CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE

 

Ingredients:

• Salted Caramel Sauce:
  • Use your favorite recipe or store-bought salted caramel sauce.
• Crust:
  • 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Caramel Cheesecake:
  • 24 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup salted caramel sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
• Cinnamon Apple Topping:
  • 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup salted caramel

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with aluminum foil at least 4 times so that all the seams are covered.
3. Crust:
   • In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
   • Stir in the melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.
   • Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides (about halfway to ¾ of the way up) of the prepared springform pan.
   • Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep the oven turned on.
4. Caramel Cheesecake:
   • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
   • Beat in the sugar, salted caramel sauce, and vanilla extract.
   • Mix in the sour cream, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
   • Whisk the eggs in a small bowl, then beat them into the cheesecake batter.
   • Place the crust (still in the springform pan) into a large roasting pan. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan and smooth the top. Then pour about ½-1 inch of water into the roasting pan.
   • Place the roasting pan (with the cheesecake inside) into the oven (still at 350°F). Bake for 55-70 minutes, or until the top looks set except for in the very middle, and when you give the pan a gentle nudge there's a slight wobble (like a bowl of jello).
   • Turn off the oven, open the oven door, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the roasting pan (with the cheesecake inside) from the oven and continue cooling until room temperature.
   • Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan (still in the springform pan), cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
5. Apple Topping:
   • Add the butter and cinnamon to a medium frying pan or saucepan over low heat to melt the butter.
   • Add in the chopped apples, sugar, and water. Stir the mixture around a bit to coat them in the butter and cinnamon.
   • Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes for the apples to soften. Occasionally, remove the lid of the pan and give the apples a stir.
   • Once the apples have softened to your liking (I prefer mine a bit crunchier), remove the lid and stir in caramel sauce.
6. Serving:
   • Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and carefully trace around the edges of the crust with a thin knife.
   • Unclamp the outer ring of the springform pan.
   • Optionally, top the entire cheesecake with cinnamon apples (this is best if you plan to finish the entire cheesecake immediately), or slice into pieces and top each slice with a spoonful or two of the cinnamon apples. Slice the cheesecake using a sharp, thin knife such as a paring knife (do not use a table knife).

Tips:

• A springform pan is necessary for this recipe. A 10-inch springform pan will work, however the crust will be thinner (I recommend only pushing the crust up about ⅓ of the way around the edges) and the bake time will be between 40-55 minutes. This recipe has too much filling for an 8-inch springform pan.
• Feel free to use your favorite homemade salted caramel sauce or high quality, store-bought salted caramel (dulce de leche works too). Make sure to choose a caramel that is thick and not one that comes in a squeeze tube.
• Make sure to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese.
• Take the cream cheese