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ein Stück Sesam Karamell Käsekuchen

Tahini Cheesecake with Sesame Caramel

This Tahini Cheesecake with Sesame Caramel is a creamy small-batch cheesecake perfect for special occasions. Tahini adds a rich, nutty sesame flavor to the silky filling, while the toasted sesame caramel topping brings crunch and a dramatic finish. If you’re looking for a unique cheesecake recipe that’s not overly sweet but seriously memorable, this one is it.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Keyword sesame cheesecake, tahini cheesecake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 9
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

Cookie crust

  • 60 g whole wheat butter cookies or graham crackers, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp crumbs)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 30 g butter melted (2 tbsp)

Tahini cheesecake filling

  • 2 tbsp tahini about 30 g
  • 300 g cream cheese room temperature (about 1 1/3 cups)
  • 250 g quark or simple use more cheesecake room temperature (about 1 cup)
  • 100 g sour cream room temperature (about 7 tbsp or slightly under 1/2 cup)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch about 8 g
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 150 g sugar about 3/4 cup
  • pinch of salt

Sesame caramel topping

  • 3/4 cup sesame seeds about 12 tbsp
  • 50 g butter 3 1/2 tbsp
  • 130 g sugar about 2/3 cup
  • 150 ml heavy cream 2/3 cup
  • 2 sheets gelatin
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare the crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (top/bottom heat). Mix the crushed cookies and sugar with melted butter until the texture resembles wet sand. Press firmly into the bottom of a 16–18 cm (6–7 inch) springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Lower the oven temperature to 150°C / 300°F.

Make the cheesecake filling

  1. Make sure all filling ingredients are at room temperature. Beat cream cheese, quark ( or cream cheese), sugar, salt and cornstarch until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream and tahini and mix until fully combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix briefly after each. Do not overmix.
  2. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top. Bake at 150°C / 300°F for about 50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center still wobbles slightly.
  3. Optional water bath: You can bake the cheesecake in a water bath for fewer cracks, but since it will be covered with topping, cracks are absolutely not worth stressing about.
  4. Turn off the oven, crack the door open slightly, and let the cheesecake cool inside for 30–60 minutes. Then let it cool completely at room temperature.

Make the sesame caramel topping

  1. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 5–10 minutes. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often (do not burn).
  2. In a saucepan, melt butter and sugar together and cook until it turns into a golden caramel. Add salt. Carefully pour in the heavy cream (it will bubble up), stirring until smooth. Let the caramel simmer briefly until slightly thickened, then stir in the toasted sesame seeds.
  3. Let the mixture cool for about 1 minute so it is warm but not boiling hot. Squeeze out the gelatin sheets and dissolve them completely in the warm sesame caramel.

Assemble

  1. Place the completely cooled cheesecake on a serving plate. Set a cake ring around it, or place it back into the springform pan. Pour the warm sesame caramel topping over the cheesecake and spread evenly.
  2. Refrigerate overnight until fully set.