Gluten-Free Toffee Cheesecake

Hi Bakers,

What kind of crazy person makes toffee and then melts it down into a sauce…Me. That would be me and boy am I glad I did! This cheesecake is a toffee lover’s gluten-free dream. This is a super creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust all topped with buttery, rich, toffee! The topping is a lot like caramel but even better. It has the complex flavor of browned sugar and butter in a sauce so rich and velvety you’ll want to eat it with a spoon. Be sure to start this recipe at least the day before you want to serve it, it needs many hours to chill properly. I like to bake the cheesecake one day and make the toppings, decorate and eat it the next. I added the prep times to each step to help you understand the time you would need. I also included the original recipe’s instructions at the bottom of the page for an easier version if that works better for you. Enjoy every bite of this tasty beauty ~Carolyn

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes one 9” cheesecake

Crust (~10 minutes prep)

1-1/2 cups gluten-free graham crackers plus more if needed

1/4 pecans, raw

1/4 cup white or brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a food processor,* pulse the crackers, nuts and sugar into fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse again until well combined. Mixture should be like damp sand. If too wet, add in a few more crackers. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Chill in the freezer.

Cheesecake Filling (~10 minutes prep)

2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature/softened

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs + one egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth (make sure it’s warm enough to blend out any lumps). Scrape the sides as needed. Add the sugar and beat well. Add eggs and mix throughly. Beat in vanilla and lemon. Pour into the chilled crust and smooth out the top. Place the springform pan on a sided baking tray to catch any spills. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the sides are firm but the center jiggles a bit. Let sit at room temperature for an hour or until it’s cooled. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 6 hours/overnight. Prepare the toffee candy while the cake chills or the next day.

Toffee Candy (~15 minutes prep)

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Use a candy thermometer to the side or use cold water method (described in video and on the web site) to test doneness. Heat over medium while stirring until the mixture reaches 305F or hard crack stage. Pour candy onto a buttered baking pan or one lined with silicone and spread it out. Break into large shards. Let harden. Save the remainder of the toffee (about 3/4) to make the sauce and some for decorating.

Toffee Sauce (~15 minutes)

3/4 batch of the toffee candy, broken into small pieces

1/2 cup milk

Add the toffee and milk to a medium-sized saucepan. Heat on medium/medium high heat**, stir frequently as the toffee dissolves into the milk. Cook until candy has dissolved and the the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add more milk if needed to achieve the right consistency. If the sauce is too thin, cook longer, but the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Garnish

whipped cream

semi-sweet chocolate

Easier Version (original recipe instructions)

2 chocolate covered toffee candy bars

2 jars Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Sauce or your favorite

The original recipe uses caramel sauce and a store-bought toffee bar to top the cheesecake. I like Trader Joe’s brand salted caramel sauce (2 jars). Heat the sauce slightly if needed to make it more pourable. Pour caramel over the top of the cheesecake and spread to cover. Garnish with whipped cream and broken bits of a toffee bar.

*If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the crackers/nuts with a rolling pin and a plastic bag.

**Lower heat if needed to prevent burning.

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