Pecans Turtle Cheesecake

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Chilling Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 8 hours & 40 minutes
Servings: 12 people

Imagine sinking your teeth into a layered dessert that features a thick graham cracker crust, a rich brown sugar cheesecake filling, and a delightful caramel pecan topping. Before you dive in, just make sure all the cold ingredients for the filling are at room temperature. And for an extra touch, consider adding a drizzle of brown sugar heavy cream on top as a finishing garnish!

Why you’ll love my recipe:
Captures all the elements of classic Turtle candies: pecan infused crust, thick ripple of chocolate and caramel throughout, and of course more caramel, chocolate, and pecans on top.
No water bath required! Like all of my cheesecake recipes (I have more than 30 now!), this turtle cheesecake is made without a water bath. Don’t worry though, I include lots of tips for preventing cracks!
Can be made a few days in advance and also freezes well!
The perfect way to cap off an evening, especially after enjoying something equally gourmet like garlic butter shrimp or beef ragu.

Ingredients:

Chocolate ripple:

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
60 g chopped chocolate

Crust:

1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup (40 g) finely chopped pecans
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
7 Tablespoons (100 g) salted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling:

700 g full-fat cream cheese softened
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup (120 g) sour cream
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs room temperature
¼ cup caramel sauce
Ganache from above

Topping:

⅓ cup caramel sauce
30 g chopped chocolate
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
¾ cup (90 g) pecans mix of chopped and halved

Directions:

For the chocolate ripple:

Prepare chocolate ripple first (so it has time to cool) by combining heavy cream and chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-safe mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 25 seconds. Stir well and return to microwave for another 25 seconds. Whisk until smooth and set aside while you prepare the crust and filling.
¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, 60 g chopped chocolate

For the crust:

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, finely chopped pecans, and brown sugar until combined.
1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs,⅓ cup (40 g) finely chopped pecans,3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
Add melted butter and stir until all crumbs are moistened.
7 Tablespoons (100 g) salted butter
Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Set aside.

For the cheesecake:

Preheat oven to 325F (165C).
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and sugars. Beat on medium speed until smooth, creamy, and lump free.700 g full-fat cream cheese,¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar,¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
Add sour cream and vanilla extract and stir on low speed until combined.
½ cup (120 g) sour cream,¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate dish, lightly beat one egg. Add to the cheesecake batter, stirring briefly on low speed until just combined. Repeat with remaining eggs, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
3 large eggs
Pour approximately a third of the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Drizzle half of caramel sauce over cheesecake layer followed by half of the chocolate ripple (this will not cover all of the cheesecake batter, this is fine). Pour another third of the cheesecake batter evenly overtop. Drizzle remaining half of caramel sauce over cheesecake, followed by remaining half of chocolate ripple. Top with the remaining cheesecake batter.
¼ cup caramel sauce,Ganache
Place the pan on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the cheesecake is almost set (center will be jiggly and edges should be set and may puff slightly).
Remove from oven and cool until almost room temperature (alternatively, to help reduce risk of cracks, turn off oven, crack the door, and allow it to sit for 1 hour). Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 7 hours, preferably overnight before topping and serving.

Topping:

Once cheesecake is chilled, prepare your toppings. Make ganache by combining chocolate and heavy cream in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 25 seconds and stir well. If not yet smooth, microwave again and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
30 g chopped chocolate,2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Drizzle caramel sauce and prepared ganache over cheesecake. Scatter pecans overtop.
⅓ cup caramel sauce,¾ cup (90 g) pecans
For easy slicing, chill cheesecake in refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow toppings to set.
Once cheesecake has chilled completely, remove springform ring, slice and serve.

Tips & Notes:

Chocolate for Ripple & Topping:

Press the crust high up the sides of the pan. This is the #1 tip I can give you! Doing this will allow your crust to shrink with the cheesecake as it cools, which is a very common reason for cracks.
Use room temperature ingredients. This will allow your ingredients to combine more easily and prevent over-mixing.
Do not over-mix. Over-mixing can cause your cheesecake to puff up during baking, then shrink (and crack) while it cools.
Go easy on the eggs. Mixing the eggs too much can cause a curdled, eggy tasting cheesecake that puffs in the oven and sinks in on itself. To prevent this, lightly mix each egg before adding it, add the eggs one at a time, and mix until just combined after each addition.
Cool slowly. Turn off your oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecake remain inside for 1 hour. This will slow down the cooling process instead of immediately bringing the hot cheesecake out into the room temperature air.
I prefer to use semisweet or dark chocolate. You may use a chopped baking bar or use couverture chocolate. Chocolate chips are not my preference but will work in a pinch.

Storing: