You will love this Caramel Pecan cheesecake with Oreo crust! Turtle cheesecake is one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had, smooth, sweet and delicious.
With a plenty of caramel and chocolate sauce and pleasant pecan crunch, this is the best dessert to serve for your family and friends! Perfect to pair with your favorite strong tea or a cup coffee.
Magic flavor combination for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and other holiday. I’m sure there will be requests on making this dessert more than twice a year! Yes, it is luscious and beautiful!
This stunning dessert won’t cost you much effort to wow your guests. Follow my step-by-step instructions and you will make this great dessert easily!
Why it is called turtle cheesecake
This cheesecake got the name from the turtle candies that are popular in United States. These candies include caramel, pecans and chocolate. Similar flavors are used in this Turtle cheesecake recipe. The base is made with Oreo chocolate cookies crumbs and pecans, the cheesecake filling and delicious topping.
This is the best dessert idea, if you love the combination of caramel, chocolate and pecans. You will love this caramel cheesecake with pecans, too!
How to make cheesecake from scratch
If you follow our blog for a while, you already noticed few cheesecakes such as Raspberry cheesecake, Blueberry cheesecake and No Bake Baileys cheesecake.
Start the recipe a day before serving. It needs time to cool.
Start making the base with Oreo, brown sugar, pecans and melted butter. I used food processor, but alternatively you can place the cookies and nuts in the sealed bag and roll with the rolling pin until crumbs remain. Then mix with the melted butter until it resembles wet sand.
Press the crumbs in the bottom of the spring form pan to make a smooth base. Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C. Bake the Oreo crust 10 minutes. Let it cool, while making the cheese filling.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and flour. Then beat in sour cream, vanilla flavor. Beat with hand mixer, then add egg – one by one. Mix just until incorporated, as over mixing the cheesecake will make it too soft and it won’t set properly. Mix in flour in the end.
Finally, add in flour and transfer to the cake pan. Don’t forget to make the top smooth!
How to bake cheesecake in water bath
You may already know that water bath prevents cheesecake from cracking. Cover the outer of spring form pan with foil and put it in the large baking tray. Fill the tray with hot boiling water until the 1/3 of the spring form pan.
Preheat the oven to 300 F / 150 C. It is important to bake the cheesecake on low temperature. This will ensure it is silky-smooth and creamy. The cooking time depend on your oven, I’ve baked mine 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The cheesecake is ready, when it is set, but slightly jiggly in the center. Over-baked cheesecake will be dry, gritty and may crack, so keep an eye on it!
Let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes, then open the door and let it cool further 30 minutes. Transfer the cheesecake on the counter top or wire rack and let it cool completely for about 1-2 hours before placing in the fridge overnight. Run the knife around the cheesecake before placing it in the fridge.
This cheesecake should be served cold.
How to make caramel sauce
The caramel sauce is the one I’ve made for Apple trifle. Simply cover the sugar with water and bring it to the boil. Keep cooking it on medium-low until browned. Don’t stir! The process may take up to 20-30 minutes.
Carefully add in butter and cook on low, stirring until incorporated. Pour to the heat-proof bowl that you can cover with the lid or cling film. Butter will make sure your caramel will never completely harden to make that perfect drizzle!
Pour some of the caramel on top of the cheesecake so it creates a smooth topping.
Store the remaining caramel up to a week in the fridge. Don’t worry, if it hardens. Reheat in the microwave until pour able consistency.
Alternatively, you can store it in the piping bag. Put the bag in the cup with hot water to melt the caramel.
Decorate the turtle cake before serving, and we highly recommend having some extra for drizzling every slice and plate. Homemade caramel sauce is so good!
How to make chocolate sauce
You need just 2 ingredients for chocolate sauce – chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips and heavy cream or milk.
Add chopped dark chocolate and heavy cream or milk in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring until it is fluid and delicious. Oh no, I mean ready to drizzle!
Leave some extra for every piece of caramel pecan cheesecake!
How to decorate turtle cake
When the cheesecake is cooled, pour on some caramel on top. Then using the piping bag, drizzle with chocolate and more caramel sauce! Add crushed pecans on top.
Easy, delicious and beautiful turtle cheesecake with everyone favorite flavors is ready! Turtle candy cheesecake is sweet, delicious and rich. Keep in mind that your guests will request more than one slice.
You can store this caramel pecan cheesecake with or without topping in the fridge up to 5 days. Let it get to the room temperature before slicing.
Hope you will enjoy turtle cheesecake as much as we did! Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest , Instagram and Facebook ! And if you make this caramel cheesecake with pecans or one of our other cheesecake recipe, tag us to let us know. We love to see what you are baking!
Luscious Turtle Cheesecake
- 8″/20 cm spring form pan
- food processor or rolling pin
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- large baking tray
- sauce pan
- piping bag
- 2 cups oreo cookies
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup pecans
- 3½ cup cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp flour all-purpose
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup chocolate
- 3 tbsp heavy cream warm
- Preheat the oven to 325 F / 160 C.
- Remove the filing from Oreo cookies and place cookies in the food processor. Process until crumbs.2 cups oreo cookies
- Add half pecans and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Process again.1 tbsp brown sugar, ¼ cup pecans
- Add melted butter and process until wet crumbs.½ cup butter
- Prepare spring form pan. Smear the bottom and sides of the pan with butter. Cover the foil around the pan until half high of the sides.
- Add Oreo crumbs at the bottom of the spring form pan. Make it smooth with a spoon. Bake the Oreo crust 10 minutes. Let it cool on the counter top or wire rack.
- Lower the temperature of the oven to 300 F / 150 C.
- Put cream cheese, brown sugar and flour in a large bowl. Combine with a hand mixer just until incorporated.3½ cup cream cheese, 3 tbsp flour all-purpose, ½ cup brown sugar
- Add sour cream and vanilla flavoring. Mix until incorporated.1 cup sour cream, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Add eggs one by one, mixing with hand mixer. Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl.2 eggs
- Put the spring form pan in a larger baking tray. Transfer the cream cheese filling on top of the Oreo base. Smooth the top with a spatula or spoon.3½ cup cream cheese
- Fill the large baking tray with hot water until 1/3 of the cake pan. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes until set, but slightly jiggly in center. Let it cool in the oven for 30 minutes, then open the door and let it cool further 30 minutes.
- Transfer the cheesecake on the counter top or wire rack and let it cool completely for about 1-2 hours before placing in the fridge overnight. Run the knife around the cheesecake before placing it in the fridge.
- Put white sugar in a pan and cover it with water. Bring it to the boil. Keep cooking it with a lid on about 20-30 minutes on low heat until browned. Don't stir!1 cup white sugar, ½ cup water
- Add butter to the caramel and whisk on a low heat until incorporated.½ cup butter
- Add warm heavy cream and keep whisking on low heat until smooth.½ cup heavy cream
- Pour 1/2 of caramel on top of the cooled cheesecake. Move the pan to let the caramel spread around. Place the cheesecake in the fridge for 10 minutes until caramel is set. Transfer other half of caramel in the piping bag.
- Add chopped dark chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Cover with heavy cream.⅓ cup chocolate, 3 tbsp heavy cream
- Microwave chocolate sauce for 30-40 seconds. Stir until smooth and transfer to the piping bag.
- Carefully remove the sides of the spring form pan.
- Pipe chocolate sauce on top of the cheesecake, then drizzle caramel sauce in between.
- Add remaining crushed pecans on top of the cheesecake.
- Highly recommend drizzle more caramel and chocolate sauce on each slice!
When it says cool in over for 30 minutes , I’m assuming just turn the over off and leave it? Then open door for another 30?
Hi Amanda! Yes, turn off the oven and cool 30 minutes with closed oven door, then open the oven door and cool 30 minutes more. Hope it helps.
Is there anything that I can substitute the flour with? I need it to be gluten free I can use gluten-free Oreos but wasn’t sure if it would taste okay if I replace the flour with something else
Hi Mariah! You can substitute regular flour to gluten-free flour or cornstarch 1:1.
Hello! Can I freeze this cheesecake?
You can absolutely freeze cheesecake without caramel and chocolate topping. It will keep well in the freezer for around a month.
BTW, your instructions are impeccable with a picture tutorial to boot. GREAT JOB!
Thank you so much, it means a lot to us!
What an AWESOME cheesecake! I made your recipe and it wowed my crowd. The second one I made, I used dark chocolate filled oreos (did not take the filling out) and I used toasted sliced almonds instead of pecans. I substituted almond extract for the vanilla. It was just as good as yours, just a different twist.
Thank you so much for your feedback! The substitutions that you’ve made sound delicious, great twist!
Help! The crust just came out of them oven and it’s super wet??? Like it has too much butter. I used a stick of better like you said. Is this normal or did I do something wrong? Also, it seems like I have a lot more cheesecake filling then what will fit in the pan??
Hi Lauren! The crumbs with butter should resemble wet sand and stick together. Let the crust cool, when you removed it, the butter will harden and it will be ok. I used my 8″/20 cm spring form pan for this recipe. The cheesecake won’t rise, so it will be ok, if you fill your pie pan until the top, just leave half an inch or so.
What is the size of your springform pan? Thanks!
Hi, this is made in the 8″/20 cm spring form pan.
How much cream cheese do you actually use for the filling? The recipe is showing 3,5 cup so I wasn’t sure. Going to try this recipe this week, so I’m excited 🙂
Hi Mel! I used exactly 800 grams of cream cheese. So 1 cup is 225 grams of cream cheese, which is 3 + a little more than a half of US cups. I suggest using kitchen scales to be precise. But if you don’t have them, you can use cup measurement, it will be good. Hope it helps, let us know, how it turns out!
This looks amazing! I have a 9″ spring form pan – will that be ok or is this for a bigger pan?
I have an 8″ spring form pan, so i think you can make it in 9″, but it will definitely be a bit smaller in height. Let us know how it turns out 😉
Oh heck ya! I’d eat caramel on a shoe, but I think I’ll make this cheesecake instead ’cause it looks so easy and delish!
Yes, caramel is much more delicious on this cheesecake, haha!
Even the sound of this Turtle Cheesecake sounds delicious!! I was drooling a little there looking at the pics and thinking how I would like to eat it! Great work and can’t wait to give it a go, thanks.
Thank you! Yes, I think this is one of the best cheesecakes to make!
One of the best caramel cheesecakes that I’ve seen lately. I love how you captured the structure of it and passed the whole thing through the photos – those are some great skills right there!
Thank you so much, Mahy!
Oh goodness who doesn’t like turtle flavored anything. This is truly a luscious cheesecake!
Absolutely! Caramel, pecan and chocolate is one of the best combinations on Earth!
I’ve been on a bit of a pecan kick recently, so this turtle cheesecake looks like the perfect dessert! Can’t wait to give it a try 🙂
Pecans have a nice crunch in this dessert. Try it, I’m sure you will love it!
I love how the top of this cheesecake is decorated. It tastes as good as it looks. Yum!
Thank you, Alisa!