Salted Caramel Cashew Cheesecake

Every time we make this Salted Caramel Cashew Cheesecake we get asked for the recipe. It’s not hard to understand why. The eternal combination of caramel, rich sweet cheesecake and salty cashews make an impression that’s hard to beat. 

INGREDIENTS

Cashew Crust

1/2 cup Farm Fresh Nuts Freshly Roasted Salted Cashew Halves & Pieces

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg yolk

Cheesecake Filling

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese*

1/2 cup sour cream

4 large eggs

Salted Caramel Cashew Topping

1 cup coconut sugar 

5 tablespoons butter, cut into slices

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

1 pinch sea salt to taste

1 ½ cup Farm Fresh Nuts Freshly Roasted Salted Cashew Halves & Pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a dough forms. Press it into the bottom of a springform pan (wrapped in 2-3 layers of foil if you are baking in a water bath) or pie plate. Bake for 10-20 minutes until the crust smells nutty and is golden brown (closer to 10 for a pie plate and closer to 20 for a 6 inch springform pan).

Meanwhile, combine the filling ingredients in the food processor (no need to wash it first). Process until smooth. Pour into the baked crust. If using a water bath put the pan in a larger pan and pour one to two inches of boiling water into the outside pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the center no longer jiggles.Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

While the cheesecake is cooling you can make the caramel. Combine first three ingredients and cook over medium low heat until bubbly, slightly thickened, and lightly browned. Remove from the heat and add the salt and extract. Stir in the cashews. Set aside. Dump the caramel cashews on top of the cooked cheesecake. If you doubled the caramel sauce save some to drizzle on right before serving (if it thickens you can reheat it for a few seconds in the saucepan or the microwave).

Cool cheesecake completely before serving.

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