Cakes · cheesecakes

Blondie Bottom Caramel Praline Cheesecake

Gail

Blondie Bottom Caramel Praline Cheesecake combines a chewy pecan blondie with a New York style cheesecake. Top it with caramel sauce and candied pecans  for a sumptuous dessert.

A slice of blondie bottom caramel praline cheesecake sits on a glass plate on a red table cloth. The slice is angled so the point is slightly toward the viewer on the left side of the photo. The thin blondie bottom is a medium brown with visible pecan pieces. The creamy cheesecake is topped with candied nuts and caramel. Some of the caramel is dripping down the side of the cheesecake.

I love New York style cheesecake. It’s a bit of a pain to make because you need a water bath while it cooks but the results are so worth it. Because springform pans often leak a little, you need to cover the outside of the pan in aluminum foil. Two layers ensures the water won’t seep in and make your cheesecake soggy.

When I was in high school, the Delaware Arts Council subsidized opera tickets so that going to the Opera was cheaper than going to a movie. My friends and I bought season tickets to the Philadelphia Opera. We saw amazing talent (Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo among others) from the nosebleed seats.

After the opera, we’d always go to an all-night diner in a not-so-nice part of Philly. That diner had amazing cheesecake and the time with friends was precious.

A creamy pale yellow cheesecake sits on top of a one inch thick light brown blondie. The cake is topped with candied nuts and caramel sauce. The caramel sauce drips down the sides of the cake so the sides of the cake are striped light brown caramel and pale yellow cheesecake.

A month ago I attended a food blogger’s conference. I’ve never eaten so much in my life. One of the desserts I had was a pecan praline cheesecake bar. I loved the simplicity and combination of flavors so I decided to take it up a notch with this Blondie Bottom Caramel Praline Cheesecake.

This cheesecake also gave me a chance to try out my DreamFarm baking tools. They sent me Levups, Levoons, and a supoon. I love how the Levups and Levoons stack so neatly together. It’s a huge space-saver in your kitchen drawers.

A slice of blondie bottom caramel praline cheesecake sits on a stack of white plates with lacey edges. The slice is angles so that the cut side faces the viewer and the tip is to the right.The medium brown blondie is about 1 inch thick and the creamy pale cheesecake is between 2 and 3 inches thick. The candied nuts that top the cake are coated in the caramel sauce. The tip of the slice has broken off and is laying on the plate. The caramel sauce is beginning to drip down the cut side of the slice and a strand of caramel extends from the top of the cake to the small piece that has broken off at the front.

I also love the attached bar that levels your spoon or cup. It makes it so easy to accurately measure ingredients. I wish I’d had these when my kids were small. You never knew whether they were adding heaping cupfuls or scant ones.

Blondie Bottom Caramel Praline Cheesecake

A slice of blondie bottom caramel praline cheesecake sits on a glass plate on a red table cloth. The slice is angled so the point is slightly toward the viewer on the left side of the photo. The thin blondie bottom is a medium brown with visible pecan pieces. The creamy cheesecake is topped with candied nuts and caramel. Some of the caramel is dripping down the side of the cheesecake.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Blondie bottom

  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

Cheesecake layer

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup butter, melted

Topping

Instructions

Blondie bottom

  1. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. I cut a large square and then pressed it into the bottom so the paper covered the sides too. The blondie will only rise about an inch in the bottom of the pan so the paper does not need to go all the way up the sides.
  2. Mix butter and brown sugar together. Add egg and vanilla.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix into wet ingredients. Mix in pecans.
  4. Spread evenly in bottom of springform pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
  5. Remove blondie from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Cheesecake layer

  1. Generously butter a 9 inch springform pan. Cover bottom and sides with 2 layers of aluminum foil. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla until creamy.
  2. Add eggs one at a time. Mixing between each one.
  3. Blend in sour cream and melted butter. Pour into prepared pan and set the pan in a water bath. (I used a large cast iron skillet filled with water).
  4. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour 10 minutes or until center is almost set. Let cool until room temperature and then refrigerate in the pan for 4 hours.

Assembly

  1. Cut around the outside of the springform pan to make sure the cheesecake didn't stick. Remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Peal the parchment paper away from the blondie and place it on top of the cheesecake. Put the serving dish on top of that and invert the whole so the blondie is on the bottom.
  2. Carefully insert a knife between the pan bottom and the cheesecake layer to remove it. Don't worry about having a completely clean look for the top. You can put any loose bits of cheesecake back on top because the topping will hide imperfections.
  3. Drizzle top generously with caramel sauce and then top with candied pecans.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 300mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 17gSugar: 34gProtein: 8g

Nutrition information is provided as a guide only. Please consult a dietician for specific dietary needs.

© Gail Dickinson
Category: cheesecakes

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