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.
Wow, Allie! I love that this is a sort of cross between a creme brulee and a matzo toffee crunch cheesecake. I’ve never tried the matzo toffee crunch, but the way you describe it, now I really want to!
Beautiful cheesecake! Happy Passover!
It’s so good Helen! Thank you so much- I hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend too 🙂
Oh my now that sounds like my kind of cheesecake! Love the golden crust, mmm 🙂
Yay! Thank you June!
I need this cheesecake in my life! It sounds so scrummy!
OliveeKid x
Haha, it is! Totally scrummy, OliveeKid. Thanks so much for reading!
Wow, girl! This cheesecake just blew me away! It’s looks insanely good and that toffee, oh my!
Thank you so much! We really enjoyed it. Definitely will be making it again, lol! Thanks for the sweet comment, Rebecca 🙂
OMG Allie, I love how you incorporated the matzoh into this dessert. Your cheesecake is gorgeous – so rich ‘n creamy on the inside, with that perfect caramelized top! I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your family doing the best thing in the world: eating good food 😉
Yes! It was soooo good. I ate all the things 😛 Hope you had a happy Easter too, my friend! <3
This is such a fabulous idea, Allie! And that crackly crust = heaven on Earth. I hope you have a great weekend! XO
Thanks Liz! I really did! Hope your weekend was wonderful too. Have a great week my dear!
This is one seriously gorgeous cheesecake Allie! 😀
I loooove my cheesecake…I must make this.
Toodles,
Tammy<3
Wish there was a print function for the recipe, or am I missing it.
Hey thanks so much for reading Helena! The print button is right at the top of the recipe card. Good luck and enjoy! 🙂
Thank you so much Tammy! I hope you had a great weekend sweetie 🙂
I am dying, this cheesecake is incredible! You are amazing!!!
Thanks so much Amanda!
Allie, love the matzoh crust!!! what a great idea!!! and this cheesecake is gorgeous!!!
Thank you so much Alice! We really enjoyed it, a lot! 🙂
This cake looks really sweet and tasty! Love cheesecakes and I had never tried them with toffee, but if you recommend it to us… 😀
I definitely do! It’s such a great combination of flavors and textures! Thanks so much for reading, Lily!
This looks stunning! I love that this works as a Passover dessert 🙂
Yes! There aren’t enough really delicious Passover desserts, imo 😉 Thanks Michelle!
What a fantastic recipe idea! I have a brûlée blow torch myself but it’s still in the packaging. I need to bust that thing out and make this cake!
Bust it out, girl! They’re so much fun. I use mine allll the time!
Wow this looks divine!! Love that crunchy topping, it’s to die for!
Thank you so much Annie! Crunchy burnt sugar on cheesecake is so necessary! 🙂
This cheesecake looks awesome! Love the layered crust! Would love a slice! Pinned for later!
Thank you so much Mira! The layers were so good! Thanks for sharing on Pinterest!
Looks and sounds incredible, that bruleed top is a stunner!
Thanks Nicole! I loved the bruleed sugar topping- TDF!
This cheesecake is absolutely fantastic girl!
You are too kind! Hope you had a great holiday weekend, Jocelyn! xoxo
Oh that brûlée topping is calling out to me. What a delicious dessert, I wish I was hosting this weekend so I could make this, but hey, who needs an excuse? I could just make it anyway 🙂
Make it anyway! It’s delicious no matter what the time of year, lol! Thanks so much Janette, have a great week sweetie!
All I can say is, “YUM!” So many great textures and flavors in this cheese cake. One of my many quirks is that I don’t like cheese cake (shocking, I know), but this one looks like an exception. I LOVE matzo toffee and that bruleed top looks too tempting to pass up 🙂 How lucky that your family gets to celebrate Easter and Passover. Wishing you and your loved ones a happy Easter and wonderful Passover!
Thank you Aida! It is so much fun to have so many holidays to celebrate, even if it does get a little overwhelming at times! I’m so happy you liked this idea, even if cheesecake isn’t really your thing. Thanks so much for the very sweet comment. Hope your week is off to a fun start! xoxo
Oh my! Allie, this cheesecake is stunning! And that toffee crunch on top – brilliant! I’m imagining it’s like biting into a decadently dense creme brûlée!
It totally is, Kathleen! But with that little bit of tanginess from the cream cheese. I love it! Thank you so much for reading and for the kind words! xoxo
What a gorgeous cheesecake!
Thanks so much! We really enjoyed this one 😉