As you know by now, I adore apple pie flavours. Apple, cinnamon and dark brown sugar is my ultimate flavour combination. So when I suddenly had a craving for cheesecake, but still had leftover bits from some other recent recipes, I decided the combine them all to create this delicious dessert medley.
This cheesecake is made up of the Pretzel & Peanut Crust from my Peanut & Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart recipe, which adds an amazing nutty crunch factor, followed by a yummy apple pie layer, topped with a dreamy creamy cheesecake layer and smothered in my Apple Butterscotch Sauce.
Even though this cake has quite a few elements, the hardest part is that you have to let it chill in the fridge over night.
This is not a quick recipe but it is definitely worth it. Especially for special occasions.
Apple Pie Cheesecake
This cheesecake is made up of a Pretzel & Peanut Crust, which adds an amazing nutty crunch factor, followed by a yummy apple pie layer, topped with a dreamy creamy cheesecake layer and smothered in my Apple Butterscotch Sauce.
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Ingredients
Pretzel Peanut Crust
- 1 Cup Crushed Pretzels*
- ¼ Cup Crushed Peanuts* Can be substituted with other nuts or more pretzels
- 2 Tbsp Castor Sugar
- 75 Grams Unsalted Butter, melted
Apple Layer
- 1 – 1½ Large Apples Peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 Tbsp Dark Muscovado Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Cheesecake Layer
- 500 Grams Plain Cream Cheese Softened to room temperature
- ⅔ Cup Castor Sugar (approx. 135g)
- 3 Eggs
- ⅛ Cup Sour Cream (approx. 30ml)
- 1½ tsp Vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
Pretzel Peanut Crust
- Preheat the oven to 180°C
- Place the pretzels and peanuts in a food processor or blender and blitz until a coarse crumb forms. Pour into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and set aside
- Melt the butter then pour over the crumbs and sugar and mix through thoroughly. The crumbs should all be coated to stick together and form a crust so if the mixture is too dry after mixing, add another tablespoon or two of melted butter
- Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm springform cake pan with a removable bottom with baking paper and non stick cooking spray. Pour the crumb mixture into your lined cake pan and evenly spread it over the bottom. Compact it and smooth it with the back of a spoon or spatula
- Bake for 10 minutes (prepare the apple layer while the crust bakes). Remove and set aside, then increase the oven temperature to 230°C
Apple Layer
- Peel, core and chop your apples
- Place the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a pan and bring to medium heat, stirring to let the butter melt and sugar dissolve. When the butter has melted and the sugar has started to dissolve, add the apples, stir through and cook for about a minute. Then remove from the heat and set aside while preparing the cheesecake layer
Cheesecake Layer
- Place the softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and using your stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat until smooth
- Add the sugar and beat until combined and no longer grainy, then add the eggs one at a time and mix
- Finally, add the sour cream and vanilla and mix through until well combined
Assembly
- Spread the apple and butter mixture evenly over the crust
- Place 2 – 3 sheets of heavy duty aluminium foil on a surface and tightly wrap it around the bottom and sides of the cake pan, ensuring that there are no tears or gaps as the cheesecake gets baked in a water bath
- Then spoon the cheesecake mixture gently over the apple mixture as not to disturb it, then smooth the top
- Fill a kettle with water and bring to the boil
- Place the cake tin into a large roasting tray and gently fill with boiling water, approximately half way up the cake tin, making sure not to get any water splashes in the cheesecake
- Bake at 230°C for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to around 107°C and bake for a further 60 – 70 minutes. Do not open the oven at any stage during the bake as the cheesecake will collapse. Wait until at least the full hour is up. The cheesecake is ready when the top looks set but the cake is still jiggly
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the waterbath for 45 minutes. Then remove the cheesecake from the water, remove the foil and let cool further in the cake tin on a cooling rack until the cheesecake is completely cooled
- Place in the fridge to cool and set overnight
- In the meantime you can prepare the Apple Butterscotch Sauce http://myhomemadekitchen.co.za/2020/07/23/apple-butterscotch-sauce/ or whatever caramel type sauce you wish to serve with your cheesecake
- When chilled and ready to serve, carefully remove from the cake tin and gently pull away the baking paper, then place on your chosen cake stand or plate
- Just before serving, pour over your butterscotch sauce and decorate further if you wish
- Then slice and enjoy!
Notes
*The pretzel and nut crust is absolutely delicious and adds a little crunch to the cake, but if you would like a more traditional crust or don’t have pretzels available, you can use 1 200g packet of tennis biscuits, omit the sugar and increase the melted butter to 100g
*Feel free to substitute the peanuts with other nuts such as walnuts, pecan nuts or almonds if you wish
Tried this recipe?Post your pics and tag us at @my_homemade_kitchen_za or #myhomemadekitchen!
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