VZ's Turtle Cheesecake

[VirusZero 176]

The original recipe is here. My version is a bit different in some regards.

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Crust:
About 1/2 a bag of chocolate cookie crumbs (usually around a cup to cup and a half or so, admittedly I'm not super precise here.)
125ml (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (or margarine) melted

 

For the Caramel-Pecan Layer:
1 bottle Smuckers caramel sauce (usually a 473ml bottle)
1 small bag of pecans (smallest available, chopped if you don't want to do it yourself)

 

For the Cheesecake:
32 ounces (4 blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature
1¼ cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup heavy cream (depending on location may be called whipping cream instead)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 

For the Chocolate Ganache:
¾ cup heavy cream (could be called whipping cream)
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips/chunks (your call here since they're getting melted anyway)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

OPTIONAL - You could halve the amounts for the ganache as it makes a ton, more than enough to cover the top completely and still have lots left over. If you really like chocolate then go with the full amounts here, otherwise try going with half amounts. 

 

Directions: 

1. Make the Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss together the chocolate crumbs and melted butter until all of the crumbs are moistened. Press into the bottom of a large aluminum "roasting/lasagna" pan. (Available at Walmart or most supermarkets.) Place pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 7 minutes, or until crust is firm. Remove from oven and cool completely.

It should look similar to this:

 

2. Make the Caramel-Pecan Layer:

Chop the pecans if not already done, you can cut them as fine or coarse as you like. (I prefer somewhat fine cuts/small pieces for the most part.) In a small bowl, stir together the Smucker's sauce and pecans. Pour a layer onto the cooled crust and gently spread into an even layer. (I usually end up with a little over half the amount left...) Store the remainder in the fridge until later. 

 

3. Make the Cheesecake:

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the heavy/whipping cream and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour the batter on top of the caramel-pecan layer and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the middle still jiggles a little.

 

4. Keeping the oven door closed, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, about an additional 2 hours. Once completely cool, refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).

It might look similar to this (this was baked for one hour):

 

5. Make the Chocolate Ganache:

Combine the heavy/whipping cream, corn syrup, chocolate and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set the glaze aside to cool and thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 

6. Pour the final layers:

Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake, gently spreading it to the edges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until set.  Garnish with the remaining/desired amount of caramel sauce and chopped pecans.

Here is the cheesecake with the chocolate on:

 

7. Serve.

Leftover cheesecake can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. (Though, realistically, it probably won't last beyond a day or two.)

 

And finally the cheesecake in it's final, finished, form:

 

Enjoy!

[VirusZero 176]

Anyone looking for a non-dairy version of this recipe... Look no further.

 

The heavy/whipping cream can be substituted with lactose free milk and margarine. 

Take 3/4 cup of the lactose free milk and 1/4 cup of melted margarine. Combine them to make 1 cup of "heavy cream". Though as a heads up, this mixture will not whip so it can't be used to make a proper whipped cream out of. Also it will split/separate rapidly so mix thoroughly and then put in the recipe and mix in quickly for best results.

 

The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of heavy cream so...  1 and 1/8 cup of milk and 3/8ths a cup of melted margarine.

 

You can also get lactose free cream cheese. Though it is a bit more expensive than cream cheese. You may also find it tastes a bit more tart than actual cream cheese (but given how much sugar and other sweetness is in the recipe, not enough to notice or care really). 

But you may have to buy an extra package of the lactose free cream cheese to use as those packages tend to be smaller. (Regular cream cheese packages here are 8 ounces per block, but the lactose free is like 6 ounces per container. )