This creme brulee cheesecake is what happens when you mix creme brulee batter together with a basic cheesecake batter. All the richness and silky-smoothness of creme brulee with the tang of cream cheese and Greek yogurt make this easy yet decadent cheesecake stand out from the rest. So much more than sugar bruleed on top of a regular cheesecake.
Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350F/180C to bake the crust. If not using crust (or after it bakes), turn oven to 300F/150C.
Put a kettle on to boil water for your water bath.
If baking a full cheesecake, wrap a double layer of aluminum foil around the bottom and halfway up the sides of your pan.
For the Crust
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together evenly until there are no little bits of butter remaining. You should be able to tightly squeeze the mixture together and have it hold. You can also do this step in a food processor.
Dump all the crust mixture into the bottom of your springform pan--I like to line mine with parchment first--and press evenly into the bottom of the pan. You can even it out with the bottom of a glass. If making crusts for your creme brulee, use about 2-3 Tablespoons crumbs per ramekin, and then pack them down well.
Bake the full-sized crust for about 20 minutes and ramekin crusts for about 15, until they are lightly golden brown and firm.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack while you make the batter. Be sure to turn your oven down to 300F/150C.
For the Batter
Place the cream cheese in a large, microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds until very soft.
Use a silicone spatula to stir it really well and press out any potential lumps.
Add the sugar and salt and blend well with the spatula, scraping the bowl as necessary, until evenly mixed.
Blend in the Greek yogurt very well.
Plop in the eggs and yolks. Switch to a whisk, and thoroughly whisk in the eggs. Scrape the bowl as necessary.
Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla, and stir until thoroughly combined.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher (you'll have about 6 cups of batter, so plan accordingly).
Pour the cheesecake mixture into your prepared pan.
Lightly go over the top of the custard with your blowtorch. This will pop any bubbles on the surface.
Put your water bath pan on the rack of your oven. Place the cheesecake into the pan, and then carefully pour the boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides.
Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the temperature in the center is about 168F. When you wiggle the pan, there should be a bit of a jiggle in the center of the cheesecake.
Crack the oven door open, turn off the oven, and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Using oven mitts, carefully lift the cheesecake out of the water bath. Let the water bath cool in the oven. You can deal with it once it has cooled off.
Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack, and run a thin spatula around the inside of the pan to make sure the cake isn't sticking. Let the cake come to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for a good 8-10 hours or overnight.
To Brulee on Foil as Shown
Once the cake is thoroughly chilled, remove it from the pan by either unlocking the springform or pushing up from the bottom if you used a pushpan.
Place the cake on a heat-proof surface and brulee all but the outer 1" or so of the top of the cake. Don't use sugar or it will be too hard to slice once the sugar has cooled.
Remove pieces of the bruleed sugar from the foil, breaking them up as necessary, and place them around the outer edge of your cake. Tada!
NOTE: Ingredient amounts and directions for torching if you bake in ramekins are in the NOTES section below.
Notes
To Make 8 4-oz Ramekins of Cheesecake Creme Brulee
8 oz cream cheese, very soft
6 oz sugar
1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
4.5 oz Greek yogurt or sour cream
2 eggs
6 egg yolks
8 oz heavy cream
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
Follow the directions in the recipe to bake, reducing the baking time to around 40 minutes. Make sure to check on them starting at around 35 minutes because all ovens are different and you don't want to overbake these.Once the custards are baked, cooled, and their tops dried off, sprinkle about a tablespoon of granulated sugar onto one creme brulee.Tilt the ramekin so you get an even coating, then dump the remaining sugar onto the next custard. Continue doing this, adding some more sugar when needed, until all are evenly coated with sugar.Use your kitchen torch in small circular motions to first melt and then caramelize the sugar as evenly as you can.You can repeat with a second thin layer of sugar if you want a thicker coating of caramelized sugar on top.Allow them to cool for about a minute or so before serving.Calories per 4 oz ramekin of rich goodness: about 360
Creme Brulee Cheesecake Q & A
Is this gluten-free? The custard is gluten-free. You can substitute a gluten-free Graham cracker crust for the cheesecake version.
Can you freeze creme brulee (or the cheesecake)? Yes, you can. Once completely cool, wrap well in plastic and foil and freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and make sure you blot up any moisture on top of the custard before bruleeing.
How long will this keep? Keep the custard, covered, in the coldest part of your fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips for Success
For best results, after they cool, refrigerate the custard uncovered. This will discourage condensation. If they do end up a bit wet, be sure to carefully blot them with a sheet of paper towel held flat against the tops before adding sugar and torching.
If making individual creme brulees, only torch them as you need them. The hard, crackly sugar shell will quickly dissolve into softness in the fridge. It will still taste good, but you won’t get either the textural or temperature contrast unless you torch them “a la minute” (at the last minute)