Toblerone-topped caramel cheesecake

I never used to be much of a fan of cheesecake. It was heavy, overly sweet and I always thought that there were better dessert options available (the fact that they were invariably topped with a fruit compote didn’t help their cause with me, it must be said).

My views on this form of dessert have softened over the years, though, and the main reason for this is the Toblerone-topped caramel cheesecake. This is one of many recipes that we have that we clipped out of food magazines, although what makes this one different is that it was from an advert (for, as will soon become apparent, Philadelphia cream cheese). It is, quite frankly, amazing, and if that wasn’t enough it’s really easy to make – there are just eight ingredients!

One of these, as the title of this post suggests, is Toblerone. Toblerone is fantastic. In my opinion, anything that involves that triangular Swiss chocolate (with nougat, almonds and honey) bar cannot possibly be bad.

As with any cheesecake, the first thing to prepare is the base, which consists of ¼ cup of butter and 1¼ cups of Oreo biscuit crumbs.

Now, I do not have a problem with the North American way of measuring out ingredients by volume (a cup being around 250 mls) rather than by weight, but only if it’s limited to dry goods (rice, sugar, etc) or liquids. When it comes to butter, I’d much rather stick to weighing it out rather than trying to jam the stuff into a measuring-cup to ensure that I’ve included the correct amount.

Once melted, the butter is mixed with the Oreo crumbs. This lines the bottom of your springform pan (the recipe recommends a nine-inch one).

For the next stage, 750g Philadelpia cream cheese, ¾ cup of brown sugar and one tablespoon of vanilla are beaten together. Once they’re combined, three eggs get added one at a time. When it’s done, add this mixture to the springform pan.

This is baked for 40-45 minutes, at 180°C, then cooled and refrigerated for at least 4 hours (should you wish to make it a day in advance, it’s OK to keep it in the fridge overnight).

Just before serving, it’s time to add the pièce de résistance. The cheesecake is topped with ⅓ cup caramel sauce (that’s what the recipe said; I found it needed a bit more than that) and sprinkle 100g coarsely chopped Toblerone pieces on top of that.

Best. Cheesecake. Ever.