Caramelized White Chocolate Cheesecake
Today I’m going to be sharing a very unique dessert that might look fancy and complicated but is actually quite easy to make, it is a caramelized white chocolate cheesecake with an oat crumble crust, a set blueberry jelly, and topped with some whipped cream and a shard of white chocolate.
Caramelizing white chocolate might seem new to most people, I had never even heard of it until recently, but what the process does is give the white chocolate a nutty, toffee-like flavor that makes it the newest wonder of the world, and it is surprisingly easy to do, but I will have to share the process later.
Caramelized White Chocolate Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy of Prue Leith
Makes 6
For the oat crumble crust:
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup of sugar
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons of honey
For the blueberry jelly:
2 1/2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin powder
1 1/2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen then thawed)
1/3 cup of sugar
For the caramelized white chocolate:
6 ounces of white chocolate, finely chopped
For the cheesecake filling:
1/2 cup of full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
1/3 cup of heavy cream
For the white chocolate decoration:
4 ounces of white chocolate, finely chopped
For garnish:
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
6 blueberries
Step 1: Make the oat crumble crust
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a small baking sheet with either parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Cut one tablespoon of the butter into small cubes, then add those to the oat mixture and use your fingers to break down the butter into tiny pieces that look like breadcrumbs. Add the honey, then stir until a crumbly dough forms.
Crumble the mixture in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet, then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden on all sides. Once baked, set it on a wire rack to cool, then decrease the oven temperature to 325.
Step 2: Make the blueberry jelly
While the crumble bakes, soak the gelatin powder in a bit of cold water to activate.
While the gelatin does its thing, dump the blueberries into a food processor, then blend until the berries break down into a smooth puree. Pass the blended berries through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan to get rid of the skins. Add the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water, then bring that to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, then add the bloomed gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved; you do not need to put the pot back onto the heat at this point. Pour the jelly mixture onto a wide plate or small baking sheet, then let it cool completely before transferring to the fridge to set.
Step 3: Finish the crust
Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan or a 6-cup round silicone baking pan with cooking spray. Rinse out the food processor, then dump the cooled crumble mixture into it and pulse until it forms fine crumbs.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or sauté pan, then dump in the crumb mixture and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the crumbs moisten and look a bit like wet sand.
Divide the crumb mixture among the prepared pan, then use a flat object like a drinking glass or a cocktail muddler to tamp it down and form a solid base. Place it into the freezer to firm up while you work on the filling.
Step 4: Caramelize the white chocolate
(This is the step that might seem the trickiest to master, but follow these simple tips and it will be a breeze, especially since it uses a kitchen appliance that many home cooks are likely used to by now.)
Dump the white chocolate into a small heatproof bowl, then pop into the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stir the chocolate with a spatula, then microwave for another 30 seconds.
You’ll want to do this 10-15 times, stirring well between each blast, until the white chocolate becomes very thick and takes on a light golden color, almost the color of peanut butter. The bowl and the chocolate will become very hot during this process, so please be careful as you stir it.
As you do this, the chocolate may get a bit clumpy and chalky at the top, but don’t freak out, stir the chocolate for about a minute, and it should smooth right out. Let the chocolate cool while you work on the rest of the filling.
Step 5: Make the cheesecake filling
Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with either a whisk or an electric beater until it is smooth and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk, then beat until fully combined. Add the caramelized white chocolate, cornstarch, and heavy cream, then whisk until smooth and combined.
Remove the pan with the crust from the freezer, then evenly divide the filling mixture among the six cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is firm on the edges but still soft in the middle. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the counter, then chill until firm.
Step 6: Make the white chocolate decoration
(This is the easiest, most foolproof way to temper chocolate that I know of.)
Place 3 ounces of the chopped white chocolate into a heatproof bowl, then microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring between each interval until fully melted. Add the remaining ounce of chocolate, then stir until fully melted and it has cooled to about 75 degrees F.
Dump the melted white chocolate onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin, even layer, then let it cool for about 10 minutes. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut the chocolate into 12 rectangles and then freeze until firm.
Step 7: Whip the cream and assemble the cheesecakes
In a medium-sized bowl, whip the cream with the vanilla and powdered sugar with either a whisk or an electric beater until stiff peaks form.
Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles out of the blueberry jelly, then lay a circle on top of each cheesecake. Run a knife around the edges, then carefully remove each cheesecake from the pan.
To plate, place a cheesecake onto a plate, then top with a bit of whipped cream, a blueberry, and a shard of tempered white chocolate.
As I said, caramelizing the white chocolate gives this cheesecake an added depth of flavor that makes it, unlike any cheesecake I’ve ever tasted.
The crunch of the oat crust, the smooth creaminess of the filling with a bit of tang and nutty chocolate, that pop of brightness from the jelly, and that added touch of the white chocolate shard on top make it a fancy-looking dessert that I would recommend for anyone who wants to make someone else feel special.
