At my house we have what we call “Birthday Season”. It’s what happens when 4 out of 5 family members celebrate a birthday within 4 weeks time. My three kiddos LOVE this time of year. But what kid wouldn’t love knowing they’ll have a homemade cake once a week for four weeks?!? Who am I kidding? I’m just as excited as the kids.
My husband kicks off the season with his birthday. It’s usually harder to think of an idea of what to make for him than anyone else. My first and second born put in orders months in advance. My husband, on the other hand, never has a request. He gives the same answer every year, “Whatever you want to make. I don’t care”. For someone like me, his answer is like nails on a chalkboard. I drive myself crazy trying to come up with something new every year because he doesn’t seem to have a clear favorite.
One night he started talking about Pecan Pie and how he hadn’t had one in a while. He said he hoped I would make one around the holidays. Yes! An idea was born. I just didn’t consider pie birthday worthy. The kids and I decided we should make him a Pecan Pie Cheesecake; Caramel Pecan Pie Cheesecake to be exact. I started searching the web for ideas. I knew I wanted Pecan Pie on the bottom, Cheesecake in the middle, and caramel on top. I stumbled upon a recipe that looked so good I decided to use it instead of creating my own. It did not disappoint! The cake was rich, creamy, and decadent. Hubby loved it and so did everyone else who had a slice!
I decided to use a graham cracker crust made from my Wheat Free Graham Crackers.
Crust:
- 2 cups Wheat Free Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup butter
Pecan Filling:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 cups pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
The original recipe called for 2/3 cup dark corn syrup, but I had none. I ended up using a combination of 1/3 cup light corn syrup and 1/3 cup pure cane syrup. It was delicious!
- 3 – 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 can of Dulce De Leche
- 3/4 cup pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
When this cake was finished we ended up with an incredible Sweet Beginning to “Birthday Season”. We have not been able to get the cake out of our minds. I had to promise my daughter I would make another before the year is done. Can we say New Year’s dessert?!?
Note: The full instructions can be found at http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/pecan-pie-cheesecake/. You will NOT be disappointed.
hill love 