Let me just start off by saying that I never knew the day would come when I would risk my own life baking something for this blog. Who knew that caramel could be such a dangerous beast. But I did it all for you, because I love you (and am determined and will humbly learn from my mistakes).

I wanted to make a pumpkin cheesecake because it’s just that time of year and who doesn’t love pumpkin cheesecake? And everyone Google’s pumpkin recipes. But I didn’t want to just make any ordinary pumpkin dessert. Thanks to my new BFF brainstorming app, Trello, I have had the luxury to jot down recipe ideas as soon as one pops in my head (for the most part). And as you may very well know, those special, transient moments in time are not to be taken for granted. One must acknowledge and honor them. Because otherwise they are just a dream, a very far away distant dream, and hours later I can never remember what the hell that lightbulb-moment recipe idea was supposed to be. It could also be called “early onset recipe idea dementia”. It could be a thing…

My first thought was that this was going to be a chai-spiced pumpkin cheesecake version, with a chai caramel sauce. But then, wait a minute… why not break the rules and use some pumpkin beer somewhere in there? Could it actually already exist? Of course I then had to check my favorite foodie beer blogger for any tips or references to the said idea above, and sure enough- she’s one step ahead of me. But I didn’t let that stop me, because there is room for everyone’s creativity and unique twists to add. The combo idea was just too good to be true. But truth be told, I have never actually made an authentic caramel sauce before. And it scared the hell out of me to do so, because according to my candy-making track record, I have scored a ZERO. No bueno. Never works. I then excitedly remembered I had a candy thermometer stashed somewhere in my cake decorating box from back in college, kindly gifted to me from a customer back in the day. I now had no excuses. I had to try.

Let’s just say I tried this recipe from A to Z, and set the stove on fire. Twice. But I kind of had a feeling it had the potential to happen, so being a safety monitoring planner, I had a tall glass of cold water nearby to splash on the burner. The problem: too much liquid and sugar in a small saucepan = hot sticky bubbling caramel lava mess. And once that hits the electric burner, whammo- you have a pyrotechnic blogger in the making. Not quite the look I was going for.

So I either had to find a huge, heavy-bottomed stock pan in less than 24 hours (ahem, THIS.. not this), or half the recipe. With lots of pan soaking and stove burner scrubbing later, I braved my second attempt with less liquid and it worked. But I could never achieve 350 degrees F on the thermometer. It started smoking and browning around 260, so I stopped there. And, to my surprise, it worked beautifully!

I hope I am not scaring you. This recipe was a wee of a terror, but it was mostly the caramels fault. Fire-starting scariness aside, I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit this seriously addictive salted pumpkin ale caramel sauce was worth it. Worth the mess, the scrubbing, the frustration, and the smoke. So. Worth. It. There may be easier/safer/”cheater” caramel recipes out there, but I say master the hard stuff first before you move on to the simpler stuff. That’s just my motto though. Oh, and the cheesecake? Equally ridiculously good. If you think about it, you can use beer in just about any baking scenario if you feel so inclined. Just substitute it with any liquid the recipe calls for- milk, water, juice… I’m all for experimenting. I made this Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake a while back with rave reviews. The beer used for this recipe has a wonderful malty, earthy unique flavor to add, especially when it’s warmly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Feel free to use any of your favorite pumpkin beers in this recipe, but it’s particularly good if it’s more of an amber or red ale with maltiness. I used Pumking’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, but here is a nice guide if you need some inspiration. Either which way, the caramel sauce is surely a keeper, burning down the house or not.

And thankfully, yes, for those of you that are wondering, I do in fact have renters insurance.

SALTED CARAMEL PUMPKIN ALE CHEESECAKE

Serves approximately 12

Adapted from The Beeroness

For the Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake:

• 9 standard sized honey graham crackers (1 package)
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 24 oz cream cheese (softened- I used a combo of neufchâtel and regular CC)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• One 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom and clove
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin beer
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spelt (or any other) flour

For the Salted Pumpkin Ale Caramel:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup pumpkin beer
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon flakey Himalayan sea salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor, add the graham crackers, brown sugar and cinnamon, processing until only crumbs are left. Add the melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand. Dump into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Press into the bottom until well compacted. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar and cream cheese and mix with an electric mixer. Mix until well combined. One at a time, add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined, scraping the bottom, before adding more.
3. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, close and salt, mixing until very well combined.
4. Add the beer and stir until combined.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the bowl, stir on medium speed until just combined.
6. Pour over the crust.
7. Bake at 350 for about one hour or until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the rack the cheesecake sits on, it will still look wet in the center. The secret to a great cheesecake is not to over bake it–it’s better to slightly under bake it for a smooth mousse-like texture.
8. Chill until set, about 2-4 hours. Alternatively, you could pop it in the freezer to chill faster. Cheesecake freezes extremely well.
9. To make the caramel sauce: heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high head. Then add the sugar and beer, stirring until the sugar has just melted. Stop stirring and allow to boil, untouched, until it turns a deep amber reddish brown color, about 10 minutes (240-260 degrees F on a candy thermometer).
10. Remove from heat. Add the butter and slowly whisk in the cream cream, whisking until combined. Stir in the salt. Allow to cool in pan before transferring to glass jar.
11. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Set out for several minutes to soften the caramel, if needed. Pour as much as you’d like over the entire cheesecake, or onto individual slices.