Praline Sauce For Cheesecake – Easy 10-minute Recipe

By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 3, 2024

We have the best praline sauce for cheesecake! It is quick to make and extremely versatile. Not to mention, it adds texture and a nutty flavor too.

What Is Praline?

Praline is an age-old confection that essentially consists of a mixture of nuts and sugar.

There are three main categories of praline you will find. They vary quite a lot and today, many of them aren’t really associated with the term anymore. Nevertheless, we will still give a brief description of each.

The first is Belgium soft-center pralines. These chocolate treats, also called bonbons, are made by coating a soft nutty filling with more Belgium chocolate. This filling is often made using caramelizes nuts that have been ground into a fine paste.

What we love most about Belgium pralines is that there is an endless amount of fillings available. Not only can they vary in nut type used, but also flavoring additives like liqueurs, coffee, caramel, and marzipan.

Then you get French pralines, which are mainly whole almond nuts covered in caramelized sugar. Today, these are more seen as candy-coated nuts or candied nuts.

And finally, there is American praline, which is a much softer fudge-like treat. It is also made from a combination of processed caramelized nuts. It does come in a variety of forms but generally is individual portions. These treats are made with cream-based ingredients including butter and heavy cream. This gives the mixture its fudgy texture.

What are praline-flavored treats?

Now, throughout the years the exact form of pralines has dramatically changed. While you do still get the chocolate-covered treats, they have also taken on another form.

Today, praline also refers to caramelized nut clusters or slabs. And, they are extremely easy to make too (much easier than the bonbons or fudgy filling).

So, when something has a praline flavor to it, it simply refers to a caramelized nutty or fudgy flavor. Often, items can be flavored by incorporating these two elements separately. However, you can also in some cases add blended caramelized nuts into the dish.

What’s the difference between praline and candied nuts?

Many people often confuse candied nuts and praline. While both are similar and technically contain candied sugar (caramelized sugar), the form of nuts used is what sets these apart.

Candied nuts are made with whole nuts that have been coated with sugar syrup. The exact flavor of the syrup depends on the stage it was cooked out to and the techniques used. For example, you can make a caramel by cooking the syrup to 320°F. This gives it a deep golden color. But, if you only cook the syrup to a softball stage (234-240°F) then you will get a virtually clear coating.

When making praline slabs, you are using chopped nuts and coating them with boiled sugar. Then, once it has been set, you can use it as praline bark (for decorating) or you can blend it together to make a paste. This paste can then be transformed into a filling or used as a flavoring ingredient.

How Do You Make Praline?

Praline is surprisingly easy to make. The biggest challenge is controlling the color and consistency of your sugar syrup or caramel.

First, you will need to chop or blend the nuts. For praline bark, we prefer chopping the nuts coarsely so that the bark still has some texture. Remember, we aren’t making a filling, so you don’t need to blend the final product.

Then, you will make your sugar syrup. Simply add some sugar to a pot over medium heat. Allow it to melt until you are happy with the color and consistency of the syrup.

Sprinkle the chopped nuts over a non-stick silicone mat or baking paper. Then, carefully pour the sugar syrup over the chopped nuts. Allow the mixture to completely set and harden at room temperature. You can also add some additional nuts on top of the slab.

What Is Praline Sauce For Cheesecake?

So, this praline sauce for cheesecake is a delicious textured sauce that has the classic praline flavors incorporated into it. Now, naturally, because it is a sauce, it won’t have a rock-hard consistency. It truly makes a delicious fudgy caramel praline topping for many desserts.

What we especially love about this recipe is that you can make a ton of adjustments to the recipe. For example, you can use any type of nut that you’d like. Remember to toast them before using them to help release their flavors.

Then, you can also adjust the color of the sauce by adjusting how much you cook the sugar. Naturally, the longer you cook the sugar the darker it will get. For this recipe, we have decided to use brown sugar to prevent overcooking it. This will also help prevent the syrup from setting hard once it has been cooled.

And finally, you can adjust the consistency of this creamy praline sauce for cheesecake by adding more or less butter or evaporated milk. Naturally, to make it runnier you can add more liquid. And, to make it thicker, you can simply cook the mixture over low heat to help reduce the moisture levels.

Pecan Praline Sauce For Cheesecake Recipe – What You Will Need

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or nuts of your choice)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step By Step Guide To Making This Praline Sauce For Cheesecake Recipe

Step 1: Bring the mixture to the boil

In a medium-sized pot, combine the brown sugar, salted butter, and evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a boil over low medium heat while whisking constantly.

Step 2: Allow the mixture to thicken

Once the mixture has come to a boil, allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes while whisking. The mixture should become thick and have a creamy consistency.

The perfect consistency for this sauce is when it coats the back of a spoon without immediately running off. It should be sticky, thick, yet pliable.

Step 3: Finish the sauce

Once the mixture coats the back of the spoon, lower the heat. Add your chopped nuts to the hot sauce, give the ingredients a whisk, and remove them from the heat.

Allow the pecan praline sauce to cool completely before adding it on top of your cooled cheesecake. Alternatively, you can store this sauce in a clean mason jar.

Praline Sauce For Cheesecake – Final Thoughts

If you fell in love with this recipe, let us know about it in the comments below. And, make sure to share it with your fellow bakers so they can up their cheesecake game too!

FAQs

[rank_math_rich_snippet id=”s-a0fda1fc-6abf-4d13-8662-22454ef92806″]