Sunday, November 8, 2009

Pecanless Pie Cheesecake

If you've seen my pecanless pie tarts, then you already know I'm not a fan of nuts, but I'm addicted to the sugary center and the buttery crust found in pecan pies. So a few weeks ago, I had a hankering for some pie and found this bookmarked recipe for pecan pie cheesecake. Perfect!

Well, I made the cheesecake with very few problems...until...I unhooked the latch on my springform pan. Once I lifted up the sides, all of the pecanless pie "juice" started leaking out!

In an attempt to transfer the pie to another plate, I cracked the top of the pie (now I know how a cracked cheesecake looks in person!) because it was stuck to the sticky syrup on the bottom of the pan. So, I just decided to let it stay where it was - on the springform base.

Despite the problems, the cheesecake was very good, and I'm sure it would have been better with more of the syrupy filling. If I ever make it again, I'm going to double the crust amount so that it can hold in all of the filling.

I topped the cheesecake with homemade caramel (OVERKILL, I KNOW! But I had to make up for the lost syrupy filling :D right?!) and whipped cream. Needless to say, it was VERY decadent and so delicious. This recipe came from Bake or Break - one of my favorite blogs for desserts. Her photos are so perfect. She uses macro on many of her drool-worthy shots.


Nilla Crust:
1 & 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine wafer crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pecan(less) pie filling:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark corn syrup (I used light)
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
(1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into crust and set aside.

Cheesecake portion:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 & 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reduce oven to 325°. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add brown sugar and flour and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in cream and vanilla. Pour over pecan filling. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove from oven and run a knife along the outside edges to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Let cool. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

12 comments:

  1. I love that you added caramel on top! It looks fabulous!

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  2. pecan or no pecan, this cheesecake is to die for! Totally awesome!

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  3. Barbara - I'm glad I added the caramel, too. I thought it would be too sweet, but it complemented the cheesecake pretty well.

    Ellie - Thanks! It was really good. I still remember how it tasted haha.

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  4. There's no such thing as "overkill" when it comes to caramel. You can never have enough, in my opinion!

    It looks fabulous!

    Tiffany

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  5. Oh my! Cracked or not this looks absolutely mouthwatering! I could really go for a slice of this right now!

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  6. Gracious - I totally agree! but others may think the caramel is overkill. I liked it, though!

    Cheri - Thanks. It was very good despite all the trouble. You should make this so you can have as many slices as you want haha.

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  7. Yeah, total overkill. But don't we all need a bit of that every now and then :)

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  8. My husband would agree with you! He hates nuts and loves cheesecake and such. I swear you right this blog so he can tell me I'm just a crazy nut lover lol.

    Memoria, this looks fantastic.

    Laura

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  9. Girl, I am totally speechless! Okay, not totally, but this cheesecake looks like it is to die for (sorry about the ending preposition). Anyway, awesome photograph, awesome recipe, just pure awesomeness. Although I love nuts, I would take this pecanless cheesecake, devour it in a heartbeat and love on it like . . . well, I would just love on it :o)

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  10. Who cares about a few little cracks? that cheesecake looks heavenly!

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  11. Mom - You speechless?! HAH! Thanks, mom!

    Susan - Thanks! The cracks didn't bother me at all since it wasn't for anyone but me and whoever wanted some!

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  12. Cooking Photographer - I'm glad there's someone out there who gets me about the nuts haha.

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