With a chocolate cookie crust, bourbon in the filling and a pecan caramel sauce, cheesecake doesn’t get any better than this. It has an incredibly smooth texture, is easy to make, and even easier to pull this impressive dessert from the freezer to serve guests.
Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake with Pecan Sauce
Chilling time required
Crust
Filling
Sauce
Garnish
Instructions
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Set cream cheese, eggs and sour cream on the counter for at least 4 hours for best results.
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For the crust, mix chocolate cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into a greased 23cm/9” springform pan. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
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For the filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugars and beat until fully combined and smooth. Add 2 eggs and beat until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining eggs. Add sour cream, bourbon and vanilla, beat until combined, stopping to scrape down bowl as needed. Do not overbeat.
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Double wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil. Pour filling into the cooled crust. Jiggle the pan to smooth the top. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Place in the oven and fill the roasting pan half full of water, being careful not to allow any water to get into the springform pan. Bake for an hour, or until cheesecake centre is slightly wobbly. Turn off the oven and prop the door open about 10cm/4”. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour, then remove and cool completely on the counter. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours. It can be frozen, tightly wrapped, at this point.
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For the sauce, melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until beginning to bubble, 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat and whisk in milk and bourbon. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Stir in pecans and cool. Transfer to a serving bowl or jug and chill until ready to serve.
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To serve, run a knife around the edge and remove the springform pan. Drizzle half the sauce around the edge. Cut into wedges, making sure to cut through the crust. Spoon more sauce over each piece if desired. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and purchased chocolate sauce.
Note
Room temperature ingredients will yield the smoothest cheesecake – do not skip this step!
Do not cover the cheesecake until completely cooled, as condensation inside the wrap may spoil the smooth surface.
For freezing, wrap cheesecake tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw 2-3 hours and remove the springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.
Freezing the sauce is not recommended, but it keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks.
User Reviews
Delicious recipe. Had troubles with the base so know for next time to put a bit of parchment down first. Super tasty and lasts well in the freezer.
This was delicious, done it a few times now. For some reason the first time I struggled to get the sauce to work, but I think that was human error! Worked fine the 2nd time.
Froze really well!
Wow – so easy to make and turns out perfect, every time!! Freezes fantastically and requires minimum effort when its time to serve, a little garnish and onto the table! Very handy to have in the freezer for any last minute entertaining, doesn’t take long to thaw.
When crushing the biscults do you leave the filling inside or scrape it off?
Just crush the biscuits as they are, filling and all. Makes a delicious base.
Perfectly delicious cheesecake!
Delicious! I followed the tip above and it cut beautiful slices
Rich, creamy and delicious!
Freezes perfectly.
Tip – cut into slices while still frozen to get perfect slices every time!
I served it with coffee ice-cream- complements it well.
Does Chocolate sandwich cookies mean something like Oreos?
Yes I guess any chocolate biscuit sandwiched with a filling like an Oreo would work.
The cheesecake was very nice, had a very creamy texture, unlike a lot of baked cheesecakes.
The pecan sauce was delicious poured over each slice.
Any tips on why mine would have burnt on the top?
I’m not sure why it would burn on top, as that shouldn’t happen. You could try lowering the oven temperature slightly next time, ensure it’s baked on the middle rack, and check that the water bath is sufficiently filled. I hope that helps.