Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake

We make this every year for our next door neighbors, but originally it was our friend Kellee's birthday "cake." The recipe, printed in Bon Appetit January 2005, is from Zoom, a restaurant in Park City, Utah.

Caramel Cheesecake with Toffee Topping

Ingredients:
Gingersnap Crust
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temp
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 1.4 ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

Directions:
For crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2 inch high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil (I do this step first before putting the crust in the pan.) Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

For caramel topping: Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.

Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.

Number Of Servings:10-12