Ingredients

Step by step

1. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round springform tin and set aside. To make the base, set 12 pretzels aside for decoration and pulse the remainder in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Spoon 15g out of the processor and set aside. Pulse again until fine. Add the crumbs to the melted butter along with the caster sugar and stir to combine. Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. To make the filling, beat the soft cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth, then stir in 100g of the caramel sauce, along with the vanilla and light brown sugar. Add the cream and beat until the mixture is firm enough for the spoon to be able to stand upright in it. Spoon the mixture over the chilled base and level out. Spoon the remainder of the caramel over the top in blobs, then use a skewer or knife to gently swirl into the cheesecake mixture. Give the tin a gentle tap on the work surface to burst any bubbles and level the surface, then cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
3. About 1 hour before serving, drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the reserved pretzels and put on a plate in the fridge to set.
4. To serve, carefully release the cheesecake from the springform tin and slide onto a serving plate. Sprinkle the reserved pretzel crumbs on top of the cheesecake and gently push in the chocolate-coated pretzels to decorate.
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   Salted caramel pretzel cheesecake