Silky smooth, creamy dulce de leche cheesecake topped with a rich layer of milky dulce de leche and crushed pretzels is an awesomely delicious treat!
Put simply, my cheesecake love is strong. I cannot go too long without having some cheesecake in my life! For the sake of maintaining some balance, I try to space out how often I make cheesecakes since it is more on the indulgent side. However, when I do bake a cheesecake, I make sure it was worth the wait! Even though I am more of a vanilla or citrus base cheesecake lover, I have been having an insatiable craving for caramel-base treats lately. So I was not surprised when I decided to make a dulce de leche cheesecake. Packed with the rich, milky flavor of dulce de leche, this dulce de leche cheesecake is utter perfection!
(NOTE: The full recipe with exact measurements is down at the bottom of the post in the recipe card!)
How To Make Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
What is Dulce De Leche?
Dulce de leche is a sweet, creamy confection frequently used in Latin American cuisine. It is made from sweetened condensed milk that has been slowly cooked/heated until it reaches a thick consistency with a deep golden brown color. The longer the condensed milk is cooked, the more rich the flavor will be both in taste and appearance.
Key Ingredients
- Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Unsalted Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Eggs
- Brown Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Cornstarch (Optional)
To Make Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
- Preheat – oven to 325F(165C). Double wrap an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the sides and base of pan.
- Mix – in a medium mixing bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Use a fork to mix ingredients together to combine.
- Pour – melted, cooled butter over graham cracker mixture and mix until mixture appears completely moist.The resulting crumb mixture should have the appearance of wet sand.
- Transfer – graham cracker mixture to prepared springform pan and use the back of a measuring cup or hands to evenly press mixture into the base and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.
- Bake – graham cracker crust for 10-12 minutes or until crust becomes fragrant and takes on a rich golden brown color. Set aside to cool as dulce de leche cheesecake batter is prepared. Reduce oven temperature to 300F (150C).
- Cream – in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, add the cream cheese, dulce de leche, brown sugar and cornstarch (optional). Cream ingredients together at medium speed until batter appears smooth without any lumps, about 3-4 minutes. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the side and base of mixing bowl.
- Mix – in the vanilla extract and heavy cream into dulce de leche cheesecake batter at medium speed, about 1 minute.
- Beat – reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs into dulce de leche cheesecake batter one at a time. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl. Mix batter for additional mix at low speed.
- Pour – dulce de leche cheesecake batter into cooled graham cracker crust.
- Transfer – cheesecake filled springform pan into a larger baking/roasting pan and place in oven. Carefully pour hot water into larger pan about 1-2 inches/halfway up the sides of springform pan.
- Bake – dulce de leche cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready when the edges appears slightly puffed and the center jiggles a little when the springform pan is gently shaken.
- Cool – dulce de leche cheesecake in oven with the door ajar for one hour before removing from oven to cool at room temperature, about 2-3 hours. When dulce de leche cheesecake is first removed from the oven, run an offset spatula along the sides to help separate cheesecake from the pan. This will help prevent cracks in the surface of cheesecake as it cools and naturally pulls away from the sides of baking pan.
- Refrigerate – once dulce de leche cheesecake has cooled completely to room temperature, refrigerate to set for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Bringing It All Together – Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
- Heat – in a small saucepan under medium low heat, add the remaining dulce de leche and heavy cream. Heat while stirring until mixture takes on a pourable consistency, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove – dulce de leche cheesecake from springform pan and transfer to serving platter.
- Pour – cooled dulce de leche sauce into center of cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread sauce into an even layer.
- Decorate – dulce de leche cheesecake with crushed or whole pretzels (optional) before serving.
How To Store Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
Slice dulce de leche cheesecake securely stored in an airtight container will last up 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat frozen dulce de leche cheesecake, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight to restore soft, creamy texture.
My Essential Cheesecake Tips
- Double Wrap – to avoid ending up with a soggy crust as cheesecake bakes in water bath, double wrap the baking pan up to the rim with heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Room Temperature Ingredients – it is very important to use room temperature ingredients, especially when it comes to the cream cheese. Not only will the ingredients mix up easily, but you will avoid the chance of ending up with clumps of cream cheese in batter.
- Reduce Speed – on a mixer (stand or hand-held), reduce speed to low before mixing eggs into batter. I learned that at this point, mixing too much air into batter will cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack as it bakes.
- Water Bath – baking cheesecake in a water bath helps to ensure an even and consistent bake. It is best to first place springform baking pan with cheesecake batter into a larger baking/roasting pan before transferring to oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan about 1-2 inches (halfway) up the side of springform pan.
- Slow Bake – baking cheesecake at a low oven temperature over a long period of time will help to prevent the formation of cracks. My go-to temperature and bake time is 300F(150C) for 60-75 minutes. Bake cheesecake just until the rim of the cake appears puffed but there is a slight jiggle in the center of cake.
- Rest – once cheesecake is done baking, resist the urge to remove cake from oven. Instead, turn off oven and leave cheesecake inside with the door ajar. Allow cheesecake to rest in oven for 1 hour before cooling to room temperature outside the oven. The purpose behind this is to avoid a sudden change in temperature which may shock cheesecake and cause the dreaded surface cracks.
- Release – as cheesecake cools, it will naturally pull away from the sides of pan, running a knife around the edge of cheesecake will help prevent cracks from forming.
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If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintDulce De Leche Cheesecake
Silky smooth, creamy dulce de leche cheesecake topped with a rich layer of milky dulce de leche and crushed pretzels is an awesomely delicious treat!
- Prep Time: 1 Hour (Not Including Cooling and Refrigeration Time)
- Cook Time: 82 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 22 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 Cups (252 g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 7 Tablespoons (3.5 oz) Unsalted Butter, Melted, Cooled to Room Temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (26 g) Brown Sugar, Light or Dark
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
- 24 Ounces (3 packs) Cream Cheese, Full-Fat, Room Temperature
- 3 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (4 oz) Dulce De Leche, Homemade/Store-Bought, Room Temperature
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons (78 g) Brown Sugar, Light or Dark
- 1/4 Cup (60 ml) Heavy Cream, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (9 g) Cornstarch (Optional)
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3–4 Cups Hot Water (For Water Bath)
Assembly
- 1/2 Cup (4 oz) Dulce De Leche
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Heavy Cream
- Pretzels, Crushed or Whole
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F(165C). Double wrap an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the sides and base of pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Use a fork to mix ingredients together to combine.
- Pour melted, cooled butter over graham cracker mixture and mix until mixture appears completely moisten.
- Transfer graham cracker mixture to prepared springform pan. Use the back of a measuring cup or hands to evenly press mixture into the base and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.
- Bake graham cracker crust for 10-12 minutes or until crust becomes fragrant and takes on a rich golden brown color.
- Set aside crust to cool as dulce de leche cheesecake batter is prepared. Reduce oven temperature to 300F (150C).
Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held electric mixer, add the cream cheese, dulce de leche, brown sugar and cornstarch (optional). Cream ingredients together at medium speed until batter appears smooth without any lumps, about 3-4 minutes. Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and heavy cream into dulce de leche cheesecake batter at medium speed, about 1 minute.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs into dulce de leche cheesecake batter one at a time.
- Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of mixing bowl. Mix batter for additional minute at low speed.
- Pour dulce de leche cheesecake batter into cooled graham cracker crust.
- Transfer cheesecake filled springform pan into a larger baking/roasting pan and place in oven. Carefully pour hot water into larger pan about 1-2 inches (halfway) up the sides of springform pan.
- Bake dulce de leche cheesecake for 60-75 minutes. Cheesecake is ready when the edges appears slightly puffed and the center jiggles a little when the springform pan is gently shaken.
- Cool dulce de leche cheesecake in oven with the door ajar for one hour.
- Remove dulce de leche cheesecake from oven and run an offset spatula along the sides to help separate cheesecake from the sides of pan.
- Cool dulce de leche cheesecake at room temperature, about 2-3 hours before refrigerating set for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Assembly
- In a small saucepan under medium low heat, add the dulce de leche and heavy cream. Heat while stirring until mixture takes on a pourable consistency, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove dulce de leche cheesecake from springform pan and transfer to a serving platter.
- Pour cooled dulce de leche sauce into center of cheesecake and use an offset spatula to spread sauce into an even layer.
- Decorate dulce de leche cheesecake with crushed or whole pretzels (optional) before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to read my essential cheesecake tips in post before setting out to make dulce de leche cheesecake. It contains a lot of helpful information on how to achieve the perfect cheesecake.
- Slice dulce de leche cheesecake securely stored in an airtight container will last up 4-5 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer.
- If you prefer, dulce de leche may be substituted with homemade or store bought caramel sauce.
- In place of pretzels, dulce de leche cheesecake may be topped with sea salt. I find that adding some savory element to cheesecake nicely enhances the flavor of the dulce de leche.
- Adding cornstarch to cheesecake batter is optional. Cornstarch give dulce de leche cheesecake a firmer texture similar to the consistency of a New York style cheesecake.
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Monika
For the cheesecake itself, I used 1/4 cup milk instead of whipping cream because that’s what I had. It worked out just fine. It is now cooling.
Can I use milk in the topping as well? Your recipe only calls for 1T so maybe it’ll be ok (?)
Thanks.
nourished endeavors
Yes, you can definitely use milk in the topping as well. I would start with 1/2 tablespoon first and check the consistency before adding the remaining milk if needed! Hope this helps!
Monika
BTW – I made this for a friend and she said it was hands-down the best sweet she’s ever tried, so thank you.
nourished endeavors
Awesome! I am so happy to hear that!!