Cheese Cake with Caramel Topping

Cheese cake with caramel topping....what more should I say !

This cake is for all my viewers and blog friends who have unconditionally supported me and motivated me to  blog .Here is a big thank you from the bottom of my heart , this small space of mine touched 100K the other day.

 So here comes cascades of caramel...

Cheese cake..this is my first attempt.I have had slices of cheese cake earlier always with fruit toppings but was really worried if  I we would be able to finish one whole cake with fruits so I went with the caramel topping. The caramel gives a beautiful toffee flavor which I really love.I had no idea the man of mine would love it so much..I was really shocked to see him enjoying a nice slice every now and then. Daughty was after him saying," Dad, u got to admit u really liked this cake don't you !" He chuckled every time as he gobbled a piece :)
The cake vanished in no time...

You must be thinking the caramel is pretty runny seeing the pics but each dripping took at least 10 -15 minutes to really drop down so it gave me ample time to take photos :) There were some sugar crystals on the sides of the pan which I scrapped off and added to the top of the cake.It added a nice crunch.

All the recipes I looked up had loads of cream cheese going into the cake so I have tweaked by adding all purpose flour. The texture was really nice as u can see.

For the crust:

Graham crackers/ Mini vanilla wafers - 1 pack
Butter- 1/2 stick

• Crust the crackers coarsely and add melted butter to it to form a wet sand like mixture.
• Line a 9" pan spring form pan with wax paper just only on the bottom .Put the mixture on top of it and pat it well with ur hand to form an even layer then press it with any flat bottom ramekin to even it out.
• Bake it at 350F for 5 to 8 minutes until the crust is firm.Cool it then refrigerate for sometime until u get the filling ready.

For the filling:

Cream cheese- 1 1/2 packs ( 1 pack is 8 oz)
Eggs-2
All purpose flour- 1 cup
Granulated sugar- 1/2 -1 cup
Heavy whipping cream - 3/4 - 1 cup
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

• Bring everything to room temperature.
• Slowly whip the cheese then add egg one by one then add all purpose flour to it slowly blend in the sugar too along with whipping cream.Do not beat too much for air pockets to form.
• Wrap the outside of cake pan with aluminium foil to catch any leaks from the spring form.I wanted to do a water bath method but my cake pan did not fit into my tray so quit that :)
• Pour it on top of the prepared crust and bake it at 325 F for about an hour.That is until the sides begin to brown and center is jiggly and the sides are firm.
• Very important: When done remove the aluminium foil and cover the hot cake pan immediately with a tight lid and keep on the wire rack to cool.This is done to keep the surface of the cake even and the center of the cake does not sink in.Once the cake cools down refrigerate in the spring pan itself.

For the caramel  filling: 

Granulated sugar-1/2 cup- 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter- 1/2 stick(at room temp)
 Whole milk- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (depending on thickness u want )

• Heat a thick bottom pan and  add the sugar let it melt on its own (no water added)on a very slow flame when it is completely melted do not stir in between .Switch off flame and add butter (be careful of spluttering) then add whole milk.Stir well  heat it and let it thicken( without burning)to the consistency you want then switch off flame.
• Pour it on top of the cake when it is at room temperature.Do not pour too much as it has no jelling agent it will over flow when u open the spring pan. 

NOTE:

Immerse the knife in piping hot water for a few minutes,wipe it clean and immediately slice the cake.This is done to get neat slices.Put the knife to heat up back into the water after few cuts.Do not skip this as the caramel will get stuck to the knife and will become really messy.
Do not leave the cake in room temperature for too long.

While I was digging into the cake it kept reminding me of the glaciers and the frozen cliffs :) ... the last pic is my favorite in the whole set.Cheese cake in a new perspective..

Hope to hear from u lovely people out there.

Meena