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Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake
This is the most unbelievable and show-stopping cheesecake! It's truly a centerpiece for your Holiday table and is great to make during the Fall season. It is a rich and creamy brown sugar cheesecake with cinnamon apples baked right in and topped with piles of butter crumble and salted caramel. You will love it!
Ingredients
Apple filling:
- 1 lb (454g) peeled, cored and sliced apples (from about 4 apples)
- 3 tablespoon (45g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups (160g) graham cracker crumbs (from about 24 squares)
- 2 tablespoon (30g) packed light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Crumb topping:
- ⅔ cup (95g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50g) quick oats
- ⅓ cup (70g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling:
- 24 oz (680g) brick cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80ml) full fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Make the apple filling. Add sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 6-7 minutes while stirring frequently until very soft but not mushy. Set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a high-sided 8-inch round springform pan with a round of parchment paper.
- Make the crust. Place graham crackers, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. You can also crush the graham crackers in a resealable bag with the bottom of heavy pot or a rolling pan and then mix them together with the sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Tip the mixture out into your prepared baking pan and press it evenly over the base and about 1-inch up the sides of the pan. I like to use a straight edged drinking glass to form the crust smooth along the bottom and push it gently up the sides.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes until lightly golden and feels dry. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Make the crumb topping. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly so that there are no lumps of brown sugar. Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until evenly combined, then toss with your fingertips to form large crumbs. Cover with a tea towel and set aside.
- Make the filling. Beat soft cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer on medium speed until very smooth. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and beat until smooth and creamy, about 30-45 seconds. Do not over-beat because large bubbles will cause the cheesecake to crack during baking and cooling. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition so that the batter is smooth before you add the next egg. Mix in sour cream and vanilla until combined, then mix in the flour. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure there are no lumps.
- Assemble the cheesecake. Pour two-thirds of the cheesecake batter into the pre-baked crust, spreading it out evenly and popping any air bubbles that you see. Gently spoon half of the apple filling over top spreading them out evenly. Dollop the remaining filling on top over the apples and spread it out gently to cover the apples entirely. Spoon the rest of the apples over the filling then scatter the crumble topping evenly over top – it will be a lot, but that’s just right so make sure you use it all and pile it on.
- Place the cheesecake in the oven and then place an ovenproof dish, stainless steel bowl or ramekin with about an inch of hot water next to it (this will create some steam in the oven so the cheesecake bakes in a moist environment). Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and the center barely wobbles. Turn off the oven and leave it in for another 10 minutes. Don’t try to check on it as all the heat will escape the oven. You can also use a 9-inch pan and bake for 5-10 minutes less as there will be more surface area.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes of cooling, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides and then remove sides of pan. Let cake cool completely. Once cool, transfer to the fridge for 4 hours before serving. Then, drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
- TIP: to slice, first use a serrated knife to saw through the crunchy crumble topping, then once you break through that topping you can switch to a sharp chef's knife or other large flat-bladed knife to slice.
