Caramel Cheesecake with Raspberries

by Joanne September 10, 2013 (updated March 19, 2019)

This luscious cheesecake is creamy and rich, and topped with caramel sauce and raspberries. No special cheesecake pan is needed!

Caramel Cheesecake with Fork Entering Center of Slice

The funny thing about cheesecake is one label covers so many different textures and types of cheesecake. Cheesecake can be dense, or on the fluffier side, or have more of an eggy, custard-like texture, and can include cream cheese, sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone, and well…you get the idea.

And we haven’t even talked about the variations in crust.

The cheesecake recipe I’m sharing with you is my absolute favorite variety. It has a crust with a shortbread cookie-like texture to it, and a filling that’s still densely rich but with a fluffier texture. Drizzle some homemade caramel on there and some tangy sweet raspberries, and it’s absolute heaven!

Caramel Cheesecake Slice on Plate with Raspberry Sauce and Fork

To make the crust, assemble the following ingredients: flour, butter, lemon zest, sugar, salt, an egg yolk, and vanilla extract.

Butter, Lemon Zest, Egg Yolks, and Dry Ingredients in Mixing Bowl

Combine and rub all of the ingredients together with your fingertips until it looks like a pile of crumbs, like this:

Cheesecake Crust Ingredients in Mixing Bowl

You’ll notice that although it has a crumbly texture, it will press into one piece:

Flattened and Pressed Cheesecake Crust in Parchment Pan

Parbake the crust, then you can fill it with the cheesecake filling. I like to drop the pan on the counter several times to let some of the air rise out of the cheesecake. This helps prevent potential cracking, and you can see the little air bubbles that have come to the surface if you look closely below. The black arrows show air bubbles that have already come to the surface, and the blue arrow shows air bubbles that have almost popped, but need a few more taps on the counter:

Bubbles Shown on Surface of Cheesecake

Bake the cheesecake in a water bath (which also prevents cracking by moderating the temperature of the cheesecake), then chill the cheesecake completely before serving with a bit of Homemade Caramel Sauce on top, and some raspberries cooked with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of sugar. The sweetness and tanginess are wonderful together!

And side note: You’ll notice I bake my cheesecake in a square pan. I haven’t found a good springform pan that doesn’t leak, so I just line the 8×8 with parchment so I can easily lift it out of the pan, then cut it into squares or slices. I find it to be the easiest way to make cheesecake. Enjoy!

Caramel Cheesecake with Raspberries

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 5 15

This luscious cheesecake is creamy and rich, and topped with caramel sauce and raspberries. No special cheesecake pan is needed!

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Ingredients

For the Crust:

5 oz flour, by weight (1 cup, if measuring)
8 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
1/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 lb cream cheese softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs at room temperature
2 egg yolks at room temperature
1 tbsp flour

For the toppings:

caramel sauce
1 pint raspberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, butter, sugar, lemon zest, salt, egg yolk, and vanilla extract with your fingertips, rubbing it all together until it forms a crumbly pile of ingredients. Dump this mixture into the lined baking pan and press it into the pan well until you have a flat crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
With a hand mixer or a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment), beat together the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, waiting until each egg is incorporated into the filling before adding the next. Mix in the flour.
Pour the cheesecake filling over the parbaked crust, then place the pan into a larger pan (I used a 9×13). Fill the larger pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the 8×8 pan. Place the cheesecake in the oven, turn the heat down to 350, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cheesecake has set. You can test for this by jiggling the pan a little bit. The cheesecake should be slightly jiggly, but no liquid cheesecake should be swirling around.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven but leave the cheesecake in the water bath until it has cooled, then chill the cheesecake for at least 4 hours.
To prepare the raspberries, place the raspberries in a saucepan with the lemon juice and sugar, and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat, until softened. Pour the caramel over the cheesecake, then spoon some cooked raspberries on top as well. Enjoy!