Baked TreatsDessert

Caramel Almond Cream Cheese Cakes — The Bakery's Bestseller, Finally Recreated

Name: Caramel Almond Cream Cheese Cakes
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 cakes
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 tbsp (30 ml) milk; 1 tbsp + 1 tsp (16 ml) corn oil; ¼ cup (30 g) cake flour; 2 eggs; 1½ tbsp (20 g) sugar; 5¼ oz (150 g) cream cheese; 1½ tbsp (25 g) caramel sauce; scant 1 cup (220 ml) heavy cream; sliced almonds, as needed; powdered sugar, as needed

2026-07-22

By Vivian

The bakery's bestseller — outrageously good. I thought about it for three days and finally recreated it

Why You'll Love It

Good grief — you all have to make these. This caramel almond cream cheese cake is unfairly good. One bite and saltiness weaves through the depth of caramel: soft, fine sponge wrapped around silky, rich caramel cream cheese cream, with crisp toasted almond flakes. So many layers in one bite.

Chilled, they're cool and silky rather than cloying. The bakery charges about $5 a piece; make them at home and eat until you're satisfied. I won't accept that anyone hasn't tried this heavenly recipe, and a beginner can't mess it up. Here's the full method 👇

Ingredients

Sponge
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk	1 tbsp + 1 tsp (16 ml) corn oil
¼ cup (30 g) cake flour	2 eggs
1½ tbsp (20 g) sugar

Filling
5¼ oz (150 g) cream cheese	1½ tbsp (20 g) sugar
1½ tbsp (25 g) caramel sauce	scant 1 cup (220 ml) heavy cream

To Finish
sliced almonds, as needed	powdered sugar, as needed

Ingredient Notes

Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature until a finger leaves a dent before beating.
Use a thick caramel sauce — thin sauce makes the cream go soft.
Toast the almonds and let them cool before using, or they won't be crisp.
Sift the cake flour twice, and fold in a Z pattern rather than stirring in circles.
The bowl for the egg whites must be bone dry and grease-free, or they won't whip.

Instructions

1

Pour the milk and corn oil into a bowl and whisk in one direction until no oil slicks show on the surface and it's evenly emulsified. Set aside.
2

Sift the cake flour into the emulsion and fold gently with a spatula in a Z pattern — don't overmix or the flour develops gluten. Stop once there's no dry flour and the batter is smooth.
3

Add the two yolks one at a time, folding until fully incorporated and smooth with no lumps. Set aside.
4

Put the whites in a clean, dry, grease-free bowl and add the sugar in three stages:
1. Beat on low until large bubbles appear, then add the first third.
2. Move to medium speed; when the bubbles are small and fine, add the second third.
3. Keep beating until clear tracks form, add the last third, then go to high and beat until the whisk pulls a soft curved peak (soft peaks — they hold without deflating).
5

Add a third of the whipped whites to the yolk batter and fold from the bottom up with a spatula — never stir in circles, or you'll knock the air out.
6

Pour the mixture back into the remaining whites and keep folding until the batter is fine, smooth, and lump-free.
7

Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it evenly onto a parchment-lined tray. Bake in an oven preheated to 300°F (150°C) for about 25 minutes. Take it out and let it cool.
8

Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar until smooth and lump-free, then pour in the heavy cream and caramel sauce and keep beating until clear tracks form and it holds a small stiff peak — thick enough not to run. Put it in a piping bag.
9

Take one cooled piece of sponge, pipe on some caramel cream cheese cream, top with another piece, and press gently to fix them together.
10

Spread an even layer of caramel cream around the sides, cover the top with toasted almond slices, and dust with a little powdered sugar if you like.
11

Chill for at least 2 hours. Cold, they're cool and silky rather than rich, and one bite bursts with filling.
12

Cloud-soft sponge wrapped around salty-sweet caramel cream cheese, with the crunch of almonds. Chilled, it never gets cloying — every bite is creamy and chewy, with a hint of liquid caramel in the middle. Make them soon; you will be told how good they are.

Recipe Notes