This is the best apple pie cheesecake! It is a spiced, creamy cheesecake over a cinnamon graham cracker crust, topped with apple pie filling, salted caramel sauce and a crunchy crumb topping. It's the ultimate fall indulgence you should absolutely indulge in this season!
is the perfect dessert to make for Thanksgiving. It will absolutely be a showstopper and is sure to wow everyone who tries it.
If you're looking for other fall recipes check out my white chocolate salted caramel cheesecake, salted caramel almond cupcakes, salted caramel spice cake, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake cookies, pumpkin blondies or pumpkin cupcakes!
Why You'll Love this Apple Pie Cheesecake
It's covered in salted caramel sauce. I mean you can never have too much salted caramel sauce right?
It has the absolute best creamy texture. This cheesecake literally melts in your mouth. It's so creamy and smooth. It's perfect texture is achieved with a careful mixing method. The cream cheese is complimented with sour cream to achieve an unbelievable perfect cheesecake texture.
It's full of apple spice flavor. The cheesecake filling is flavored with warm fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and poured over a cinnamon graham cracker crust. Then after it's done baking It's topped with homemade apple pie filling. It's an apple lover's dream!
Ingredients for Apple Pie Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese- full fat cream cheese will be the base of this cheesecake
- Sour Cream- adds extra creaminess to this cheesecake
- Eggs- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla Extract- adds a sweet note to the cheesecake
- Granulated White Sugar- sweetens the cheesecake batter
- Cornstarch- essential for a perfect cheesecake. It adds a bit of structure, allows for clean slices and helps the top to never crack or sink
- Apples- fresh apples get cooked with salted caramel sauce and spices to create a delicious apple pie topping
- Apple Spice- a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice is used to add warmth to the cheesecake and apple pie topping
- Graham crackers- ground to make the crust
- All Purpose Flour- used to make the streusel stopping
- Light Brown Sugar- used to sweeten the streusel topping
- Butter- used in the salted caramel sauce and streusel
- Heavy Cream- used for the salted caramel sauce
- Springform Pan- essential for making a cheesecake
- Large Roasting Pan
Step by Step Instructions
This cheesecake is very involved, but these steps break it down so you can see exactly how to make it!
(See recipe card below for complete measurements and baking times!)
STEP ONE: Make the salted caramel sauce first. See this blog post for an in depth tutorial of how to make it!
STEP TWO: Prepare the springform pan by wrapping the bottom and edges of it with aluminum foil. I recommend at least using 4 sheets of foil, but I always do 8-10 to be EXTRA sure no water will seep into the pan while the cheesecake bakes.
STEP THREE: Pulse the graham crackers together in a food processor. Then add in the melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and pulse until combined. Press the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, about 1 inch. (A ¼ measuring cup really helps with this step). Bake the crust and then let it cool.
STEP FOUR: Make the cheesecake batter by mixing the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together in a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer) on medium speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the sour cream, spices and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and mix on medium low speed just until combined. Add in eggs and egg yolks and mix on medium low speed just until combined, being VERY careful not to over mix. Pour the cheesecake into the prepared crust. Place cheesecake into a large roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and pour boiling water into the pan being very careful not to splash the cheesecake. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven, crack the door and leave cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and let it cool on a wire rack. Then chill the cheesecake in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight.
STEP FIVE: Make the apple pie topping by adding peeled, cored and diced apple pieces, salted caramel and spices to a pot. Cover and cook apples until tender, about 20 minutes. Then let cool.
STEP SIX: Make the crumb topping by combining the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt together in a small bowl. Bake and let cool. Then crumble the streusel and set aside.
STEP SEVEN: Make the cream cheese frosting by whipping the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
STEP EIGHT: When the cheesecake has chilled, assemble it by pouring salted caramel sauce on top. Then add on the apple filling and sprinkle the streusel on top. Go around the outside edges of the cheesecake and pipe decorative swirls of cream cheese frosting. Then finally serve!
(See recipe card below for complete measurements and baking times!)
FAQs
Do I really have to use a water bath to bake the cheesecake? Yes, it's absolutely essential. The water bath adds moisture to the oven while the cheesecake bakes and helps to regulate the heat. Without it, the cheesecake won't bake like it should.
Do I have to use homemade salted caramel sauce? No you can definitely substitute for store bought caramel, but homemade tastes SO much better and really is not that hard to make. See my salted caramel sauce post for an in depth explanation for how to make perfect caramel sauce.
How do I store this cheesecake? Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Pro Tips
I recommend using a stand mixer to make the cheesecake if you have one. Mix the cheesecake on a medium and medium low speed to ensure you're not over mixing.
Be super, super careful not to over mix the cheesecake batter. If you mix too much the cheesecake texture can turn out very runny with a whipped cream consistency.
For best results, make sure you're using room temperature ingredients for the cheesecake batter.
Make sure your cheesecake has completely chilled before attempting to decorate/cut into it. I recommend making it the day before you're panning on serving it and allowing it to chill overnight.
If you make this cheesecake please leave a star rating, it's so helpful for me! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ and TikTok @inbloombakery so I can see as well! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Apple Desserts to Try
Apple Pie Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust
- 16 (240 g) graham crackers, full sheets
- 10 tablespoon (140 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Spiced Cheesecake
- 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon (16 g) cornstarch
- ⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
For the Apple Pie Topping
- 2 ½ cups (375 g) peeled, cored and diced apple pieces 2-3 apples
- ¼ cup (70 g) salted caramel sauce from above
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 ½ tablespoon (21 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 3 tablespoon (41 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon (24 g) all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, cold
- 1 ½ cups (195 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the granulated white sugar to a large sauce pan and heat it over medium low heat. As the sugar is heating it will crystalize and then eventually all melt down and turn golden in color. Stir it occasionally with a spatula. When most of the sugar has melted, but there are still a few crystalized clumps, turn the heat down to low so the melted sugar doesn't burn. (Melting all the sugar takes around 20 minutes.)1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in color, add in the room temperature salted butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated.5 tablespoon (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Then add in the room temperature heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together. (At this point if you see the butter and cream start to separate from the sugar turn the heat up to medium low and stir vigorously to combine everything together. This can happen if your butter and cream aren't room temperature.)½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- Lastly, add in the sea salt and vanilla and stir to combine. Let the caramel simmer on low for 1-2 minutes until it's a little thicker, then remove it from the heat and allow to cool before using.¼-1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Wrap at least 4 sheets of tinfoil around the bottom and edges of a 9 inch springform pan.
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.16 (240 g) graham crackers, full sheets
- Add in melted butter, sugar and cinnamon and pulse until combined. You may have to stop, scrape the edges with a spatula and pulse again to ensure everything is combined together.10 tablespoon (140 g) unsalted butter, melted, 2 tablespoon (25 g) granulated white sugar, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Press the crumbs onto the bottom, and about an inch up the sides, of the springform pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then let cool completely.
For the Spiced Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, if not still preheated.
- Put a pot of water on the stove to start boiling. You will want enough water to go up about 1 ½ inches on the sides of the springform pan.
- In a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together with a paddle attachment on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer, but just be careful not to overmix). Half way through, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature, 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tablespoon (16 g) cornstarch
- Add in the sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and mix on medium low speed just until combined. (Scrape sides and bottom of bowl again).⅓ cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Next add the eggs and egg yolks and mix on medium low speed just until combined. Do not over mix the batter.3 eggs, at room temperature, 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan with the crust.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the boiling water into the roasting pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
- Bake for 1 hour. When an hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the door open. It helps to use a wooden utensil to keep the oven door slightly open. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for an additional 1 hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling.
- Once the 2 hours are up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and go around the edges of the pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan.
- Let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
For the Apple Pie Topping
- Add the peeled, cored and diced apple pieces, the set aside ¼ cup of salted caramel sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to a large pot over medium low heat.2 ½ cups (375 g) peeled, cored and diced apple pieces, ¼ cup (70 g) salted caramel sauce from above, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- Cover the pot and stir the apples occasionally until they're tender, about 20 minutes.
- Let the apples cool completely.
For the Streusel Topping
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt to a small bowl.1 ½ tablespoon (21 g) unsalted butter, cold, 3 tablespoon (41 g) light brown sugar, 3 tablespoon (24 g) all-purpose flour, pinch salt
- Mash everything together until large clumps form. It's easiest to do this by hand.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and sprinkle the streusel over it.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Stir halfway through so it gets evenly browned.
- Let the streusel cool completely, then break it apart into small pieces.
For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the butter to a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix the butter with an electric mixer on high speed until it's pale in color and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
- Add in the cream cheese and mix on medium speed until combined.4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, cold
- Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix on low speed until all is combined.1 ½ cups (195 g) powdered sugar
- Lastly mix in the cinnamon, then mix on high speed until it's light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip. (My favorite is my Wilton 1M tip.)
Assembling the Cheesecake
- Give yourself a round of applause because you're finally ready to assemble this amazing cheesecake! See the blog post above for the process pictures.
- When the cheesecake has chilled overnight, carefully remove it from the springform pan and transfer it to your serving plate.
- Pour ½ cup (140 g) of caramel onto the cheesecake.
- Spoon the cooled apples on top, making sure to leave about a 1 inch boarder around the edges.
- Add more caramel on top of the apples if you desire, then sprinkle on the cooled streusel.
- Pipe decorative swirls of cream cheese frosting around the edges of the cheesecake.
- Then serve! Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit. Not only did it look beautiful, but it tasted just as good. The only thing I changed was the frosting. I decided to make a cinnamon whipped cream, the cream cheese frosting just sounded too sweet for me. Your directions were perfect and easy to follow. I will definitely make this again.
Hi Margo! Thank you so much for trying out the cheesecake! I'm so happy to hear you liked it. It makes my day to hear that others are enjoying my recipes! 🙂
Wow wow wow. Just made this for Thanksgiving… such a crowd pleaser and will definitely make a come back for Christmas. Thank you!!
Am I able to sub out the Kefir for regular whole milk?
Hi Flor! I would use whole milk sour cream as a substitute for kefir 🙂
Hello! I live in Spain and don’t have access to graham crackers so I will use a substitute. Can you tell me approx how many cups of crumbs I’d need? Not sure how much is in a sheet of graham crackers! Thank you!
Hi Ana! I'm not sure about the cups measurement, but 16 full sheets of graham crackers weighs approximately 248 g. I hope this helps!
If I only have 24 oz of cream cheese, how would I measure the rest of the recipe? Or would it be easier to cut it in half
This is a lot of work yes but absolutely worth it! I made it this Thanksgiving 2022 and it was a complete hit everyone loved it! Not too sweet just perfect and deliciously spiced! The only thing I changed was anytime the recipe only caused for cinnamon I added allspice and a little nutmeg throughout.
Hi love, super excited to try this recipe soon! Just wondering what kind of apples you used for the topping?
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! I made a pie crust for my cheesecake & added lattice on top!!! It looked and tasted amazing!! Worth every ounce of the with it took to make the cheesecake!!!
Hi Theia! I'm so glad you liked the recipe! The pie crust sounds like a wonderful and fun touch!