Ok, so I've been on a bit of an apple kick lately, but who can blame me? Apple season is almost over, and I've been waiting for it all year! This cheesecake is so yummy and great, because unlike most cheesecake recipes that I've come across in my years of cheesecake-making it does not need to rest over night! It can if you want it to, but it is not required. I love this because I can make it in the morning and bring it to a party at night...it just makes my life easier. The caramel and apples on top are marvelous too! I do recommend not topping it until you are ready to serve it, that way it won't get soggy in the mean time.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Yields 1 9" cheesecake
Cheesecake and Crust:
About 2 packages {not boxes!} graham crackers {enough for about 2 cups crumbs}
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
32 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
Apples:
1 cup apple juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
5-6 medium apples
Caramel Sauce:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp apple juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
*Important!!! Use a 9" springform pan to make this recipe. To make taking the cake out of the pan easier, I suggest stretching parchment paper over the bottom of the pan and then closing the edges of the pan around it, leaving some of the paper visible from the outside of the pan...that way you can just take it off of the bottom and move it to a plate without breaking it. You could also use a cardboard round to do this. *
Directions:
Using a food processor or a rolling pin and Ziploc bag {the old fashion way!}, crush the graham crackers until you have crumbs. Pour the crumbs through a sieve so the crumbs are small and smooth.
It's good to sift the crumbs because if you have big chunks of graham cracker in your crust that one point can get soggy or too hard, and the crust won't be uniform. Technically you don't need to sift the crumbs, but it helps improve the overall quality of your cake. You need about 2 cups of crumbs {it's good to have a little more than that}, so definitely re-crush the crumbs that were too big to fit through the sieve.
Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the bowl that the crumbs are in, and mix with a fork until evenly combined.
Melt the butter in the microwave. Pour the melted butter into the graham cracker crumb mixture, and mix with the fork or your fingers until all of the crumbs are moist. Pour them into the prepared springform pan and press evenly around the bottom and up half of the side of the cake pan.
Wrap around the outside with tin foil and freeze while you make the cake part.
Preheat the oven to 475. Prepare a water bath for the cake pan by filling a large pan {I used a roasting pan} with about an inch of water. While the oven takes an eternity to heat up, start making the cake.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until completely combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Pour the batter evenly over the crust. Put the cake in the water bath, and the water bath in the oven.
Bake at 475 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 50-60 minutes or until it only jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
Take out of the water bath and cool for a few minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
For the apple topping, peel and thinly slice 5 to 6 medium apples.
I used several different kinds of apples to improve the flavor.
Put the apple juice, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Melt the brown sugar and butter, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the apple juice has been boiling for 2-3 minutes, add all of the apples into the saucepan.
Stir with a wooden spoon and cover all of the apples with the apple juice. Stir occasionally and let lightly boil for 10-15 minutes until the apples have softened.
Use a slotted spoon to take the apples out of the liquid and put on a plate to dry and cool down.
For the caramel sauce, put both of the sugars, water, and apple juice in a medium sauce pan. Dissolve the sugars over medium heat. Add the vanilla, and bring to a rolling boil.
Let the sauce boil for 3-5 minutes until it has a dark caramel color. While whisking, slowly pour the cream into the boiling caramel and keep whisking until it is combined. Remove from the heat and cool to warm before putting it on the cheesecake.
Assembly:
Run a smooth butter knife around the inside of the pan to prevent the cheesecake from sticking to it. Remove the sides of the pan, and transfer the cheesecake to the plate you will be serving it on. I like to also remove the bottom of the pan, but you can choose to leave it underneath the cake.
Pile the apples on top of the cheesecake.
I recommend waiting until you plan on serving to pour the caramel on top, as you don't want the cake to get soggy. If the caramel sauce is cooled down to warm, pour it on top.
If you have extra caramel sauce, save it in a small pitcher so you can offer it per slice. Enjoy!
