Step 1

Heat oven to 425°F and pour the sweetened condensed milk into a 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle the flake sea salt evenly over the milk.

Step 2

Cover the dish with foil, being careful the foil doesn’t hang over the sides too much (about 1 inch is best). Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan, and add enough hot water to reach about ⅓ of the way up the sides of the glass baking dish.

Step 3

Bake 1½-2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the condensed milk is dark golden brown and thickened. Check the water level when stirring the milk and if it looks very low, add additional boiling water to the roasting pan. Be sure the water doesn’t come up too high. The caramel will probably be a little lumpy, but no worries – it will smooth as it chills.

Step 4

When the caramel is ready, very carefully leave both pans together and remove it from the oven. After removing the pans from the oven, carefully lift the glass dish up and away from the roasting pan with the water. The glass dish will be very hot. Set the caramel aside to cool about 5 minutes, then dry the outside of the glass dish and pour the caramel into a heat-resistant glass bowl. Set the caramel aside to cool to room temperature.

Step 5

While the caramel develops, prepare the crust.

Step 6

Combine graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and mix well to blend.

Step 7

Drizzle the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until all crumbs have been coated with the butter.

Step 8

Pour the crust mixture into the springform pan and spread in an even layer. Use a flat-bottom measuring cup to press the crust firmly in the pan and almost all the way up the sides of the pan.

Step 9

Freeze the crust until the caramel is ready.

Step 10

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the heavy cream on medium-high until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream should be stiff, but don’t whisk too long or it will turn to butter. Carefully transfer the whipped cream to a separate bowl and set aside.

Step 11

Remove the whisk attachment on the mixer and replace it with the paddle attachment. In the same bowl, place the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until creamy and completely incorporated, about 3 minutes.

Step 12

Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat an additional 2 minutes until the mixture is very smooth.

Step 13

Set the mixer on the lowest speed and add the whipped cream. Mix 10 seconds then use a rubber spatula to finish folding-in the whipped cream by hand.

Step 14

Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the caramel over the crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth it out evenly. Cover and refrigerate the pie 30 minutes.

Step 15

After 30 minutes, cover the caramel layer with the cheesecake mixture. Add enough cheesecake to come within ¼ inch from the top edge of the crust.

Step 16

Cover, being careful NOT to let the covering touch the cheesecake, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours in advance. (Alternately, the cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months)

Step 17

Remove the cheesecake from the pan, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with English Toffee Bits