Drizzled with sea salt caramel and sprinkled with warm cinnamon spice, this decadent and delicious Apple Cheesecake is the ultimate apple lover's treat. This scrumptious fall dessert's buttery graham cracker crust is layered with creamy cheesecake, spiced sugary apples and pure indulgent bliss. This is a fall must make!
When fruit meets cheesecake, it's the absolute best. Have you tried Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and Two Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake yet? They are both pure joy on a plate.
But today it's all about this caramel-y sweet, cinnamon and sugar-kissed apple cheesecake recipe. With four distinct layers of goodness that compliment each other perfectly, each forkful of this fall themed cheesecake totally delights the tastebuds.
Is there a bit of work in making this sweet apple cheesecake masterpiece? Yes, a little...though not as much as you might think (for starters, there's no water bath to contend with--woo hoo!). And the end result is totally worth it.
Whether you choose to use Granny Smith apples for a super tart/sweet contrast, or Cosmic Crisp (my personal favorite for this caramel apple cheesecake), you will delight in the decadent and creamy, sugar spiced apple dreamy results!
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👪Why you'll love it
| Uncomplicated- As far as cheesecake recipes go, this one isn't super involved. You'll use a hand mixer or stand mixer to mix the cheesecake ingredients together. It's also baked in a pie plate, so no fancy transferring from springform pan required. A little on the lighter side- We all know that cheesecakes are not diet food, but with only two bars of cream cheese, this recipe is a little...er...um...lighter than other cheesecake recipes out there. Plus the apples on top help, right? 😉 Amazingly delicious- Is there anything better than caramel and apples together? After all, caramel apples exist for a very good reason...because they're delicious! If you feel the same, be sure to also check out Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake. If you're not a huge fan, simply omit the caramel sauce from this recipe. It's that easy. |
🥘Ingredients
- graham cracker crumbs. sugar, cinnamon, & butter- ingredients for the easy homemade graham crust
- cream cheese- full fat is best and avoid tubs; use softened bars at room temperature
- eggs- used in the cheesecake layer to bind the ingredients; use at room temperature for better mixing
- pure vanilla extract- for a much better taste over imitation
- peeled, thin apple slices, cinnamon, & sugar- choose your favorite apple variety (though a slightly tart, like Cosmic Crisp, to a super tart variety is best); cinnamon and sugar make the spiced apple glaze
- sea salt caramel sauce- optional finishing touch, but absolutely delicious because it compliments the apple and cheesecake layers quite wonderfully; I highly recommend Ghirardelli's
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Step 1: Make the simple graham crust and place in a pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes; cool slightly.
- Step 2: Make and pour the cheese mixture into the slightly warm crust.
- Step 3: Prepare apples; mix with cinnamon and sugar.
- Step 4: Arrange apples over cheese mixture. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Allow to cool and set; then drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.
Hint: It's important to slice the apples uniform and thin so they soften during baking. Cut pieces small enough so they're easy to bite, and don't layer more than two apple slices on top of each other for best results. That way, you don't have to boil the apples ahead of time to make them tender.
📖Variations
- Pecans - for an extra crunch and a nutty flavor on top, add ½ cup chopped pecans before baking
- Crust- instead of graham cracker crumbs, use gingersnap or Biscoff cookie crumbs
- Streusel- because streusel is so good with apples, you may choose to make the streusel for Dutch Apple Crumb Pie and place it on top of this apple cheesecake before baking. And, if you're feeling super apple adventurous, go for it and make both delicious desserts! 😉
🍽Equipment
- small microwaveable mixing bowl
- measuring cups and measuring spoons
- 9 inch ceramic or glass pie plate (deep is best)
- large mixing bowl
- hand or stand mixer
- rubber scraping spatula
- apple peeler/slicer/corer OR fruit peeler, cutting board, and pairing knife
- wire cooling rack
🍶Storage
Cover and store apple cheesecake in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
While you can freeze it, I don't recommend it because the crust and topping get mushy. If needed, freeze for up to 2 months in freezer safe packaging.
💭Top tips
The key to knowing when a cheesecake is done is all about timing and evaluating the top. When you take the pie plate out of the oven, you want to see the top wiggle slightly. Keep in mind the cheesecake will firm up more as it cools and chills in the fridge (minimum of 2 hours).
I find it helpful to cover this apple cheesecake with loosely tented foil halfway through baking time to prevent too much browning. This also prevents the apples from drying out.
🗨️FAQ
Not with this recipe. A water bath usually ensures a smooth cheesecake, but I don't find that necessary when there are a variety of textures on top.
Absolutely! I really like Ghirardelli's Salted Caramel sauce. You can heat it slightly before adding it to the top of the cheesecake so it drizzles better.
This is a great make ahead cheesecake recipe, especially since it needs time to firm up and set in the fridge! You can even make it the night before and let it chill to perfection for the following day.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Apple Cheesecake:
📋Recipe with step-by-step instructions
Apple Cheesecake
Equipment
- small microwaveable mixing bowl
- measuring cups and measuring spoons
- 9 inch ceramic or glass pie plate (deep is best)
- large mixing bowl
- hand or stand mixer
- rubber scraping spatula
- apple peeler/slicer/corer OR fruit peeler, cutting board, and pairing knife
- medium mixing bowl
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cheesecake:
- 2 (8 oz.) bars full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the apple topping:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups peeled, thin apple slices about 2 lbs
- sea salt caramel sauce for drizzling on top just before serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- To make the crust, melt butter in microwaveable bowl; mix in graham cracker crumbs, 2 T. sugar, and 1 t. cinnamon.
- Press crust mixture into bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Using an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese and ½ cup sugar on lowest speed until well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low after each addition.
- Blend in vanilla; stir with a rubber spatula to fully incorporate.
- Pour cheesecake mixture into slightly warm crust.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine ⅓ cup sugar and 1 t. cinnamon. Add prepared apples and mix until thoroughly coated.
- Arrange coated apples over cheesecake mixture. Cover the entire surface of the cheesecake mixture, with no more than 2 apple pieces overlapping each other.
- Bake 60-70 minutes until set; loosely cover with foil halfway through baking to avoid browning.
- Cool on wire rack for 1 hour; then cover and chill in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing and serving.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce just before serving and enjoy!
Barbara says
This is the perfect cheesecake for fall!
Kitchen Ready Betty says
Oh yes, that great cinnamon sugary apple topping is the absolute best!