Creme Brulee Cheesecake

This creme brulee cheesecake recipe is the perfect dessert to make for the holidays! A creamy vanilla bean cheesecake filling, with a buttery graham cracker crust, and after baking it’s topped with a crunchy sugar coating. And the best part is the cheesecake can be made the day before!

 

Creme brulee might be on one of my most favorite desserts. In fact, it was the first dessert I ever made for my husband. It was our first Valentine’s day together and I decided to make him dinner and dessert.

But in my early baking days, I wasn’t so good at planning ahead and didn’t realize my creme brulee needed time to set up.  Oops. So we may not have actually enjoyed dessert that night. But over the years I’ve learned my lesson. Read the recipe and plan ahead! 

And this is probably why I love this new cheesecake recipe so much. It not only combines two of my favorite desserts, creme brulee and vanilla cheesecake, but it’s the perfect dessert to make the day before!

This creme brulee cheesecake is made with vanilla bean paste so it has that true creme brulee flavor, and after it’s baked I sprinkle on some sugar. Then you’ll take a torch to the sugar to create that crunchy sugary topping that you get to break into with every bite. 

Creamy cheesecake with a creme brulee topping? Yes please. This dessert has it all. 

Why This Recipe Works

• Perfect dessert to serve for the holidays like Christmas or Valentine’s Day!
• Great make ahead holiday dessert as the cheesecake needs to set up in the fridge overnight
• Crunchy caramelized sugar crust on top that you will top the cheesecake with before serving
• Tastes like a classic creme brulee dessert in cheesecake form!

Ingredients Needed

• Graham crackers – If you can’t find graham crackers you can also use vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits
• Salt – I like to add a pinch of salt to the crust and filling to help balance the sweetness.
• Butter – I used unsalted butter but you can also use salted butter. Just omit the added salt. 
• Granulated sugar – I used granulated sugar for the graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling.
• Cream cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is softened before you begin. Read my tutorial on how to soften cream cheese. I also recommend full-fat cream cheese in the blocks, not the tubs which can have a different texture. 
• Corn starch – A little bit of corn starch can help keep the eggs from overcooking and the cheesecake from cracking. You can omit if necessary or use 2 Tablespoons flour instead.
• Vanilla bean paste – This delivers a true creme brulee flavor but you can also use regular vanilla extract if that’s all you have. You could also use a real vanilla bean and scrape out the vanilla bean seeds.
• Eggs – You want room temperature eggs so you get a creamy filling. Read my tutorial on how to bring eggs to room temperature fast. 
• Sour cream – Full fat is best, but a low-fat may still work. I do not recommend fat-free sour cream. And you could try swapping and use plain full-fat Greek yogurt. 
• Heavy cream – You want heavy whipping cream. For the whipped cream, you want the cream cold so it whips up to full volume.
• Superfine sugar – I like using superfine sugar for the bruleed sugar topping because it’s more easily torched but you can use granulated sugar. It will just take longer to brulee.

How To Make Creme Brulee Cheesecake

Make graham cracker crust

Prep oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), with rack in middle of oven. You can spray the springform pan with cooking spray and also line the bottom with parchment paper if needed.

Make cookie crust. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl, and stir in the salt, melted butter and sugar.

Assemble the crust. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides of a 9 inch springform cheesecake pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup (or you can use your fingers).

Bake the crust. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Make cheesecake filling

Combine cream cheese and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for 4 minutes. You can also make the filling with a hand mixer.

Add remaining ingredients. Add the salt and vanilla bean paste beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition.

Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add heavy cream and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and along the bottom to make sure all of the cream cheese has been incorporated.

Bake the cheesecake

Lower the heat on the oven to 325°F (160°C).

Wrap springform pan. Wrap the outside of the springform pan in 3-4 layers of aluminum foil, ensuring none of the pan is exposed and any water can get jn. I also recommend wrapping in a slow cooker liner. Or you can place the pan into a larger pan like a 10-inch cake pan then place the larger cake pan into a large roasting pan. I find if I use just tin foil water it still gets in. 

Prepare the water bath. Prepare pan and boiling water: Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water.

Pour filling into the pan. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, over the graham cracker crust. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Place in the oven. Place the roasting pan with the springform pan in it, in the oven.

Add hot water. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan.

Bake the cheesecake. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 1 ½ hours until the edges of the cheesecake are set and slightly golden brown, and the middle of the cheesecake is set but still slightly wobbly. If you notice the top is browning too quickly, tent the top of the pan with tinfoil halfway through baking. 

Allow cheesecake to cool in the oven. Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack open the oven door and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour, which will help prevent the cheesecake from cracking.

Chill the cheesecake. Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan. Run a knife around the edges on the inside of the cheesecake to release from the springform pan. Cover the top of the cheesecake with a paper towel or wax paper(to help with condensation forming) and then cover in foil. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight.

Make the creme brulee topping.

Before serving, remove the cheesecake from the pan. Sprinkle the superfine sugar over the top into an even thin layer of sugar.

Using a kitchen blow torch, slowly burn the sugar so it caramelizes by moving the torch around slowly. This can take a few minutes until the sugar is caramelized. It tends to soften in the fridge, so do this right before serving. 

Recipe Tips

• Use the right kind of Cream Cheese. I always use blocks of full-fat cream cheese for my cheesecake filling. Based on my experience of creating different cheesecakes, blocks of full-fat cream cheese give a smooth, silky, and creamy cheesecake. Don’t use the kind in the tub. 
• Use softened soften cream cheese. You need the cream cheese at room temperature before you start mixing ingredients so you get a smooth filling.
• Wrap the springform pan well. You don’t want any water from the water bath to leak in and ruin the cheesecake and oreo crust. I like to wrap in a few layers of tin foil, and then wrap in a slow cooker liner. I’ve also used a silicone pan as well that’s also a great option. Read more here about what is a water bath?
• Bake in a water bath. A water bath allows the cheesecake filling to cook slowly so you get a smooth filling and no cracks in the top of the cheesecake. 
• Cool slowly. You need to let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the heat off and the door open. This will help prevent cracks in the top of the cheesecake.
• Brulee the cheesecake before serving. The topping can soften as it sits, so it’s best to add the brulee topping right before serving.
• Use superfine sugar for the topping. Superfine sugar brulees more easily, but granulated sugar will work. If you want you put granulated sugar in the food processor to break it down into a super fine sugar.

Serving Suggestions

I like to top with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries. For a fun twist try serving with my cinnamon whipped cream instead!

For more decadence serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or serve with a little hot fudge or caramel sauce. Or try serving with my strawberry topping for cheesecake recipe.

Storage Instructions

Stored properly, the cheesecake can last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container but the sugar will soften over time.

You can also freeze any leftover cheesecake. I like to freeze individual slices can be wrapped and frozen for later enjoyment. I like to place individual slices of cheesecake on a cookie sheet and freeze uncovered for an hour. Once frozen I wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag for added protection. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then unwrap and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs:

More Recipes To Try

If you’re craving more cheesecake, try my no bake pistachio cheesecake recipe for another fun holiday cheesecake for Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day.

Or another great holiday cheesecake to make is this easy no bake tiramisu cheesecake.