This Instant Pot Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake is a b s o l u t e l y delicious, soft like a puffy pillow, flavorful with a hint of lemon and topped with the most scrumptious thick layer of chocolate and caramel!
INSTANT POT SUNDAY SERIES – WEEK THREE
Wow, the weeks are rolling in and today I have another AMAZING Instant Pot recipe to share!
Wait, whaaaat?
You mean this cheesecake came out of a pressure cooker?? ?
Hmm… exactly!
Not only did this heavenly cheesecake came out of an Instant Pot, but it was easy and fun to make, and gave me a chance to feel like Martha Stewart for the day. Hehehe!
About this recipe
Let’s start with the crust, made with ginger snaps instead of the tradition graham crackers for a touch of seasonality. As long as you measure a cup of fine crumbs, you can use any type of cracker/ cookie you like.
The cheesecake came out absolutely, I mean ->>a b s o l u t e l y<<- delicious. Soft like a puffy pillow, flavorful with a hint of lemon and topped with the most scrumptious thick layer of chocolate and caramel!
INSTANT POT SUNDAY SERIES – WEEK ONE
INSTANT POT SUNDAY SERIES – WEEK TWO
For this recipe I branched out to the oven for a brief 10 mins to bake the crust. All while I worked on the cheesecake. Then we bring the two together (crust + filling) and carefully lower to the Instant Pot to go under pressure cooking mode for 35 mins, then allow some natural pressure to release.
Once the cheesecake is done and cooled off completely, refrigerate to set (this is the toughest part!) ->>the looooong and necessary wait… Maybe head to the movies, gym, run an errand or come up with some other fun and creative way to distract yourself from the c-h-e-e-s-e-c-a-k-e (note: I was only able to occupy my cravings for 3 hours!)
Make the easy breezy topping and spread over your beautiful cheesecake.
Now EAT!
Instant Pot Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup finely ground ginger snap cookie crumbs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp unsweetened dark chocolate powder
- 1/3 cup melted dark chocolate
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup caramel
- coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch springform pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment pepper (fitted)
Crust
- Add ginger snap cookies to a food processor or vitamix and pulse until finely ground. A second option is to place the cookies/ graham crackers into a zipper bag and crush it with a heavy utensil.
- In a medium bowl, add ginger snaps crumbs and melted butter. Stir with a fork until evenly moist.
- Transfer to prepared pan. Using your fingers, spread out crumbs and press it down to form a crust. Push crumbs out, about 1 inch up onto the sides. You can also use the bottom of a small 1c glass bowl to press it down evenly and onto the sides.
- Bake crust to set for 10 mins or until lightly brown. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Cheesecake
- Add cream cheese, sugar and flour to your stand mixer bowl or to a large bowl, if using a hand mixer. Work it until smooth and incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing at all times. Add sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix until smooth.
- Transfer the batter to the cheesecake pan and spread evenly. Wrap a piece of foil around the bottom of the pan. Cut another long piece of foil and fold the long way to create sort of a “rope” to lower and lift the cheese cake into the instant pot.
- Pour 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker and set a rack on the bottom. Carefully lower the cheesecake inside the pressure cooker. Lock the lid, select high pressure and set timer for 35 mins.
- When done allow a 15 mins natural release then quickly release remaining pressure. Carefully lift the cheesecake from the pressure cooker and place it on a cooling rack.
- There will be some moisture on top of the cheesecake, using a paper towel gently absorb the excess moisture. When the cheesecake is completely cooled, transfer to the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours.
Chocolate Caramel Topping
- Add the sour cream, chocolate, chocolate powder and sugar to a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
Arranging the Cheesecake
- Unmold cheesecake and transfer to a cake stand.
- Using a flat spatula, gently spread a thick layer of the chocolate topping onto the cheesecake. Add a few twirls of caramel and sprinkle with sea salt
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! Is chocolate powder the same thing as cocoa powder?
Yes it is Laurie! I am also re-making this recipe tomorrow. Hope you like it!