This creamy salted caramel cheesecake mousse has a deep caramel flavor, a touch of salt, and caramel corn garnish. It’s an individually portioned dessert that not only looks gorgeous, but tastes amazing, too!
Guys, this cheesecake mousse is SO good. The salted caramel flavor is perfect and the mousse has a light and airy texture. Then, there’s the crunchy caramel corn garnish – how cute is that? This is what heaven tastes like!
While creating this recipe, I wanted to keep a balance between the flavors and textures so the mousse isn’t overly sweet or dense. The balance of sweet and salty combined with tangy cream cheese and light and fluffy whipped cream makes for an incredible dessert that everyone will love.
How to make salted caramel cheesecake mousse
- Make the caramel sauce. Heat sugar and water over medium heat in a medium-sized, heavy bottom saucepan. Swirl and shake the pan occasionally (but not too much) to cook evenly and prevent the caramel at the edges from burning. Allow the mixture bubble until the sugar turns into a deep golden caramel. Add the butter very carefully, keeping your face away from the pan, and whisk vigorously until butter has melted and fully combined. Immediately remove from heat and carefully add cream. Whisk until combined. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool before using. Add sea salt flakes, to taste.
- Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese and caramel sauce, whisking well until smooth. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Then, use a spatula to gently fold half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the other half.
- Portion and chill. Divide mixture evenly between 6 serving cups/dishes and allow to chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator
- Garnish and serve. I love topping the mousse with leftover caramel sauce and a few pieces of caramel popcorn right before serving.
Baker’s tip You can add a bit more salt to the caramel if you like, or more caramel to the mousse if you want an even stronger flavor. ½ teaspoon of salt is enough for me, but you can play with the amount. Just add it to the caramel until you like the result (Note: If you only have fine sea salt instead of coarse, than you’ll have to use much less than the ½ teaspoon suggested).
Tips for making caramel sauce
If you want to learn more about making caramel, check out my caramel guide. But here are a few things to keep in mind when making caramel sauce:
- Have all of your ingredients measured, ready, and close to the pan so that they can be added immediately when the sugar caramelizes. Also, keep a constant eye on the stove; caramel can burn quickly!
- The temperature of the caramel will be very high, so keep your face and body away from the pan.
- For safety reasons, slightly warm the heavy cream before adding it in, either in the microwave or on the stove. Adding cold cream will result in the caramel bubbling up a lot and possibly splattering.
- To prevent the sugar from crystalizing while cooking, add a bit of lemon juice to it before getting started. About ⅛ of a teaspoon should be enough – it won’t affect the flavor at all, but acid inhibits crystallization.
More of my favorite mousse recipes
- Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse: Creamy, dreamy mousse with toasted hazelnuts and milk chocolate.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Parfait: Layers of heavenly peanut butter mousse layered with chocolate ganache.
- French Silk Pie: Buttery, flaky pie crust filled with rich dark chocolate mousse and whipped cream.
- 10-Minute Strawberry Mousse: Light, airy and bursting with strawberry flavor.
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Mousse (with Caramel Corn)
Creamy cheesecake mousse with a deep caramel flavor, a touch of salt, and caramel corn crunch.
Ingredients
For the salted caramel sauce:
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, slightly warmed
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes (or leave out for regular caramel mousse)
For the mousse:
- 1 cup (225g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup caramel sauce
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- Caramel popcorn (homemade or store-bought), to serve
Instructions
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Make the caramel: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan heat sugar and water over medium heat. Swirl and shake the pan occasionally (but not too much) to cook evenly and prevent the caramel at the edges from burning. Let the mixture bubble away until the sugar turns into a deep golden caramel. Add the butter very carefully, keeping your face away from the pan, and whisk vigorously until butter has melted and fully combined. Immediately remove from heat and carefully add cream. Whisk until combined. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool before using. Add sea salt flakes, to taste.
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Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and caramel, and whisk well until combined and completely smooth (if grainy, beat with an electric mixer until smooth).
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Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Avoid overbeating. Using a spatula, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the other half. Divide mixture evenly between 6 serving cups/dishes. Chill for at least one hour.
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Before serving, top with caramel popcorn and a drizzle of caramel if you have leftovers.
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Mousse will keep for 3 days in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap.
