Caramel Cheesecake with Salted Caramel

Preparation and Base

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 160 °C top/bottom heat. Line the bottom of a springform pan (Ø 25 cm) with baking paper.
• 2
  Finely crush the caramel biscuits in a blender or place them in a freezer bag and crush them finely with a rolling pin. Mix the biscuit crumbs with 130 g of the room-temperature butter. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Smooth and press firmly with the bottom of a glass.

Filling and Baking

• 1
  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer for about 60–90 seconds until creamy. Gradually beat in the 4 eggs. Then add the sour cream, 100 g of the sugar, and the vanilla sugar and continue beating only briefly until a smooth mixture forms.
• 2
  Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the biscuit base in the pan. Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven at 160 °C for approx. 85–95 minutes. After baking, let the cake cool for 2 hours with the oven door slightly ajar, then remove and let cool completely at room temperature for another 1–2 hours.

Caramel Sauce and Finish

• 1
  For the caramel, melt the remaining 100 g of sugar in a pan over medium heat for 4–6 minutes until it caramelizes to a golden brown (do not stir!). In parallel, gently warm the whipping cream in a small saucepan. Once the sugar is caramelized, carefully stir in the warm cream and simmer to a smooth caramel. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted. Let the sauce simmer for another 1–2 minutes, then remove from heat, stir in the salt, and let cool for at least 10–15 minutes.
• 2
  Cover the cooled cheesecake with the caramel sauce and serve.