The most beautiful, delicious layered cake! Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake is exactly what you were looking for. Two rich chocolate cakes with a sweet cheesecake center. Topped with caramel frosting, chocolate ganache, and more salted caramel sauce.
Love salted caramel? Be sure to try this reader favorite Salted Caramel Cookie recipe! Or these thick and fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies.
Why this Recipe is Best
You don’t have to choose between cheesecake and layer cake. Cheesecake Cakes are the delicious marriage of two favorite desserts.
You may remember our first version, this Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake recipe. Well, lucky for you I didn’t stop there!
This Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake combines rich chocolate with sweet caramel with the perfect hint of sea salt. And you simply can’t beat the layer of creamy cheesecake in the middle!
- With this recipe, you can make the cheesecakes ahead of time and stash them in the freezer. Then, when you’re ready for a cheesecake cake, just bake up a box of cake mix and assemble!
- Or go ahead and make everything the same day. It’s hard to wait when you know this Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cake is on the dessert menu.
For more salted caramel flavor, give our delicious salted caramel mocha truffles a try. Keep a batch in the freezer for later.
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate cake mix. You can’t beat the convenience of your favorite boxed mix. Or make your cake from scratch with this dark chocolate cake recipe. Both are amazing!
- Caramel sauce. I have used both homemade caramel sauce or a store bought sauce in this recipe.
- Kosher salt. Use a coarse salt such as kosher salt or sea salt crystals for topping the cheesecake cake.
Easy Instructions
Make the cheesecake.
- Beat together the cheesecake ingredients, then bake in a parchment lined spring form pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven over a roasting pan filled with boiling water. This “steam bath” helps bake the cheesecake evenly and give it its amazing consistency.
- After the cheesecake has cooled, you can transfer it right to the fridge or freezer to chill.
Chocolate Cake layer.
- Bake the boxed cake mix according to package directions in two 9 inch cake pans (or make our moist chocolate cake recipe).
Frost and Assemble.
- To assemble the cake, top one of the cake layers with the cheesecake, then add the second cake layer on top.
- Spread buttercream frosting over the sides and top.
Chill the frosted salted caramel cheesecake cake while you make the ganache. Once the chocolate ganache is ready, spread it on top of the frosted cheesecake cake.
Drizzle with more caramel sauce and sprinkle with coarse salt before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Plan to make Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cake a day in advance. I made the cheesecake one night, then the next morning I baked the cake layers. In the afternoon I whipped up the frosting and assembled the cake. I then refrigerated the cake and made the ganache the following morning. We enjoyed the cake that afternoon.
- You can make the cheesecake layer further in advance by wrapping tightly and storing in the freezer until ready to use.
- Refrigerate the cake once it’s frosted. The cold frosting stands up to the warm ganache. Speaking of ganache, allow it too cool slightly before adding to the cake. Otherwise it would be a disaster.
- Slice yourself the first piece, because this cake will go fast, and you earned it!
Recipe FAQs
No, you should not top this cake with table salt. If you don’t have kosher salt or coarse sea salt, don’t add any salt on top of the cake. You’ll still have a deliciously sweet Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Cake!
I only leave the bottom of the springform pan on the cheesecake when freezing or chilling.
Yes, I recommend keeping the cheesecake cake chilled until you’re ready to serve.
The frozen cheesecake only takes a couple of hours to thaw. You can take it out of the freezer and let it thaw while you bake the layer cakes.
More Cheesecake Cakes
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake
- Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Cake
- Eggnog Cheesecake cake
- Lemon Cheesecake Cake
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Easy Cake Recipes
See all Cake recipes
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Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
Ingredients
For the cheesecake:
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened 8 ounce each
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the cake:
- 1 recipe chocolate layer cake 9=inch layers- homemade or cake mix is fine
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup caramel sauce homemade caramel sauce or jarred is fine
- 4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the ganache:
- 4 ounce dark chocolate
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons caramel sauce
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
For the cheesecake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a large roasting pan on the lower 2/3 of the oven, preheat the pan too!
- Prepare springform pan by wrapping bottom of pan (outside) with double layer of foil. Spray pan with nonstick baking spray and line bottom (inside) with a circle of parchment paper. Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water to use later.
- Beat cream cheese with granulate sugar for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Add in salt and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Beat in sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla. Pour into prepared 9inch springform pan. Place pan in center of preheated roasting pan in the oven. Pour boiling water slowly into the roasting pan, until there is about an inch of water coming up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake cheesecake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely on counter.
- When cooled, transfer entire springform pan into the freezer for several hours or overnight. I put it in freezer for about 2 hours. **If using within 24 hours, feel free to just refrigerate cheesecake!
For the cake layer:
- Prepare chocolate cake according to package directions for 9 inch cake. Or, like me, prepare a homemade dark chocolate layer cake using THIS recipe
For the frosting:
- Beat butter in a large mixing bowl for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy. Add caramel sauce, powdered sugar, milk and kosher salt.
- Beat for 4-5 minutes until soft and creamy.
To assemble:
- On a cake platter, lay one layer of chocolate cake, top with the cheesecake. Then add the other layer of chocolate cake. Spread frosting over entire cake, sides and top.
- Refrigerate frosted cake while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
For the ganache:
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine dark chocolate with heavy cream. Heat 30 seconds. Stir and heat an additional 30 seconds. Whisk for several minutes until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
- Once cooled. Spread over top of chilled cake. Drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve!
Notes
- Plan to make Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cake a day in advance. I made the cheesecake one night, then the next morning I baked the cake layers. In the afternoon I whipped up the frosting and assembled the cake. I then refrigerated the cake and made the ganache the following morning. We enjoyed the cake that afternoon.
- You can make the cheesecake layer further in advance by wrapping tightly and storing in the freezer until ready to use.
- Refrigerate the cake once it’s frosted. The cold frosting stands up to the warm ganache. Speaking of ganache, allow it too cool slightly before adding to the cake. Otherwise it would be a disaster.
- Slice yourself the first piece, because this cake will go fast, and you earned it!
- See the blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Decadence never looked so good! This Salted Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake is sure to get plenty of “oohs” and “ahhs.” And it tastes even better than it looks!
Just wondering if the cream Cheese amount is correct ? 80 ounces seems a lot = around 8 cups ??
First time maker.
Just wondering if the cream Cheese amount is correct ? 80 ounces seems a lot = around 8 cups ??
First time maker.
Opps, have read its again its 8 ounces. Sorry for my stupid question.
Oh my gosh! That looks amazing
I made this one for my wife for her Birthday. It is a stunning cake! We had a dinner for her at Bonefish Grill and the staff there were in awe. (I did share a couple of slices with our and one other waiter) I also used your Dark Chocolate Cake recipe. It really did make a beautiful slice. She loved it, by the way, and I’m sure this will be the first of many appearances for this cake.
My son’s birthday was today and he asked if he could google a recipe for his cake. I’m not sure how he found it. He printed it out and I was overwhelmed. It took me three days to make it all (partly because I was also making dinner for 25). I was worried it wouldn’t be worth all the effort. However, it was a hit with everyone…especially me! I put it on Facebook when I wished him a happy day. I can’t tell you how many people have stopped me or sent messages to me about wanting the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it. I’m sure I’ll be making it many more times in the future.
It doesn’t get any better than chocolate cake, cheesecake, salted caramel and ganache! I can’t wait to try this!
I made this cake for my friend’s wedding in the winter and keep looking for excuses to make it again ever since. Pretty sure this in the best thing I’ve ever tasted, and it’s ALWAYS a hit no matter where I bring it!
Awww thank you for letting me know 🙂
…and if you work for it you’ve used extra calories so it makes this cake well within the guidelines.
I made the chocolate on today. There are no words to express how good this cake is to eat. I altered it to be gluten free for my family. I will be making this again and again.
This cake looks so delicious! I was curious how the layers stuck together while slicing and serving.One of the comments stated that the cake should not be frozen. Sometimes I like to assemble and freeze for convenience. Should I add frosting between layers? Any recommendations would be appreciated. The beauty (besides the taste) in the layered combination is what makes this recipe so unique.
You can definitely freeze the layers separately. When you assemble just stack them up. I don’t put anything between the layers (as it’s decadent enough with out)! ENJOY.
I keep finding your blog via friends on FB and pinterest. I have to say I love your cheesecake cakes and have made all of them so far. Though I have to make mine gluten-free and corn-free so sometimes things are adjusted, but thank you for the inspiration!
You are so very welcome. I’m so glad you have enjoyed the recipes! If you ever have the time, I’d love for you to comment and let my readers know any tips/tricks on substitutions for gluten free. That’s not an area that I am comfortable with, however many of my readers ask!!
I made this as my birthday treat and it was Oh, so good!! 🙂
I made the cake and the cheesecake one day and froze them both. (Also made the frosting but just refrigerated that.) The next day I assembled those three components and put it in the freezer until the next day. A little bit before we ate it, I made the ganache and put it on along with the caramel sauce and then stuck it back in the freezer for just a little bit.
Then I took it out, put salt on it, and let it thaw a little before we all enjoyed it! 🙂
I was kinda going for the ice-cream cake feel.
Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know!! Love hearing the process for myself, and my readers. So glad you enjoyed the treat…and Happy Birthday!!
Oh my, I made this for Fathers Day/ birthdays ( both of my boys were born on fathers day 3 yrs apart).Im not sure how I came across this recipe, I think I found it on Pinterest. I think this was one of the best cakes I have made. I wasn’t to sure about it at first, but I made it in stages, I made the cheesecake and caramel on Fri. evening, and then made the rest on Sat evening and served it on Sun. It turned out perfect, it was so good! And everyone loved it. Also I wasn’t to sure about the coffee in the choc cake, I really don’t like coffee and didn’t have any. I had to go to Starbucks and buy a cup of coffee, the cake didn’t have a coffee taste.
ha, I love that you went to starbucks to get some coffee!! It definitely doesn’t taste like coffee, but it DOES help enhance the chocolate flavor. I’m so glad to hear you loved the recipe 🙂
hi! sorry im also a newbie to baking, am i suppose to cut the chocolate cake in half so i can layer it?
should the ganache be thick or thin?
It’s a pretty thick ganache.
What would have made my icing runny?
Putting it on a warm cake, or not using enough powdered sugar, or too much liquid. You can always add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Good luck!
How long to do I need to cook the gauche if I make it on stove top not microwave? I hate using my microwave for melting chocolate. I am planning on making this for a special dinner dessert!
My ganache seized up. I even decreased the power & the time. 30 secs is a long time in a micro… now I’m running to the store at 8:30 pm to get this to a birthday party in the AM.
What did I do wrong if my cheesecake shrank after cooking?
do you have a gluten free version of this?
I’m sorry I do not.
This has to be the most delicious looking cake. I am making it this weekend. Thank you for all of the comments, solidifying what I have been thinking, DELICIOUS!! Aimee, thank you for blessing us with this perfection! 🙂