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posted by Christy Denneyon May 19, 202421 comments »
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This decadent Turtle Cheesecake is so creamy and topped caramel, nuts, and chocolate chipson top of a buttery crust.. Always a crowd favorite and my favorite dessert!
TURTLE CHEESECAKE
I have been on a streak of recipe flops. I’m trying not to feel defeated so…I went back to my tried and true Turtle Cheesecake recipe. This is the first cheesecake recipe I ever made back in college.
I didn’t realize what a good recipe it was until I tried other cheesecake recipes. They always turned out dry and flavorless. This is sweet, moist, and has the best texture. If you are going for the WOW factor, here is your recipe.
It’s creamy, rich and no-fail. The lime juice may seem a little strange but trust me it works! It isn’t really even detectable but gives it a bright flavor that cuts the sweetness.
People are always so amazed that I actually made this cheesecake and it’s not store bought. It looks like it could be from the Cheesecake Factory!
INGREDIENTS
- CREAM CHEESE – To make sure you have a creamy cheesecake filling, use room temperature cream cheese. I always use fullfat cream cheese for best results.
- CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRACKERS – This is the base of our chocolate cookie crust. You can use Oreo cookies for an Oreo cookie crust as well.
- MELTED BUTTER
- SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
- SUGAR
- EGGS
- LIME JUICE – This adds a little tang to the cheesecake batter.
- VANILLA EXTRACT
- MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS – We use melted chocolate chips in the batter and then semisweet chocolate chips on top.
- CHOCOLATE SYRUP – This sauce drizzled on top of the cheesecake makes for a decadent topping. You could also use this homemade chocolate ganache.
- CARAMEL SYRUP – This is really good with a salted caramel sauce.
- PECANS
HOW TO MAKE THIS
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
- Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press crust ingredients onto bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
BEAT cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla extract; beat at medium speed until combined.
- Remove 1 cup of filling and set aside. Melt chocolate chips about 1 minute, (just until melted) and mix completely into the 1-cup reserved filling to make your chocolate filling.
- Pour 1/2 of the plain batter on top of the crust, then the chocolate filling, then the last 1/2 of the white. Take knife and gently swirl.
- BAKE turtle cheesecake for 60-75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely. Drizzle chocolate syrup and plenty ofcaramel syrup over cheesecake in an even layer. Sprinkle with pecans and mini morsels. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of pan. Slice to serve.
The hardest part of this recipe is layering the chocolate and vanilla batter. It’s not even that hard! The batter eventually settles into layers and really however you layer it, it’s delicious.
You are going to be tempted to drown this in chocolate syrup and caramel. It really is plenty sweet on its own and does not need a lot more to make it delicious. Of course, these toppings do look really pretty and give it that professional look.
CAN I FREEZE THIS CHEESECAKE?
Yes! Cheesecakes freeze beautifully. You can freeze this up to three months. It’s best to freeze it without the toppings. Thaw in the fridge, add the toppings, and serve.
OTHER CHEESECAKE RECIPES
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
- Sopapilla Cheesecake
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake
- Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
Turtle Cheesecake
4.38 from 8 votes
This Turtle Cheesecake is so creamy and topped caramel, nuts, and chocolate chips.
PrintPinRate
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, (you can use semi-sweet morsels if you want it less sweet)
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 2 tablespoons caramel syrup or ice cream topping
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan.
BEAT cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
Remove 1 cup of filling and set aside. Melt chocolate chips about 1 minute, (just until melted) and mix completely into the 1-cup reserved filling to make your chocolate filling.
Pour 1/2 of the white filling into crust, then the chocolate filling, then the last 1/2 of the white. Take knife and gently swirl.
BAKE for 60-75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely. Drizzle chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over cheesecake. Sprinkle with pecans and mini morsels. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of pan. Slice to serve.
Notes
Source: adapted from Allrecipes
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Christy Denney
All Desserts All Recipes Cheesecake Chocolate Desserts Holiday Recipes Valentines
published on May 19, 2024
21 comments Leave a comment »
100 of my favorite recipes! This is the family-friendly cookbook for anyone looking to plan quick-and-easy meals and wants a way to bring people together, feasting on food which can only be described as scrumptious.
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21 comments on “Turtle Cheesecake”
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Mary Kathryn — Reply
This recipe was REALLY easy to follow and I have already made 2 for friends and family. Everyone says it is absolutely delicious! I am thinking about using this recipe and mixing up the toppings on it for different cheesecakes. Thank you for easy step by step instructions! I cooked mine for 60 minutes and let it cool for half an hour and it turned out perfect!
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Christy Denney — Reply
Thank you! That makes me happy!
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jod — Reply
Amazing.You are always an inspiration. you always make a blast on your blog with new posts!
https://www.clearpathortho.com/ -
Margaret — Reply
I’m sorry – I have one more question 🙂 Why would you use 3 tablespoons of lime juice in a turtle cheesecake?
Thanks again!
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Christy Denney — Reply
I know it sounds weird but it makes the cheesecake.
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Margaret — Reply
Hi there! I was looking for a good turtle cheesecake recipe and came across yours. I have a question, though. You say to remove 1 cup of the filling and set it aside. Then pour half of the filling in to the pan, followed by the chocolate and then the other half of the filling. What happens to the 1 cup of filling we are supposed to set aside?
Thanks for getting back to me!
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Christy Denney — Reply
You combine the 1 cup of filling with the melted chocolate chips which makes your chocolate filling. Then in the next step you alternate adding the white filling with the chocolate filling to make a marbled effect like the instructions state.
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Meredith Raber — Reply
Made this except I used regular graham crackers and lemon juice instead of lime. I cooked it for exactly 1 hr 15 minutes and the bottom crust burnt on about half the cake. The rest of the cake was perfect. Luckily the flavor didn’t transfer to the rest of the cake and it was creamy and moist and really really good. Next time I’m only cooking for 60 minutes.
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katie — Reply
I made this twice last year and it really is amazing!! I’ve never had a better cheesecake!! I’m thinking I will make it again this week! 🙂
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southerngirl2012 — Reply
What is the reasoning behind using sweetened condensed milk vs. sugar? Just curious as i have always made cheesecake with sugar and never with SCM before.
Thanks! 🙂
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Christy — Reply
I’m not sure. I got the recipe from a friend. I don’t try to mess with it because it’s fabulous.
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Erin — Reply
Would it be ok to use crushed oreos instead of the chocolate graham crackers?
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Christy — Reply
Yes, absolutely!
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Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
@niesekay,
You need a 9 inch springform pan so that it’s easier to remove and cut. -
niesekay — Reply
Can you use any kind of pan or do you need a certain kind?
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Amy — Reply
I’ve made cheesecake in a cake pan. It works, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The springform pan really makes it so much easier to get out of the pan. It’s definitely worth the investment to get one, even if you don’t use it often. If you plan to do a lot of cooking – especially if you ever want to try a souffle, you should also find at least one souffle pan. They can be hard to find, but definitely worth the search.
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Kelly Brown — Reply
So I love your recipes! You are so talented! This was my first cheesecake I have ever made and it was……PERFECT, AMAZING AND SPECTACULAR! Thank you soooo much! I am going to post it on my blog! I am beyond excited at how simple this was and that turned out great first try! Love it!! My husband loved it tons too! He is a big cheesecake fan!
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Christy {The Girl Who Ate Everything} — Reply
Three packages of 8 ounce cream cheese! Sorry if it was confusing. -christy
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Joyce :) — Reply
When you say 3 (8 ounce) packages. Does it mean, 3 8 ounce packages or 3 packages which is 8 ounce of cream cheese? Thank you in advance! This looks super delicious! :9
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Tartelette — Reply
Wow… just wow!! Oh and “gimme gimme gimme!” Looks outstanding 🙂
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gsugar — Reply
I want to make this! I am sure it is fat free?….
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