If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you saw me post the Instant Pot Cheesecake with Pecan Shortbread Cookie Crust with the following letter of apology of sorts to the actual pot. It read:
Dear Instant Pot,
I’m sorry for doubting you, for being terrified of your pressure release, and for rolling my eyes when people swear by your usefulness. Forgive me for leaving you hidden in the cabinet for months. You whipping out this Pecan Shortbread Cookie Crust Cheesecake has indeed stolen my heart.
Forever Yours,
Aimee
Now, you are probably thinking I’m certifiably crazy and you would be correct, but hear me out. I’ve had the darn Instant Pot since the Black Friday deal last year. I’ve successfully boiled eggs and prepared ribs. And by “I’ve successfully”, I really mean my husband has successfully boiled eggs and prepared ribs. I was so excited to get my pot that I joined a Facebook group just for Instant Pot people. And that’s when things got really, really overwhelming for me. People blowing up their pots, people spewing spaghetti sauce all over their kitchens, and recipe after recipe looking like something straight out of the hot mess express.
I quickly became intimidated by the thing.
So I packed it away, put it in an upper cabinet I can’t even reach without a ladder and vowed to build up some confidence.
I wouldn’t say I’ve built up my confidence, but I’ve been trapped at home with Stella (my female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had cysts removed last week and can’t really be crated but is on strict crate rest- so, I’ve been on practically 24/7 dog nurse duty) and well, I was determined to research the heck of the Instant Pot cheesecakes and show this pot who is boss.
If we are being honest, I had little hope that the thing would turn out. I had convinced myself that I was wasting 2 packages of cream cheese and was going to be disappointed. I had zero faith in Mr. Instant Pot.
And then….
A miracle happened, y’all.
Not only did it work, it worked well.
And it tasted like something you would NOT believe came out of a pressure cooker pot.
The pressure release continues to scare the heck out of me, but I’m going to work on it because….
- For the Crust:
- About 8 crushed pecan shortbread cookies
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- Toppings:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- additional shortbread cookie crumbles
- whipped cream, optional
- Prepare a 6 inch springform pan by placing a piece of parchment paper cut to size and spraying it with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, pecans and butter. Spread the crust mixture evenly in the bottom of the springform pan. Place the pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla and flour. Add the eggs, one at a time, just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust.
- Place the trivet into the bottom of the pressure cooker, and add one cup of water. Lower your springform pan onto the trivet. (see notes below) Lock the lid in place, set pressure cooker to high, and timer to 30 minutes. Allow 10 minutes of natural release then perform a quick release.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool one hour before placing in the refrigerator (it will continue to set while resting in the hot pot). Allow to cool in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove the springform, and carefully lift the cheesecake off of the base of the springform pan and onto cake stand/serving plate. **Don’t cut the cheesecake on the baking pan- it’ll scratch.
- Drizzle the chocolate and caramel over the top of the cheesecake (I used piping bags to create a pattern) and sprinkle with cookie crumbs.
- To serve, garnish with a swirl of whipped cream and a wedge of cookie.
Cheesecake.
And not only cheesecake, but cheesecake that doesn’t involve an oven for a minimum of an hour. A fix and forget it style of cheesecake.
I’m an Instant Pot cheesecake convert!
Go ahead, break out those pots if you’ve been terrified as I have been.
You’ve got cheesecake to make. I believe you can do it, because if I can do it after running away from the darn thing when my husband made eggs, then I know there is hope for everyone.
A couple of things I’d do differently as this was a tiny bit overcooked in my opinion:
*Should you have to reset for another round, reduce the amount of time. I reset mine for about 6 minutes (so 30 minutes, 10 minute rest, quick release, reset for 6 minutes, rest) I believe and it could’ve probably been half of that. Reset for 3 minutes if your cheesecake has a super wobbly center.
*The cheesecake is done when the center is still a bit jiggly (but not runny) and the edges are soft but set.
*I’d use homemade caramel sauce rather than the caramel ice cream topping. I like my caramel sauce a bit thicker, but because I thought this thing was going to taste like poo, I didn’t want to waste time making the good stuff and just grabbed what was in the cabinet.
* Use the aluminum foil sling when lowering the cheesecake onto the trivet. I put my pan on the trivet then lifted with tongs to remove it. (my springform pan has little rings on the sides and I lifted there) It worked but I was terrified I was going to drop it, whereas if I had made the aluminum sling it would’ve had a support across the bottom.
To make a sling, Hip Pressure Cooking explains it well, with photos.
Other than those little tweaks, I’ve found my cheesecake confidence and plan on making another one this weekend to give away! The jury is still out on how long I wait before attempting something with noodles, or meat.
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