This Praline Cheesecake recipe is a favorite dessert at holidays or with Mexican food. If you make Christmas tamales the Prealine Cheesecake is a sure crowd pleaser. For a cheesecake crust, I recommend a pecan nut crust and topping the Praline Cheesecake with pecan halves and maple syrup.

Praline Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients: 

2 pounds cream cheese

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 ½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour (optional)

½ cup chopped pecans

12 pecan halves

6 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cream

Praline Cheesecake Recipe

Directions for Preparation and Baking: 

Lay out the cream cheese ahead of time so it will be close to room temperature when you make the batter. It is easier to beat when it isn’t cold.

1.     Preheat the oven to 450°F. I use a stone on the bottom rack. If you haven’t prepared your crust yet (see crust recipe) or bought a ready-made one, get the crust ready now. If you have a ready-made crust, you may want to toast it in time to be ready for step 5 below, but that is not required.

2.     Beat (or use a mixer) the cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until well blended.

3.     Add the sour cream and flour and continue beating until you have a smooth consistent texture. Stir in the chopped pecans.

4.     Add the eggs. I don’t usually, but for a lighter cake, separate the eggs and separately beat the whites to at least twice their original volume before adding to the batter along with the optional yolks. Don’t over beat the egg whites. Switch from a mixer to a wooden spoon now. Once the eggs are stirred in, gradually add the milk or cream (which can also be whipped to lighten the cake) and gently stir until smooth. The batter is ready.

5.     Pour the batter in your crust. Place the filled crust in the 450°F oven. Once you have the cake in the oven, don’t open the oven door any more than you have to. You may want to add a pan of water to help maintain/restore humidity in the oven. After fifteen minutes reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and continue baking for another hour before you check on the tall cake (45 minutes for shallow cakes, 30 minutes for cupcakes.)

As the cake bakes, it will rise, and gradually stiffen from the outside toward the center. You can tell how far along this process is by gently jiggling the pan, but this requires opening the oven door which lets out hot humid air, contributing to drying out the cake. You want to continue baking until only a small circle in the center, less than two inches across, will jiggle. You can then turn off the oven and allow the cake to continue baking from its own heat another ½ hour or so before opening the oven door to start cooling the cake.

6.     After the cake has cooled to room temperature, serve or refrigerate the covered cheesecake.