Apple Pie Cheesecake
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!
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tbsp (70 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust
- 16 (240 g) graham crackers, full sheets
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Spiced Cheesecake
- 32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
- 1/3 cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
For the Apple Pie Topping
- 2 1/2 cups (375 g) peeled, cored and diced apple pieces, 2-3 apples
- 1/4 cup (70 g) salted caramel sauce from above
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) unsalted butter, cold
- 3 tbsp (41 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (24 g) all-purpose flour
- pinch salt
For the Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, cold
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp 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 tbsp (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.)1/2 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.1/4-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp 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 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted, 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tsp 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 1/2 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 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tbsp (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).1/3 cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp 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 1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to a large pot over medium low heat.2 1/2 cups (375 g) peeled, cored and diced apple pieces, 1/4 cup (70 g) salted caramel sauce from above, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp 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 1/2 tbsp (21 g) unsalted butter, cold, 3 tbsp (41 g) light brown sugar, 3 tbsp (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.1/2 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 1/2 cups (195 g) powdered sugar
- Lastly mix in the cinnamon, then mix on high speed until it's light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.1/2 tsp 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 1/2 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.
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