Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
Bake up this fabulous toffee crunch cheesecake for your family this Easter or Passover! They’ll love the toasty matzoh crust, the rich chocolate ganache, and the creamy filling! Brulée the top for a delightfully crackly burnt sugar topping!
This is a sponsored post, written by me, on behalf of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.
So here we are, tomorrow is Good Friday and Passover begins Friday night! Do you have your menu planned? What are you making this year???
I feel like Passover desserts can be so tricky! Of course there are those cakes and stuff that are made with matzoh meal which, I’m sorry, I just cannot get into. Then there are the “safe” desserts, the ones that just naturally don’t contain wheat or leavening, like ice cream and flourless chocolate cake. But the thing is, after being a part of a Jewish family for over a decade, I’ve learned that Passover isn’t just about not eating those foods, it’s also about celebrating matzoh and eating it in lots of different ways.
Have you ever had matzoh toffee crunch? It’s that candy that’s made by pouring a brown sugar caramel over saltine crackers and then coating it in chocolate. It’s to-die-for. I would eat that matzoh toffee crunch any ol’ time of year, not just during Passover. It’s that good.
So, why not top it with a thick slab of creamy-dreamy cheesecake? It’s like, you have a good thing, and then you make it even better. I used Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It never lets me down. It’s so insanely creamy, soft, and delicious.
Regardless of whether you celebrate Passover, or Easter, or anything else, this cheesecake is a perfect dessert for family gatherings. I’ve been tinkering around with my cheesecake recipe for a while now, and I’m really loving where it’s at right now. If you can’t get your hands on a box of matzoh, you can substitute unsalted saltine crackers. But- try to get your hands on a box of matzoh. Trust me. It is soooo good as a base to this brown sugar cheesecake. It’s got such a great crunch and a really toasty flavor that I loooved so much, I may never do graham crackers again 😉
Top the cheesecake with a layer of granulated sugar, just before serving, and brulée it with a kitchen torch. It is amazing! Mr. Allie and I had a similar dessert at a restaurant recently and it changed our lives.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend! We are looking forward to a nice Seder with my in-laws tomorrow night, a visit from the Easter bunny on Sunday morning, and a traditional ham with pineapple stuffing for Easter supper. Lots of love to you and yours!
Thank you to Philadelphia Cream Cheese for allowing me to partner with them to create delicious recipes for the Easter season! This recipe was developed, tested, and photographed by Baking a Moment, and is not an original Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe.
Toffee Crunch Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 sheets matzoh
- 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (59.15 g) unsalted butter,, melted
- 1 ounce (28.35 g) milk chocolate,, chopped
- 1 ounce (28.35 g) semisweet chocolate,, chopped
- 1/4 cup (59.5 ml) heavy cream
For the Filling
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) cream cheese, (3 bricks)
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch , (or potato starch)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup (59.5 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, (approx.) for brulée
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Mist an 8-inch x 3-inch (straight-sided) round pan with non-stick spray, and line with a circle cut from parchment paper.
- Break up the matzoh and place in the bowl of a food processor, along with the brown sugar and salt.
- Process to a fine crumb.
- Stir in the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Heat the cream until steaming.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate until smooth.
- Pour the ganache over the crust, and set aside.
Make the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the cream cheese, brown sugar, corn or potato starch, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- Pour in the cream, vanilla, and salt and stir on low speed until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the cheesecake in a larger baking dish, and pour very hot water into the larger dish, about 1-inch up the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 300 degrees F and bake for an additional 80 minutes or until the cheesecake is set around the sides but still slightly wobbly towards the center.
- Turn the oven off, prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for at least an hour.
- Chill the cheesecake overnight in the fridge.
- Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan, and wrap it in a hot towel to loosen it.
- Flip the cheesecake onto a plate, and then invert it onto a serving platter.
- Sprinkle with granulated sugar, and brulée with a kitchen torch, or put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
Can this cheesecake be made in an 8″ springform pan
Yes, you will need an 8-inch straight-sided pan that’s 3-inches tall. Good luck!
Love that crunch with the creamy cheesecake!
Love that the crust is made with matzoh! Brilliant.
I am loving this version of cheesecake! It looks so creamy!
Is it possible to make this ahead and freeze it, then torch the top when it has thawed
Hey Fran! I haven’t actually tried that myself, but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work. I say go for it!
Hi! I’m making this and wondering if I can assemble it ahead of time & bake it tomorrow…my oven broke & I’m borrowing my neighbors…limited time….
I think that should work ok! Good luck Ruthie, hope you enjoy!
Hi, what can I replace Matzoh with? Thanks, Siddhi
I actually addressed that within the post, Siddhi: “If you can’t get your hands on a box of matzoh, you can substitute unsalted saltine crackers.” Hope that’s helpful!
I was hoping the comments section would give me insight as to how it tasted. Everyone said it “looked” beautiful, which it did. Not a single word from someone who made it and ate it!
I actually made this for Passover (am a very experienced baker) and as pretty as it was (it looked exactly like yours), the taste was just okay. Sadly I won’t be making this again 🙁
Well- I made it and ate it! I thought it was very good, the texture of the cheesecake is nice and creamy and the texture from the matzoh, chocolate, and brulee was a nice contrast. I’m sorry to hear you don’t agree. To each their own I suppose.
Yum this looks amazing! Pretty sure anything with bruleed sugar has got to be good!
Gina
Pink Wings
Oh yes! I couldn’t agree more- bruleed sugar is totally the bomb! Thanks so much for stopping by Gina!
Thank you for this cream recipe, cream brulée is my favorite dessert. I had just baked this cheese cake, but I didn’t use the same crust because I didn’t have time to go out and get the ingredients so I used digestive biscuits with butter. I also didn’t have a deep enough dish so I used two layer round cake trays, so I made the cheesecake thinner to enjoy a bigger surface for the bruleed sugar. Can’t wait until the cheesecake finish so I can try it out.
cheesecake*
That is so smart! I like the way you think 😉 I hope you enjoyed the cheesecake Salama! Thanks so much for reading 🙂
I once made a cheesecake with brulee topping and it was so good! I celebrate passover, and this crust is a great idea for any cheesecake! I’m always looking for new recipes for the holiday, and this cake looks amazing!
I’m always looking for Passover ideas too Shiran! And I really loved the matzoh crust on this. I hope you had a really nice Passover dear! Thanks so much for the sweet comment <3
I want this cheesecake at every gathering. That caramelized top has me drooling. Pinned.
Thank you so much Jennie! The caramelized top was my favorite part. Except for the crust. And the chocolate. And the filling 😛
If I could start a slow clap right now, I totally would. This is beyond amazing… loving that crust!
Hahaha thanks for the slow clap! You have me LOL-ing for real!
I am a major cheesecake lover and I actually make them. But only to take somewhere. I am can NOT have them in the house. I can NOT have them in the freezer—love them frozen. I like the brown sugar. Different. I pinned this one a few days ago.
Normally I don’t talk about ME, but take note of the slight name change from Wild Goose Tea. New web design-whoopee and some new features.
Ooh yay! I’m clicking right over to check it out! Congrats Carol and thanks for the great feedback 🙂
This cheesecake looks amazing! Love the toffee crunch – extremely dreamy! I love the fact you’ve used matzo for the crust! 😀
Thanks so much Jess! The matzoh crust was by far my favorite part 😉
Beyond beautiful my dear!! Love love everything about it. Reminds me I need to bake more with toffee…it’s such a wonderful childhood sweet for me. Hope you had a great Easter and Passover.
I love toffee too! Such a great flavor and it works all year ’round. Thanks for the warm holiday wishes! Hope you had a restful holiday weekend 🙂
What a creative use of matzo! I bet it pairs so well with the creamy filling. Toffee cheesecake is pretty much the bomb.com and no two ways about it. Gorgeous recipe Allie!
Thank you my dear! I loved the combination of crunchy, savory matzoh with sweet, creamy cheesecake! Hope your week is off to a terrific start, Mary Frances!
This sounds soooooo amazing!!
Thank you so much Julianne!
This is a total stunner! Such a great flavor combo! *-*
Enjoy the holidays! xxx
Thank you so much Consuelo! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend 🙂