Banana Pudding Caramel Cheesecake
This cheesecake tastes like a giant banana pudding in pie form: ultra-creamy vanilla cheesecake with real bananas, a soft cookie crust, clouds of whipped cream and a generous caramel drizzle, all topped with vanilla wafer cookies.
Ingredients (paragraph style)
For the crust and base, you’ll need about 250 g crushed vanilla wafers or digestive biscuits mixed with 80 g melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar, pressed into a 23 cm springform pan and lightly baked. For the cheesecake filling, use 600 g full-fat cream cheese at room temperature, 150 g granulated sugar, 100 g light brown sugar, 3 large eggs, 200 ml heavy cream, 120 ml sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, a pinch of salt and 2 ripe bananas sliced thinly. For the topping, prepare 300 ml cold heavy cream, 2–3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, another 1–2 ripe bananas sliced just before serving, extra vanilla wafers to decorate and about 120 ml thick caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought) for drizzling.
Method (short & clear)
Start by heating the oven to 170°C and lining the bottom of your springform pan with baking paper; press the buttered cookie crumbs firmly over the base and slightly up the sides, then bake the crust for about 8–10 minutes until just set and let it cool while you prepare the filling. Beat the cream cheese with the white and brown sugar until completely smooth and fluffy, then mix in the sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, cornstarch and salt, scraping the bowl so there are no lumps; add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed just until incorporated so you don’t add too much air. Arrange a layer of sliced banana over the cooled crust, pour the cheesecake batter gently on top, tap the pan on the counter to release bubbles and place it in a larger roasting pan; pour hot water around it to make a bain-marie coming halfway up the sides and bake for about 55–70 minutes until the edges are set but the centre still has a slight wobble. Turn off the oven, crack the door and let the cheesecake cool inside for 1 hour, then remove it from the water bath, run a knife around the edge and chill in the fridge at least 4 hours or overnight so it becomes firm and sliceable. Just before serving, whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks, then spread or pipe it around the top edge of the cheesecake; tuck fresh banana slices into the whipped cream, press vanilla wafers upright into each swirl and finish with generous zigzags of caramel sauce across the centre. Slice with a hot, clean knife and keep leftovers covered in the fridge.