Cream Cheese Brownie Tart With Caramel Swirl: An Easy, Elegant Dessert

Ridiculously Easy Cream Cheese Brownie Tart

Picture a glossy chocolate tart with ribbons of caramel cream cheese running through it, sliced into wedges and topped with a small cloud of whipped cream. Now picture it coming together with a bowl, a whisk, and about 20 minutes of hands on work. That is exactly what this caramel cream cheese brownie tart delivers.

The recipe comes from the Ridiculously Easy Cream Cheese Brownie Tart at The Café Sucre Farine, where it was adapted from a cajeta cream cheese brownie tart that arrived by email in the fall.

That original came from the cajeta cream cheese brownie tart recipe at Epicurious. Cajeta, as the original describes it, is related to caramel but sits closer to dulce de leche: goat’s milk reduced into a thick, sticky, very sweet syrup that gets spooned over desserts.

Lovely stuff, but not the easiest thing to find at a small town grocery store.

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So the adaptation swaps cajeta for caramel sauce. A good quality store bought caramel sauce was tested, purchased dulce de leche was tested, and both worked well.

The special Mexican chocolate in the original was replaced with regular semi sweet baking chocolate, which melts into the batter the same way. After several rounds of testing, the directions were streamlined too, because the original read as more complicated than the tart really is.

Here is what you are working with: a one bowl brownie base that bakes into a fudgy layer, a caramel cream cheese layer made with nothing more than a bowl and a whisk, and a fast swirl that turns the top into a marble pattern.

It makes 12 servings. Prep takes about 20 minutes, the bake takes about 25 minutes, and the total time is about 45 minutes.

For the brownie base

• 2 ½ ounces semi sweet baking chocolate
• ¼ cup room temperature coffee, or the same amount of water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup butter (salted)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅓ cup all purpose flour

For the caramel cream cheese swirl

• 8 ounces very soft cream cheese, full fat or reduced fat, but not no fat
• ½ cup caramel sauce, homemade or store bought
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

How to make the tart

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spray a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, then place the pan on a large baking sheet.
3. Place the coffee or water, chocolate, sugar, and butter in a medium microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute, then stir well. Cook on high for another minute and stir again. Continue in 30 second bursts until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth. Set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4. After the 5 minutes, add the cocoa powder and stir to combine, then whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
5. Stir in the flour and set the batter aside.
6. Whisk the softened cream cheese until it is smooth and lighter in texture, about 30 seconds. Add the caramel sauce and stir well to combine.
7. Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
8. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, reserving about ¼ cup. Spread the cream cheese and caramel layer over the top, covering it as well as you can.
9. Dollop the reserved batter over the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or a sharp knife, swirl all around the tart until the brownie and cream cheese are marbled together.
10. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the tart is slightly puffed, set, and no longer jiggly.
11. Let the tart cool to room temperature, then remove it from the pan before serving.
12. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint. A drizzle of caramel sauce on top is a delicious splurge.

Ridiculously Easy

At The Café Sucre Farine, Ridiculously Easy is a trademark category, with a big collection of recipes filed under that name. The whole idea is to look like a kitchen rock star with minimal effort, and this tart fits the category perfectly.

There is no mixer, no rolling, no pastry crust, and no chilling time before baking. One bowl handles the brownie base, another bowl handles the caramel cream cheese layer, and the swirl takes seconds. What comes out of the oven looks like something from a bakery case, which is exactly the point.

The easy swirls

The marbling is where the magic happens, and it is far easier than it looks.

Pour almost all of the brownie batter into the pan, then stop and set aside about ¼ cup. Spread the caramel cream cheese mixture over the brownie base in an even layer. Dollop the reserved brownie batter on top in small spoonfuls, spacing them around the pan.

Then reach for a skewer or a small sharp knife. Draw it through the layers in loose loops and figure eights, working your way around the pan, until the brownie batter and the cream cheese are swirled and marbled together.

The caramel cream cheese layer holds just three ingredients and comes together in one bowl with a whisk, so the whole swirl step stays quick and forgiving.

Your turn!

Now it is your turn. Pull out a tart pan, grab the whisk, and make this one for the next dinner, birthday, or quiet Tuesday that could use some chocolate.

If you or someone at your table needs to cook gluten free, there is good news: a gluten free version of this tart was developed by the author’s nephew, Steve. Same idea, same swirl, adjusted flours.

Once you have this tart down, there are more chocolate and cheesecake ideas worth playing with. These Triple Layer Brownie Peanut Butter Cheesecakes take the brownie and cheesecake pairing in a different direction, and these Mini Chocolate Tarts are a lovely small format option for a party platter.

If you want to see how another baker handles this same combination, this caramel cream cheese brownie tart makes a fun comparison.

Cafe Tips for Making this Ridiculously Easy Caramel Cream Cheese Brownie Tart

Soft cream cheese is not optional

Full fat cream cheese and reduced fat cream cheese both work beautifully here. No fat cream cheese is not recommended, because it will not whisk into that silky, spoonable texture.

The cream cheese also needs to be very soft, since this recipe uses no mixer at all. Leave it on the counter at room temperature to soften, or in a cool kitchen microwave it at 10 percent power for 1 to 2 minutes until it is very soft.

Use the right pan

A 9 or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom is what you want. A 10 inch pan makes a slightly shorter tart, which is completely fine, so just keep an eye on the bake.

Spray the pan with baking spray, the kind that combines flour and shortening rather than oil like regular nonstick spray, and line the bottom with a parchment circle.

Both steps help the tart release cleanly, so you can slide it onto a serving plate without losing a corner.

Do not over swirl

Stop swirling once the top looks pretty. Keep going and the surface starts to look muddy instead of marbled.

Pick a caramel sauce you like

Any good quality caramel sauce works, homemade or store bought. The options mentioned in the source include:

• Homemade caramel sauce
• Smucker’s Sea Salted Caramel Sauce
• Coldstone caramel sauce
• Trader Joe’s caramel sauce
• Butterscotch sauce, if you do not mind renaming the dessert

Coffee or water, your call

The brownie base calls for ¼ cup of room temperature coffee or the same amount of water. Coffee does not make the tart taste like coffee. It simply intensifies the chocolate flavor, so use whichever you have on hand.

No microwave? No problem

Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium pot on the stovetop instead. Let that mixture cool for 5 minutes, then make the rest of the brownie base right in the same pot. Fewer dishes, same tart.

Serving the tart

Let the tart cool completely to room temperature and remove it from the pan before serving. A dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint on each slice looks lovely, and an extra drizzle of caramel sauce turns it into a real splurge.

The swirl is forgiving. A few loose loops with a skewer are all it takes to make this tart look like it came from a bakery.

Nutrition per serving

So there you have it: a chocolate tart that looks impressive, tastes like a brownie and a cheesecake had a very happy accident, and asks almost nothing of you in the kitchen. Grab that tart pan and give it a whirl.

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Caramel Cream Cheese Brownie Tart

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Ridiculously Easy Cream Cheese Brownie Tart Picture a glossy chocolate tart with ribbons of caramel cream cheese running through it, sliced into wedges and topped with a small cloud of whipped cream. Now picture it coming together with a bowl, a whisk, and about 20 minutes of hands on work.

• Total Time: 45 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the brownie base
2 ½ ounces semi sweet baking chocolate
¼ cup room temperature coffee, or the same amount of water
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter, I use salted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup all-purpose flour

For the caramel cream cheese swirl
8 ounces cream cheese, very soft, full-fat or reduced-fat (not no-fat)
½ cup caramel sauce, homemade or storebought
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instructions

For the prep
1-Preheat the oven to 350ºF: Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2-Spray a 9 or 10-inch tart pan: Spray a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper then place the tart pan on a large baking sheet.

For the brownie base
3-Place the coffee (or water), chocolate sugar: Place the coffee (or water), chocolate sugar and butter in a medium size microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute then stir well. Cook on high for another minute and stir. Continue cooking, checking every 30 seconds until the butter and chocolate are melt and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
4-After the 5 minutes, add the cocoa: After the 5 minutes, add the cocoa powder and stir to combine, then whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
5-Stir in the flour and set aside: Stir in the flour and set aside.

For the caramel cream cheese swirl
6-Whisk the softened cream cheese until it’s: Whisk the softened cream cheese until it’s nice and smooth and lighter in texture, about 30 seconds. Add the caramel sauce and stir well to combine.
7-Add the egg and vanilla extract and: Add the egg and vanilla extract and stir until combined.

To put together and finish
8-Pour the brownie batter into the prepared: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, reserving about ¼ cup. Spread the cream cheese caramel layer over the top, try to cover the sop as well as you can.
9-Dollop the reserved batter over the top: Dollop the reserved batter over the top of the cream cheese layer. Using a skewer or sharp knife, swirl the tart all around until the brownie and cream cheese are swirled and marbled together.
10-Bake in the preheated oven for 22: Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 28 minutes, until slightly puffed and the tart is set and no longer jiggly.
11-Let the tart cool to room temperature,: Let the tart cool to room temperature, Remove the tart from the pan before serving.
12-I like to serve this dessert with: I like to serve this dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and sprig of mint. For a delicious splurge, you can also add a drizzle caramel sauce!

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 25 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 264 kcal
• Sugar: 26 g
• Sodium: 324 mg
• Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Carbohydrates: 32 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 72 mg