Praline crunch cheesecake recipe

Packed with crunchy nuts, cream cheese and gooey, sweet caramel, this is one incredible cheesecake that's not to be missed! With a little bit of organisation, it's an easy recipe to master and the finished result looks so impressive. It's a great recipe to serve to dinner guests. Make sure you bookmark the page as this is one cheesecake that you'll be asked to make again and again!

Ingredients

For the base:

• 170g packet praline biscuits
• 125g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter

For the topping:

• 6 leaves gelatine
• 2 x 300g carton full-fat cream cheese
• Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
• 397g can Carnation caramel or condensed milk

For the decoration:

• 100g packet pecan nuts
• ½ level tsp ground cinnamon
• 125g caster sugar
• 6-8tbsp caramel dipping sauce or confiture de caramel

You will need:

• 20cm round loose- bottomed cake tin, lined with baking parchment
• Disposable piping bag

Method

1. To make the base: Crush the biscuits and mix with the butter. Tip the mixture into the cake tin and press down in an even layer. Chill until set.
2. To make the topping: soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water.
3. Beat the cream cheese with the lemon rind and juice until smooth, then beat in the caramel or condensed milk. Lift the gelatine out of the water and squeeze out the excess moisture. Melt the gelatine, either in a microwave oven or in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Pour the melted gelatine into the cheese mixture, and mix it in very quickly before it sets.
4. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, until it’s set.
5. To serve, slide it out of the tin, place on a plate and peel away the baking parchment.
6. To decorate: Coat the pecan nuts with cinnamon and place them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for a few minutes (the oven temperature is not important, just heat the nuts until they are slightly warm.
7. Pour 4tbsp water into a pan and add the sugar. Place the pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, then use a damp brush to wash down any sugar crystals on side of pan. Boil gently until it turns a light golden colour.
8. Spread the nuts out on a sheet of baking parchment on a heat-proof surface and pour over the caramel. Working quickly, turn the nuts to ensure they are covered with the caramel. Leave to cool.
9. Break the nutty caramel into pieces and place around edge of cheesecake. Fill the piping bag with caramel. Cut off end of bag and pipe over the top of the nuts just before serving.