Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake is a coffee lover’s dream. Creamy espresso cheesecake topped with whipped cream and Kahlua caramel sauce makes for a knock out dessert!
Tomorrow is our priest’s wedding anniversary. He and his family just got back from vacation so we’ve all been missing them. Time to make something special.
He’s a big coffee fan so it needed to be something coffee flavored. I found this recipe for Tia Maria cheesecake on the BBC but reviewers said it was bland and the topping was terrible.
What really intrigued me about the BBC recipe is that it’s a baked cheesecake that doesn’t require a water bath.
Water baths help cheesecakes bake more evenly so they don’t crack. I have limited pans here in Cambodia so I can only make an 8-inch cheesecake in a water bath. That’s not nearly big enough for a celebration.
The trick with this cheesecake is reducing the oven temperature as it cooks and cooling it in the oven. I love, love, love how simple that is. So much easier than a water bath.
True to the BBC promise, this cheesecake did not crack and it’s wonderfully creamy.
I used espresso powder to elevate the flavor and made a stabilized whipped cream topping that I spooned on to look like froth on a cup of coffee.
A caramel macchiato cheesecake needs a good caramel topping. The Kahlua caramel sauce on this one is amazing. One of the ladies at church grabbed the almost empty jar and started eating the left over sauce with a spoon. I’m not judging. I had a few spoonfuls myself when I made it.
The sweet caramel sauce pairs perfectly with the espresso cheesecake. I let my guests ladle on as much or as little as they wanted. Most really went for it.
Ingredients
- 3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used chocolate wafer cookies)
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 28 ounces (900 g) cream cheese (3.5 x 8-ounce packages), softened
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup espresso powder
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup Kahlua
Instructions
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.
- Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together and press evenly in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Let cool. Turn oven up to 450°F (230°C).
- Put cream cheese, brown sugar, sugar, espresso powder, flour and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until well mixed. Beat in eggs and gradually beat in whipping cream.
- Pour batter onto prepared crust. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 250°F (130°C) for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven while it cools (at least 2 hours).
- Have all ingredients ready before you start. Put sugar and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. Heat over medium high heat, stirring, until the mixture boils. If your pan heats evenly, you can stop stirring. Watch the sugar closely. It will turn amber, and then start to darken. When it's a little darker brown than regular caramels, take it off the heat.
- Add the whipping cream all at once. It will bubble up to about twice the size of the liquid and give off a lot of steam so be careful. You will need to stir quickly to make sure the cream is mixed in.
- Add the butter and quickly stir into the sauce.
- If you want the alcohol to cook off, add the Kahlua while the sauce is still hot. If you want the alcohol to stay in, let the sauce cool for about 5 minutes and then add the kahlua.
- Mix all ingredients together in a metal bowl. Place the bowl with the ingredients and the beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes. Work quickly to assemble your mixer and beat the whipped cream to stiff peaks.
- Spread the stabilized whipped cream on top of the cooled cheesecake. Just before serving, drizzle top with Kahlua caramel sauce.
Looking for more coffee flavored desserts?
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
Chocolate and Kahlua Coffee Pound Cake
Or caramel desserts?
Salted Caramel Macchiato Cupcakes
Pecan Pie Bundt Cake from All Day I Dream About Food
Wow this cake recipe is so good and delicious, thank you for sharing your recipe
I’m so glad you liked it!