Oh boy! So this recipe is a doozy. Today I present my version of a salted caramel white chocolate cheesecake. This sugar-free cheesecake recipe will knock some socks off. So good, my husband wouldn’t let me share it.
I bake up lots of desserts and test desserts during the week and usually send a few dishes off to his office. Not this week! He was adamant that this one stays in the fridge.
This salted caramel cheesecake recipe is low carb, sugar-free, gluten-free, and keto-friendly. It’s also super sweet and VERY rich, one small slice will do you.
White chocolate cheesecake with salted caramel topping
This sugar-free cheesecake recipe, or I should say the original version of this cheesecake, was always a go-to for me over the Christmas holidays. Everyone loves this cheesecake. My guests always wanted the recipe. If you want to impress at a dinner event, make a caramel cheesecake.
But that original recipe was laced with sugar, especially when you topped with sticky caramel.
So I set out to make the original recipe over – and I am so glad I did. This will be our holiday or thanksgiving dessert this year for sure.
..and if you’re a cheesecake fan I have a few other recipes that you should check out.
Blackberry cheesecake with a ginger crust
Creamy blueberry cheesecake bars
Blueberry cheesecake ice cream
Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
A bit about the crust & Pan
For this recipe, I used a high walled tart pan with a removable bottom. I wanted a pretty rippled crust to add a bit of oomph to my presentation, I think it really added a bit of drama to the cheesecake.
Feel free to use a springform pan but if you use a high walled tart pan, make sure that you take the crust all the way up the sides. Leave no marks or holes in the crust before baking.
The crust also needs to be pre-baked for 5 minutes before adding the filling. Don’t skip this part or your crust will end up undercooked on the bottom.
Also, because coconut flour tends to brown and burn quickly, the cheesecake pan should be wrapped in tin foil. After you have spread the crust in the pan, wrap tinfoil under the pan, up the sides, and just over the edge of the crust. You want to cover the top edges of the pan so that the top of the crust bakes up perfect. A pie blind works wells for this, but I find a piece of tin foil if you fiddle around with it enough, works in a pinch.
a bit about the white chocolate
Sugar-free white chocolate is hard to find. If you find any, please email me. (I am not even kidding!)
So to add a bit of white chocolate flavour to this cheesecake I added a bit of melted cocoa butter. It totally worked and I didn’t need to add any additional ingredients to the sugar-free cheesecake recipe batter to get that flavour.
That spirally white chocolate top is just a few melted tablespoons of cocoa butter, mixed with a bit of powdered heavy cream and some powdered erythritol sweetener. It hardens like regular white chocolate, and adds a beautiful presentation, but is entirely optional.
You can skip that fanciness and add a bit of flakey salt to the top of your cheesecake and call it a day.
A salted caramel recipe
The caramel topping for this cheesecake is a separate recipe. Don’t hate me, but you do need to make your caramel, and you can find the full tutorial, with details and ingredients.
This caramel recipe will not crystallize in the fridge. It remains in a smooth liquid state even when cold. The recipe calls for allulose, and it is the sweetener that works the BEST in this recipe.
You can also use a commercial brand caramel sauce, but I bet you it’s not half as good as making your own caramel sauce.
It’s a great little recipe to drizzle over desserts to add a bit of caramel punch.
Baking Tips & tricks to get a perfect cheesecake
I usually bake my cheesecakes in a bain-marie, but I skipped that this time and opted to roll the dice on cracking. I figured if my cheesecake cracked I would fill the chasm with caramel sauce. Who would complain?!
I couldn’t use a bain-marie this time because I used a tart pan. If you use a springform pan I have a few tips that could prevent or reduce cracking in your cheesecakes.
Spring Form Pan Instructions – Perfect Cheesecake Top with No Cracks (well most of the time)
- Use room temperature ingredients.
- Wrap your springform pan, sides and bottom in aluminum foil.
- Place the cheesecake in a bain-marie or roasting pan, making sure it lies flat. Fill the pan with 1 inch of boiling water.
- Don’t open the oven door, don’t peek while the cheesecake is baking.
- When the cheesecake is done, leave it in the oven to cool.
These tips have made it so about 90% of my cheesecakes come out perfectly. That other 10%? Well, I just assume it’s the universe’s way of keeping me honest.
What sweeteners work best in this cheesecake recipe?
I used Surkin Gold brown sugar in the crust and the cheesecake. I like the warmth and caramel flavour the brown sugar brings to this recipe. You do not have to use the brown, and you can use any of your favourite granular 1:1 sugar substitutes.
I did not test Swerve or Stevia in this recipe because I would be making cheesecakes for a week (we like cheesecake, but not that much). Swerve, as well as any pure erythritol sweetener, will add that cooling mint flavour that does not marry well with caramel. I would skip them for this recipe.
Monk fruit sweetener would work well, and I have had a lot of luck using the monk fruit erythritol blends. They tend to lessen the cooling sensation.
The one sweetener that is not optional is the allulose in the salted caramel recipe. The allulose creates a perfect sticky sauce that does not harden in the cold. Caramels made with other sweeteners will turn hard and grainy and ruin the texture of the caramel once refrigerated.
caramel sugar-free cheesecake recipe Storage and serving suggestions
Store this cheesecake in the fridge for up to a week. Make sure to cover to keep the cheesecake fresh.
I mean a week seems like a stretch, I can not imagine having this around that long! Ha.
You can also freeze the baked cheesecake without the caramel topping. I always thought frozen cheesecakes just tasted better; they seemed to have a better texture once defrosted. So yup, go ahead and freeze this and top it before you serve it.
Looking For More Caramel and Fall-Inspired Desserts?
White Chocolate Caramel Sugar-Free Cheesecake
Yield: 16
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
A sticky gooey caramel topped sugar-free cheesecake. Sure to please a crowd and perfect for a holiday meal.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 cup butter (softened)
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp Surkin Gold Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 cups cream cheese
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup melted cocoa butter
- 1/2 cup Surkin Gold Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup erythritol
Caramel Topping
- 1/2 cup allulose
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
White Chocolate Swirl (Optional)
- 3 Tbsp melted cocoa butter
- 2 Tbsp powdered heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered erythritol
Instructions
Caramel Topping (See notes above in blog post)
- Add all ingredients to a high walled saucepan.
- Turn the heat on low and allow ingredients to melt. Stir to combine before caramel starts to simmer.
- Allow to simmer on low heat for 15-16 minutes, or until the caramel turns a light amber brown. Do not stir while ingredients are simmering.
- Working carefully, pour caramel into a heatproof jar.
- Cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge to firm.
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grate the butter and add it to a large mixing bowl.
- Blend eggs, vanilla, and cream in a small bowl and whisk until well blended and pour into the bowl with the grated butter.
- Add salt, coconut flour, and Surkin Gold and mix until everything is well blended and comes together into a ball.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan, or 10-inch springform pan.
- Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with tin-foil. Wrap a bit of tin foil over the rim of the pan to protect the top of the crust.
- Bake in a 350F oven for 5 minutes and remove and cool before adding the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium-sized bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer whip cream cheese, vanilla, powdered erythritol, Surkin Gold brown sugar and blend until soft and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until fully blended.
- Add melted cocoa butter and whip until fully blended.
- Pour cheesecake filling into your crust.
- Bake at 350F oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is set in the center.
- Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool.
- Once cool top with caramel sauce
White Chocolate Drizzle
Melt 3 Tbsp of cocoa butter. Stir in powdered heavy cream and powdered erythritol until well blended. Use immediately to drizzle over caramel topping.
Notes
Please see the full blog post about making sugar-free caramel from scratch, it has all kinds of tips and tricks to help make your caramel perfect.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 415Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 6.7gNet Carbohydrates: 5.4gFiber: 1.3gSugar: 10gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs (and sugar alcohols) are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fibre.
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