Maple-Caramel and Pecan Cheesecake

Remember the Friends episode, ‘The one with all the cheesecake’? Testing this cheesecake recipe felt just like that (not that I’m complaining) and, after many variations and one that almost ended up on the floor, we have a winner.     

This no-bake cheesecake couldn’t be easier to make - the only struggle is waiting for it to set before digging in. To limit the temptation, I recommend making this in the evening and leaving to set overnight - you can prepare the topping the next day, ready for devouring.

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted and topped with anything you like but, in my opinion, this nutty caramel combination can't be beaten. 

If you fancy making your own caramel, then check out my blog post here for a really easy recipe, but a really good quality shop bought version will do perfectly too.

Cheesecake is dessert indulgence at it’s best, so don’t be tempted to use a ‘low fat’ cream cheese, embrace it for what it is - just make sure you have plenty of volunteers around to help polish it off.   

What you need:

For the base:
300g digestive biscuits
150g unsalted butter

For the filling:
450g full fat cream cheese
60g caramel
50g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla
360ml double cream

For the topping:
70g pecans
3tbsp caramel
1tbsp maple syrup

What you need to do:

For the base:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and then set to one side
2. Place the digestives in a food processor and blitz until you have a fine crumb alternatively, you can put them in a sandwich bag and crush with a rolling pin
3. Combine with the butter and flatten into a 8 inch loose-bottom cake tin then set aside

For the filling:

1. Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and soften using a wooden spoon
2. Combine the caramel, icing sugar and vanilla with the cream cheese and mix until completely
3. In a separate bowl or in a freestanding mixer, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form
4. Fold the double cream into the cream cheese mix then pour over the base
5. Leave to set overnight, or for at least 6 hours (it’ll be worth it)

To finish:

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup and caramel together
2. Once the cheesecake has set, place onto a plate then sprinkle with pecans and drizzle with the maple caramel
3. Slice and enjoy!