Is your refrigerator overflowing with apples? If so, this caramel apple cheesecake will hit the spot! With a caramel layer on the top and the bottom, this showstopper dessert is a great fall dessert!
I went apple picking twice in 4 days. Am I crazy? Well, I went with my family to the apple orchard so that I could take some nice photos of Addie for our annual holiday card. It’s quite beautiful there – the orchard is on top of a mountain so we get gorgeous views all around. Then 3 days later, we went to the same orchard for a work fun event.
The first time to the orchard, we only got a few apples since I knew that I would be returning in a few days. The orchard only had a few apple varieties remaining, including Stayman, Pink Lady and Fuji. I am a Fuji girl through and through, so we went straight for those. While we were there, we also had some fresh apple cider donuts and apple cider slushies. It was a great apple-filled day.
I returned to the orchard with my work team and again went straight to the Fuji apples. I picked a few more this time and pondered what to do with my loot. My husband asked for apple strudel, but I had cheesecake on my mind. And thus, this cheesecake.
The caramel layer on the bottom hardened a bit after baking, so it was difficult to chew (Addie said her teeth hurt while eating the bottom crust). The texture of the cheese filling contained more air pockets than your typical cheesecake, but the flavors were amazing. My husband declared this a winner with two thumbs up despite those nit-picky things.
So if you’re looking for a cheesecake recipe this fall or just have some extra apples in your refrigerator, consider this caramel apple cheesecake. It’s a beautiful and tasty treat to share with friends and family.
Caramel apple cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs from about 8 whole graham crackers
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Caramel
- 1 14 ounce package caramels
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
Filling
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
Apple mixture
- 1 and 1/2 cups apples peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard springform pan with two layers of foil (I recommend doing it in an X pattern so one layer goes horizontally across the bottom and the other layer goes perpendicular to the other piece. Fold any extra foil onto itself.).
- In a small bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, sugar and butter together until it resembles wet sand. Press this on the bottom and sides of your prepared springform pan. Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Make the caramel filling
- While the crust is baking, prepare the caramel. Melt the unwrapped caramels and evaporated milk in a medium sized saucepan. Pour about 2/3 of the caramel over the baked crust.
Prep the filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add in the eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Turn the mixer off.
Prepare the apples
- Toss the apples with the cinnamon and flour together in a medium bowl. Transfer this to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
- Pour the apple cream cheese mixture into the springform pan on top of the caramel layer. Bake in your preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour on the remaining caramel. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheesecake is no longer jiggly. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator overnight before serving.