While cheesecake is hardly a dessert for someone concerned with calories, there is no reason why you should just stop with a basic one. Since it is far better to have a cheesecake loaded with flavors and some unique character, consider making a cheesecake that incorporates an apple crisp? Be mindful that while this dish is loaded with flavor and toppings, cracking is still a potential risk. You can deal with this problem by either prepping a water bath or just spackle over the cracks with some whipped cream and caramel.
Ingredients
The Crust
- Cooking spray
- Graham crackers, crushed up, 12
- Butter, melted, 6 tbsp
- Cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp
- Sugar, granulatedd, 1/4 cup
- Salt, kosher, 1/4 tsp
The Cheesecake
- Cream cheese, softened, four 8-ounce blocks
- Caramel sauce, 1/4 cup plus some extra to be used for drizzling
- Sugar, granulated, 1/4 cup
- Eggs, 3
- Sour cream, 1/4 cup
- Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
- Flour, AP, 2 tbsp
- Salt, kosher, 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon, ground, 1/4 tsp
Apple Crisp Topping
- Sugar, brown, pack, 1/4 cup
- Flour, AP, 1/4 cup
- Oats, old-fashioned, 1/4 cup
- Cinnamon, ground, 1/2 tsp
- Salt, kosher, 1/4 tsp
- Butter, softened, 4 tbsp
- Apple, peeled and finely chopped, one
- Optional: Whipped topping, to be used for the garnish
Equipment
- Oven
- Springform pan, 8″ or 9″
- Large bowl
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Hand mixer
- Medium bowl
- Fork or pastry cutter
- Foil, aluminum
- Pan, roasting, large
- Refrigerator
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325°F and grease your springform pan with the cooking spray.
Make the crust by mixing the graham cracker crumbs, butter, cinnamon, sugar, and salt together into a large bowl. Make sure to press it along the bottom and sides of your springform pan.
Use your hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, caramel, and sugar within a large bowl until it reaches a smooth consistency. Add one egg at a time while stirring sour cream and vanilla into the mix. Finish by adding the flour, salt and cinnamon and beating it into an even combination. Pour this mixture over the graham cracker crust.
Use your medium bowl to whisk together the brown sugar, flour, oats cinnamon and salt. Cut your butter with either a fork or pastry cutter. Scatter your chopped apples atop the cheesecake in an even layer, topping them with a level layer of oats.
Wrap the bottom of your pan with foil and place it within a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water to reach halfway up the baking pan. Bake the cheesecake until its center is only slightly jiggly, roughly 90 minutes.
Power off the oven, open it and allow the cheesecake to cool within the oven for an hour. Once the cheesecake has sufficiently cooled, ditch the foil and transfer the cheesecake to your refrigerator. Leave the cheesecake to firm up anywhere from 4 hours to overnight.
Once you are ready to serve the cheesecake, finish by drizzling with caramel and topping each slice with some whipped topping.
