This chai caramel latte cheesecake is the perfect cheesecake for dirty chai latte lovers. With a creamy coffee cheesecake, chai spiced shortbread crust & chai infused caramel on top.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details. // This post is sponsored by PapaNicholas Coffee. All opinions are my own.
chai caramel latte cheesecake
Hello hello! If you love a dirty chai latte, this is the cheesecake for you. It’s made with a chai spiced shortbread cookie crust, the creamiest vanilla cheesecake that’s infused with coffee, and it’s topped with a chai caramel sauce.
Below you’ll find some tips and tricks that (I hope) are helpful for making the perfect cheesecake. Happy baking! 🙂
papanicholas coffee
My favorite brand of coffee is PapaNicholas Coffee, so it’s perfect that I get to work with them! I use their coffee beans every single day and am so happy to be able to spread my love of their coffee to you. Today I partnered up with PapaNicholas Coffee for this delicious chai caramel latte cheesecake and used their Toasted Southern Pecan Espresso which is rich with notes of warm, freshly toasted pecan and brown sugar goodness . I can’t recommend them enough, so please be sure to check them out! You can find their website by clicking here. And if you do end up purchasing their coffee be sure to use code FRESH20 which will get you 20% off any of their coffee!.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your cream cheese, egg, and heavy cream 1-2 hours before starting the cheesecake.
how to avoid cracks in a cheesecake
Here are my 4 best tips for avoiding cracks in your cheesecake –
- Mix the batter carefully – after adding in the eggs, you’ll want to make sure to only mix the batter until the eggs are fully incorporated. This will make sure we don’t add too much air into the batter, which will help keep the batter dense and avoid cracks forming on top.
- Tap the cheesecake on the counter – giving your cheesecake a few good taps on the counter prior to baking helps remove air bubbles that could cause cracks on top.
- Bake your cheesecake in a water bath – this helps to evenly bake the cheesecake from all sides.
- Cool your cheesecake in the oven – once your cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven just *slightly* ajar. Let the cheesecake sit like that for one hour before transferring it to the fridge. This process allows your cheesecake to slowly come down to room temperature rather than quickly going from 350F to room temperature, which makes it less likely that the top will crack.
how to tell when your cheesecake is done baking
Cheesecake is done baking when it’s only slightly wobbly in the center. I like to temp my cheesecake as a more accurate way to tell when it’s done. A thermometer stuck into the middle of the cheesecake should read 155 fahrenheit / 68 celsius.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for chai caramel latte cheesecake:
shortbread crust:
- Unsalted butter: salted or your favorite non-dairy butter stick will work perfectly here as well.
- Dark brown sugar: for flavor and sweetness. Light brown sugar will work here as well.
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Chai spice: for flavor. I use a pre-made chai spice blend but you can use a combo of any of your favorite chai spices here.
chai caramel sauce:
- Granulated sugar: the base of the caramel
- Unsalted butter: helps make the caramel smooth and velvety. You can swap in salted butter for unsalted if that is what you have on hand, just be careful when adding additional salt. I would recommend adding in the extra salt 1/4 tsp. at a time and tasting to make sure it does not end up too salty.
- Heavy whipping cream: helps smooth out the caramel and make it pourable.
- Salt: the perfect balance to the sweetness of the caramel. I used just regular table salt, but if you want to use sea salt or flaky sea salt you should double the amount.
- Chai tea bags: for infusing the heavy whipping cream, use your favorite brand of chai here.
cheesecake:
- Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake and what makes it tangy, rich, and creamy.
- Eggs: binds the batter together.
- Dark brown sugar: for sweetness, moisture & flavor. You can use light brown sugar here as well.
- Corn starch: for thickening up the cheesecake. You can substitute in 2 tbsp. of flour in its place if needed.
- Heavy whipping cream: for moisture and richness. You could use sour cream in its place as well.
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Espresso beans: for infusing into the heavy whipping cream.
how to make a chai caramel latte cheesecake
Here are some shots of the process of making this chai cheesecake. You can find the full recipe at the end of this blog post!
- Combine all the shortbread ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Press 2/3 of the mixture into your springform pan, and place the remaining clumps on a baking sheet, then bake.
- Beat together the cream cheese, sugar & cornstarch, then carefully beat in the eggs.
- Separate the espresso beans from the heavy cream.
- Mix mix mix.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the shortbread crust, then bake.
- Make the chai caramel sauce, then pour it over the cheesecake once it’s ready to be served. Enjoy!
chai caramel latte cheesecake recipe q&a
what size cake pan do I need?
You’ll need a 7″ springform pan for this cheesecake. You can use a 8″ springform, just note that your cheesecake will be thinner and will require a little less bake time. I wouldn’t recommend using a non-springform pan because it will be more difficult to get the cheesecake out of the pan, but if you’re okay with just serving the cheesecake from the pan, then a non-springform pan will work.
If you want to make this in a 9″ or 10″ springform pan, multiply all of the ingredients by 1.5x.
How should I store cheesecake?
The cheesecake should be out at room temperature for no more than 2 hours. Keep the cheesecake covered and stored in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to 5 days.
do I need to use coffee?
If you’re not a fan of coffee or are avoiding it for any reason, you can easily just omit it from the cheesecake. You’ll just be left with a delicious vanilla chai caramel cheesecake instead!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Chai Caramel Latte Cheesecake
Ingredients
Chai Shortbread Crust & Streusel
- 70 g unsalted butter (5 tbsp.)
- 100 g dark brown sugar (½ c.)
- 120 g all purpose flour (1 c.)
- 1 ¼ tsp. chai spice
Coffee Cheesecake
- 30 g espresso beans crushed (2 tbsp.)
- 110 g heavy whipping cream room temperature (½ c.)
- 450 g cream cheese room temperature (2 8-oz bricks)
- 150 g dark brown sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Chai Caramel Sauce
- 130 g heavy whipping cream (5 oz.)
- 2 bags chai tea
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter room temperature (4 tbsp.)
- ¾ tsp. salt
Instructions
Chai Shortbread Crust & Streusel
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line the bottom of a 7" springform pan* with parchment paper by placing the paper on the base, then snapping the pan together. Line another small baking pan with parchment paper as well.
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Mix in the sugar, flour, and chai spice until you have a cohesive dough.
- Press ~⅔ of the shortbread into the bottom of the springform pan. Crumple up the remaining shortbread and space it out on a baking sheet – this will be the streusel for the top of the cake.
- Place both pans in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, start on the coffee cheesecake.
Coffee Cheesecake
- Crush up the espresso beans in a small plastic bag.
- Heat the heavy cream until it is simmering on the stove or in a large microwave safe measuring cup. Once the heavy cream is simmering, remove it from the heat and mix in the crushed espresso beans. Set aside.
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch to a large mixing bowl (or to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.)
- Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the ingredients together for 2 minutes, until fluffy and smooth.
- Add both eggs and the vanilla into the cream cheese, and beat the mixture on low speed *just* until the eggs have been fully incorporated.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over the mixing bowl, and pour the espresso-cream mixture through the fine mesh sieve to separate out the espresso beans. Beat on low speed just until the mixture is cohesive.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the shortbread crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to help remove any air from the filling.
- Fill a 10" cake pan, or any larger pan that can reasonably fit the 7" springform inside of it, a third of the way with hot water. Wrap tin foil around the bottom of your springform pan to avoid the possibility of water seeping into the springform.
- Place the springform pan into the larger pan, then place the whole thing into the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the cheesecake only slightly wobbles and reaches an internal temperature of at least 155°F / 68°C. If the cheesecake starts to brown on top, gently place a piece of tinfoil over the top of the pan.
- Once the cheesecake is fully cooked, turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar with the cheesecake in it for 1 hr. before transferring it to the fridge to chill for at least 8 hours.
Chai Caramel Sauce
- Heat the heavy cream until it is simmering on the stove or in a large microwave safe measuring cup. Once the heavy cream is simmering, remove it from the heat and place two chai tea bags in it. Set aside.
- Add the sugar to a medium sized saucepan set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar begins to melt, then stir constantly until the sugar is completely melted and has turned to a deep amber color.
- Add in the butter and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Remove the tea bags from the heavy cream, pressing on the bags to get more flavor out of them.
- Take the mixture off of the heat, and slowly whisk in the heavy cream until it is completely incorporated into the caramel, then whisk in the salt.
- Store the caramel in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to serve the cheesecake. Pour it over the cheesecake, top it with the shortbread crumbles, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
I just tested this recipe as a possible thanksgiving dessert. I took my test run to my work, a 4 star French Peruvian restaurant, and every person there made unwholesome noises and gave it 2 thumbs up. This recipe is absolutely amazing and made the thanksgiving cut! The only thing I would change is adding in what ” chai spice” was used in the short bread. I made my own blend but having that guidance would be a bonus.
Ah thank you SO much, I’m so honored that you all liked it! I usually change what brand I’m using based on what I can get my hands on but I most often use king arthur’s chai spice blend!