Cheesecake Saturday–Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Updated

Well, this seems to be a favorite with almost everyone who tries it.  This updated version was even better but I still have one idea left.  I was also trying out the Pampered Chef springform pan for the first time, a 9 inch.

But here is where I started, the crust.  I was not completely pleased with it last time.  I thought it needed more pecan flavor.  This time I used Pecan Sandies with a lighter shortbread flavor and added 6 tablespoons of butter to get the texture just right.

Next I used chopped pecans and pressed them into the bottom of the uncooked crust and baked for 10 minutes at 350.  I had a little left over and wanted to try this 5 inch cheesecake pan I bought a few weeks ago.  I did the exact same bake time with this pan.

After whipping up the batter, same recipe as last time, I melted about 25 caramels in a glass mixing bowl for approximately 2 minutes (1 minute then stir, then 30 seconds after that until just right).  I will say that I was actually counting caramels when my son interrupted with a question about his math lesson I completely lost count.  After it cooled I added 3/4 cups of batter to the mixing bowl and stirred until combined.  Then I took 1/4 cup of that caramel mix and added back into the batter.  I wanted a light caramel flavor throughout without stirring in actual caramel.

Then I poured the rest of the caramel mix into the bottom of the crust.  On top of that I slowly poured the cheesecake batter, careful not to mix them.  Then bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  The 5 inch required the same amount of bake time.

So being a new blogger I forgot to take a picture of the large cheesecake before it was eaten.  But here is the 5 inch.  Isn’t it cute?  It is sitting on a Corelle dessert plate to give you an idea of it’s size.

It turned out fantastically.  It is also the perfect size for a nice dessert for a family of 4 or 5. 

Also the Pampered Chef springform pan was perfect.  It has handles for easy removal from the water bath.  The glass tempered bottom worked very well.  It has no ridge which makes removal of the cheesecake to a serving dish very simple.  After using the small plastic tool that comes with it to loosen it from the bottom it slid right off.  I usually put parchment paper in the bottom to make this easier but I wanted to really test the pan.  So I only put butter on the bottom to see what it would do.  It was amazing.

My next alteration, more caramel.  I wanted each bite to have a nice caramel layer oozing just ever so slightly from the bottom.  However, I was very pleased with the pecan flavor that infused throughout with just the simple addition of pecans at the bottom.  It is almost exactly what I want.

I also made the triple chocolate fudge this week but again forgot to take pictures.  My husband’s solution?  Make another one.  He is so helpful.