Make the Shortbread Base
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Put the flour, butter, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a food processor you can also rub the butter into the flour and sugar with your fingertips
1 cup All-purpose Flour, 1 stick Butter, ¼ cup White Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Salt
Squish the mixture together into a dough and press into the base of a round, loose-bottomed cake pan. Tip: I like to line the base of my pan with parchment paper cirlces to help the cheesecake come out easily later.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Make the Cheesecake
Whip the cream to stiff peaks, then set aside.
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Whip the cream cheese, white sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until creamy and smooth.
3 ¼ cups Cream Cheese, ½ cup White Sugar, 3 tablespoon Powdered Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, just until combined.
Pour cheesecake mixture into the cake pan, on top of the cooled shortbread base. Smooth out the top and place in the fridge to chill whil you prepare the caramel.
Make the Caramel
Melt the light brown sugar, butter and golden corn syrup in a pan and bring to a boil.
1 cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 sticks Butter, ⅓ cup Golden Corn Syrup
Keep boiling, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to froth.
Remove from the heat and add in the condensed milk and salt.
1 can Condensed Milk, 1 teaspoon Salt
Return to the heat and bring to a boil again. Boil for 1 minute, at this point the caramel shoud be thick enough to coat the back fo a spoon well. If it isn’t, keep boiling for another minute, then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Let cool for about 90 minutes. By this point, it should still be slightly warm to the touch. Remove ¼ of the caramel and set it aside (we’ll use this later for serving and/or decorating) Pour the remaining caramel over the cheesecake and spread it out to cover the cheesecake evenly.
Put the cheesecake back in the fridge and let it chill overnight.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
Measure out your chocolate and chop into small pieces (if not already). Put into a medium bowl.
1 cup Dark Chocolate
Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is scalding (steam coming off the milk and very tiny bubbles starting to appear).
½ cup Whipping Cream
Remove the cream from the heat immediately and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute.
Stir the chocolate and cream together until a glossy, smooth ganache is formed and there are no more unmelted lumps of chocolate.
Cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely.
Once cooled, spread ganache over the top of the chilling cheesecake, then let it continue to chill.
Once the cheesecake has chilled overnight, remove it from the fridge and carefully remove it from the cake pan.
Heat the reserved caramel in the microwave for 20 seconds and drizzle over each cheesecake slice before serving.
Notes
If you don’t intend to serve the cheesecake the next day, I recommend adding this extra step to make sure the base stays nice and crisp for longer:
Once your shortbread base has completely cooled, melt a small amount of chocolate in the microwave and pour a very thin layer of chocolate over the whole shortbread base. This will set to create a barrier between the shortbread and the cheesecake and prevent it from going soggy.
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