Caramel Fudge Cheesecake

This recipe came from the Larson family as part of our wedding gift along with a nice spring form pan to bake it in. As soon as I read it I was excited to make it and I am glad I finally got around to enjoying it.

Caramel Fudge Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 package fudge brownie mix
1 (14 oz) package caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 (1 oz) squares semisweet chocolate
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate

Directions
Prepare brownie mix according to the package directions. Spread into a greased 9-in springform pan. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, melt caramels with the milk. Pour over cooled brownie crust.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar, mix well. Add eggs, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in melted chocolate. Pour over caramel layer.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of a pan to loosen; cool completely. Chill overnight.

Amanda's Analysis:
I ran into a few problems when making this cake, but I think it was mostly due to being unfamiliar with the recipe. First, when putting the cream cheese mixture over the caramel layer, the cream cheese was too heavy and spread out the caramel. I think next time I will let the caramel cool a little more so that I have more even layers. I also wasn't sure how long to bake it and ended up baking it a little too long, leaving the outer rim a little burnt. Even though my cake wasn't perfectly assembled, it still tasted good! Anything involving brownies is OK in my book, and the addition of caramel only made it better. I am actually not the biggest cheesecake fan, but enjoyed this one. This would be a great dessert to serve to company, as it makes a big cake! I give it 5 spoons.

John's Jibba-Jabba:
The problems mentioned above aside, this cheesecake turned out great. Yes, this would be a good cheesecake to serve to company but it would also be a great one to keep for yourself because it is so darn tasty. The only problem I had with this recipe was that it didn't make more. Let's give this one 7 spoons. Done and done.