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White chocolate crème brûlée cheesecake with Biscoff cookie crust and homemade strawberry coulis, showing a spoonful removed from the ceramic ramekin with a drizzle of strawberry sauce on top for Valentine's Day cheesecake recipes or romantic desserts for two.

Creme Brûlée Cheesecake w/Biscoff CookieCrust


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5 from 1 review

  • Author: Kelly
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12 Servings
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Creamy white chocolate vanilla bean filling with a Biscoff Lotus cookie crust gets brûléed to crunchy crackly perfection and served with my favorite strawberry coulis recipe in one of our all-time favorite cheesecake recipes(ever).  


Ingredients

Biscoff cookie crust ingredients

  • 1 package of Biscoff Cookies (250g)
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted (70g)

Cheesecake base ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (250g)
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (250g)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons (125g) *see notes for increasing sugar
  • 6 large eggs, room temperature (300g)
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature (30g)
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream (30g)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (15g)
  • 4 ounces 28% Callebaut White chocolate (113g)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (6.5g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder** (2.5g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (1.5g)
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (10g)

strawberry coulis or fruitti di bosco sauce

*If you don't have vanilla bean powder, you may use 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and omit the vanilla bean powder. 


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven 350°F/176°C. *See note below if you plan to bake one whole cheesecake in a springform pan. 
  2. Prepare the Biscoff cookie crust. Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to crush the cookies until they resemble coarse sand. If using a plastic freezer bag and a rolling pin to crush the cookies, place the cookies into the bag, seal, and pound the cookies to crush them. Add the melted butter and combine well. Evenly distribute the cookie mixture to the ramekins (or prepared springform pan or pie plate) and press it down using the back of your hand or a jar to form a compact crust. Bake for 7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and place the ramekins into an oven-safe dish with deeper sides so that the mini cheesecakes can be baked in a water bath.
  3. Melt the white chocolate. Place a medium bowl over a smaller pot with water to create a double boiler making sure the sides of the bowl are wider than the pot. Melt the chocolate slowly and turn off the heat. Alternatively, you may microwave the white chocolate for a few seconds, being sure to turn it off every 5 seconds or so and stirring it. Remove as soon as it's melted.
  4. Prepare the cheesecake base. Using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the sugar, cream cheese, and mascarpone until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and salt and mix just until combined and no traces of egg are left. Add the heavy cream and lemon juice and stir to combine using a spatula. Next, add the melted white chocolate and stir to combine. Lastly, stir in the flour until no traces of flour remain. Do not over-mix once you add the flour. 
  5. Fill the ramekins (or springform cake pan). Evenly distribute the cheesecake batter amongst the ramekins (or pour directly into the springform cake pan if using). Give them a gentle but firm "tap-tap" to remove any air bubbles.
  6. Prepare the water bath. Heat about 1 quart/liter of water in a pot until almost boiling. Pour it into a liquid measuring cup or a pitcher with a pour spout. This will make it easier to get the hot water into the baking vessel to form the hot water bath without spilling all over the oven.
  7. Bake the cheesecake.  Working quickly add the pan containing the filled ramekins (or springform pan) to the oven. Gently and slowly, pour the hot water into the hot water bath vessel being sure not to splash water into the cheesecake. Close the oven door and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top is puffy and set, but not browned. The middle should slightly bounce or jiggle and you should be able to lightly touch the tops without it sticking to your finger when the cheesecake is ready. Remove it from the oven to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours and even better overnight. Serve with your favorite homemade fruit sauce like strawberry coulis or fruitti di bosco coulis Enjoy!

*If baking one whole cheesecake in a springform pan, prepare it by buttering an 8, 9, or 10-inch springform pan and lining it with parchment paper on the bottom and sides. Proceed with the remaining instructions, and be sure to wrap the pan well with heavy-duty aluminum foil in preparation for the hot water bath.  You'll also need to adjust baking times. Reference specifics in the recipe notes.

Notes

You may increase the amount of sugar used in this recipe based on your preferences. I use 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (125g) when I know I will also be adding sugar to brùlée the tops. However, if you plan to serve this as a traditional cheesecake (without the burnt sugar on top), you may increase the sugar to 3/4 cup (148g). Additionally, if you have a super-duper sweet tooth, you may add up to 1 cup (200g) of sugar without changing the texture of the final dessert, but I recommend making a tart fruit sauce or coulis to help balance the sweetness of the cheesecake. 

Avoid a cracked or split cheesecake by not over-mixing the cheesecake batter/base once you've added the eggs. Eggs hold air in the batter, which can cause the cheesecake to rise too much during baking, causing it to crack.

How to prepare the cheesecake pan for surviving the water bath it cooks in. If baking this cheesecake in a springform pan vs individual ramekins, use heavy-duty aluminum foil with a large enough surface area that it will not only cover the bottom of the pan but will also come up the sides around the springform pan (click over here for photos at the bottom of this post). Apply approximately 3 layers of aluminum foil to ensure no water will seep into the cheesecake while cooking. You will also need to increase the baking time from 25 minutes to approximately 50 minutes, or until puffed and set. I always recycle and reuse foil when it doesn't have contact with food.

How much water is needed for a cheesecake water bath? You only need to ensure that the water comes up 1-2" on the sides of the cheesecake baking pan or vessel. There needs to be just enough water to ensure even cooking throughout. So, for smaller individual ramekin dishes, 1 inch of water coming up the sides is enough. For larger springform whole cheesecakes, it's best to have at least 2 inches of water coming up the sides.

Make mini cheesecakes by using mini cheesecake molds or springform pans. You can even use foil or silicone muffin liners and a muffin pan to make smaller portions. Adjust the baking time accordingly.

If you make the 10-Minute Berry (Licious) Sauce, you should pass it through a sieve (fine mesh strainer) to remove the seeds if you want a smooth more refined sauce. This sauce is more tart than the strawberry sauce and makes a great alternative to the strawberry coulis.

How to temper and brùlée a frozen cheesecake. The easiest way to ensure the cheesecake stays cold while you torch it to create the burnt sugar top is by making sure it's super cold before burning it. You can accomplish this by either freezing the cheesecake or by placing a refrigerated cheesecake in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before burning it. I like to remove a ramekin from the freezer, let it sit out for 4-5 minutes, add the sugar, torch it, and then wait 5-10 minutes to eat it. Play around with your own preferred methods and temperatures.

Substitute the 8-inch springform pan for a 9 or 10-inch pan if you want.  Make the following adjustments to the crust and baking times if you do.

    • 9-inch pan: Only bring the cookie crust 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake cheesecake for approximately 50 minutes.
    • 10-inch pan: Spread out the cookie crumbs out just to cover the bottom of the pan and bake for 40-50 min.
  •  
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Cakes + Tortes
  • Method: Oven Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 452
  • Sugar: 25g
  • Sodium: 248mg
  • Fat: 32g
  • Saturated Fat: 18g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 14g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 33g
  • Fiber: 0g
  • Protein: 8g
  • Cholesterol: 155mg
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