridge for another 3-4 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to serve, pop the spring form edge of the pan and separate it from the base. Drizzle the dulce de leche sauce on top of the cheesecake and sprinkle with sea salt.
Note: This cheese cake will remain fresh for up to 5 days, covered and refrigerated.
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