ngredients

Crust:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
Cheesecake:
32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ⅔ cups sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
2 eggs
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
Caramel Sauce*:
40 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 Tablespoons butter
Ganache:
1 ½ cups heavy cream* See note below.
12 – 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used three 4-ounce Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate bars)*
Garnish:
Fun-sized Twix bars, optional

Instructions

To make the crust, combine all ingredients and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350º for 8 minutes. Let cool. Keep the oven on to bake the cheesecake.
To make cheesecake, using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1 package of the cream cheese, ⅓ cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch together on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Blend in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each.
Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining sugar, then the vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the cream just until completely blended.
The filling will look light, creamy, airy, and almost like billowy clouds. Be careful not to over-mix.
Gently scrape out the batter onto the crust. Wrap the sides of the pan in aluminum foil.
Place the cake pan in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes halfway (about 1 inch) up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the top is a very light golden brown and the center barely jiggles for about 1¼ hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath, transfer it to a wire rack, and let cool for 2 hours. Chill until cold.
To make the caramel, combine all in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 1-minute intervals until completely smooth and blended. Stir after each minute. Let cool a bit. You will only need about half of the caramel for this cheesecake.
To make the ganache, heat the cream just to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
To assemble the cheesecake, pour about half the caramel into the center where the center has deflated down a bit. Chill just to firm up the caramel. (Note: I did not add a caramel layer, but instead drizzled each slice with caramel as I served).
Pour on the chocolate ganache and chill for several hours or overnight before unmolding from the pan. Top with fun-sized Twix bars if desired.
To serve, carefully remove the springform pan sides. Cut into slices and serve with caramel sauce.

Notes

Making my microwave caramel sauce is an alternative to this caramel recipe, but it won’t be as thick.

You may add a layer of caramel sauce before the ganache. If you do add a caramel layer, it will ooze out a bit when you slice this cheesecake. I prefer leaving the caramel as a topping instead of a layer, but both ways will be delicious.

*I’ve used this ganache topping on another cheesecake successfully as did my videographer, so it works for me. I’ve had 2 comments mentioning that their ganache wasn’t thick enough so you may want to add another 4 ounces of chopped chocolate to ensure it sets properly.

Make sure your 9-inch springform pan has an interior depth of at least 2½-inches so there is room for all the batter. If you don’t use the paddle attachment, you may have excess batter.