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Caramel Apple Cheesecake with Crunchy Streusel Topping

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Caramel apple cheesecake with crunchy streusel topping is the perfect mix of creamy crunchy, sweet, spiced autumn dessert perfection! 

Happy 2014 darlings! I know we technically haven’t entered the new year until midnight, but there’s nothing wrong with a little early celebration, right? And I’m giving you the perfect decadent little dessert recipe for caramel apple cheesecake to enjoy before those resolutions kick in tomorrow.  2013 has been an incredible year, thank you for sharing it with me (all 8 of you who read this blog!).

Tonight, we will celebrate the new year with my parents, who are visiting, in our usual quiet style – tapas, movies, and board games at home. I hope you all enjoy celebrating in your own manner safely with people who make you smile. May the next year be filled with joy, love, blessings, and fulfilled resolutions for those who make them! this!). My “baby”, Goodie Godmother, grew from an idea on a piece of paper to a thriving little business, the Godfather and I found we were going to grow our family by one human child (adding to our fur baby Dolce and my business baby), and the latter part of the year brought news of yet more changes in 2014!

Miss A will be the first major change – she hasn’t come yet for those on baby watch – then my next youngest sister will be celebrating her wedding this summer, and our little clan will be relocating. The Air Force has decided it’s time for us to add a little sparkle someplace new. We’re still here for a few months yet, so don’t panic!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake (1 of 2)

I stopped making resolutions a long time ago for the New Year, but I do take some time to reflect and evaluate choices from time to time, and given the season, one of those times always falls around the New Year. This year, I am choosing to:

  • Continue to find the joy in the everyday things
  • See the positive aspects of every situation
  • Continue to remove unnecessary negativity from my life – people, situations, etc
  • Find beauty in the unexpected
  • Try to invest more time with those who matter and keeping in touch with friends (I’m awful about it, I’m sorry!)
  • Understanding my own limits. I’m very good about working myself to exhaustion behind the scenes. I’m thankful the Godfather is so incredibly supportive, but I want to teach my daughter about balance and I can’t if she doesn’t see it at home first.
  • Blog more! It’s embarrassing to see the number of recipes I have photographed and in queue with no posts written for publication.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake - A creamy vanilla bean cheesecake on a cinnamon graham crust topped with a homemade apple pie filling, a crunchy streusel topping, and liberally drizzled with caramel sauce! Get the recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

If you’re up for sharing, I’d love to read your plans for the next year!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake - A creamy vanilla bean cheesecake on a cinnamon graham crust topped with a homemade apple pie filling, a crunchy streusel topping, and liberally drizzled with caramel sauce! Get the recipe on GoodieGodmother.com

And now… the recipe you will “need” for tonight or in a few months when it’s time for a party and sweet indulgence.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake - A creamy vanilla bean cheesecake on a cinnamon graham crust topped with a homemade apple pie filling, a crunchy streusel topping, and liberally drizzled with caramel sauce! Get the recipe on GoodieGodmother.com
Caramel Apple Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Streusel Topping

Caramel Apple Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Streusel Topping

Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

  • 10 ounces graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Ingredients

  • 5 8-ounce packages cream cheese
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 3 vanilla beans, scraped
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Streusel Topping Ingredients

  • ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Apple Pie Topping

  • 3 Granny Smith Apples
  • ½ stick unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (approx the juice of ½ a lemon)
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425 F.
  2. Mix the crust ingredients* and press into a 9" springform pan, going up the sides. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. Set crust aside while you make the filling.
  3. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, ginger, and vanilla beans in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each addition, then slowly add the lemon juice and mix until smooth.
  4. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and place into a water bath. Basically, fill a larger pan with water about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Then, carefully place the whole thing in the oven and shut the door.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then - without opening the oven door - reduce the heat to 350 and bake an additional 50-60 minutes until the cheesecake is set on top but still jiggles slightly. Don't over bake.
  6. Turn off the oven, crack the door open and leave the cheesecake be for 30 minutes, then remove from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool for an additional 30, then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. You want to bring the temperature down slowly to prevent cracking on your cheesecake's surface. This won't matter so much if you choose to top the cheesecake with the apples, streusel and caramel, but if you leave all parts of the cheesecake separate to be added to individual slices as preferred by those enjoying, you'll want a pretty cheesecake. 

While your cheesecake is baking and cooling...Make the apple pie filling:

  1. Peel and slice the apples while you melt the butter in a large skillet.
  2. Mix the apples with the sugar, lemon juice, and spices
  3. Add to skillet and stir occasionally until apples are tender.
  4. Set aside and use to top cheesecake just before serving. I like to serve the topping warm.

Make the streusel:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
  2. Mix all streusel ingredients in a bowl and arrange in a thin layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
  3. Bake 20-30 minutes until crunchy, stirring and checking at the 10 minute, 20 minute, and 25 minute marks to prevent burning.
  4. You'll want to remove from the oven at a light golden brown. It will get crunchier as it cools.
  5. Once the streusel is cool, use to top your cheesecake with the apples.
  6. Drizzle everything with your favorite caramel sauce or make your own using this recipe.

Notes

 The crust for this recipe may seem a little crumbly, but it will hold together very well after baking. 

If you'd like a more firm cheesecake, add 2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour to the cheesecake filling. As written, it will look a little more jiggly at the end of the baking time, but as you can see in the photos, sets fully when chilled.

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Stephanie

Friday 4th of December 2020

The instructions say eggs but it is not in the ingredients. How many eggs do you need?

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Saturday 12th of December 2020

4 eggs. You'll find them listed towards the bottom of the "Cheesecake" section in the ingredients. It's a long list so easy to miss things sometimes!

Janna

Sunday 4th of October 2020

Do you really mean 5 x 8 ounces of cream cheese? That seems like a lot. Most other recipes I've compared it to call for 2 or 3 x 8 ounces. I feel like I'm missing something 😕 thanks for your help

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Monday 5th of October 2020

I do, Janna! I know it's a little more than most recipes call for, but this cheesecake is also a little thicker than most other recipes. The resulting cheesecake slices like something you'd see at a bakery in New York or a restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory.

Katie

Wednesday 1st of January 2020

This is amazing! I’ve never baked a cheesecake so I was nervous, but it came out perfectly. I love the texture without the flour. Have you made this recipe, but with other flavors?

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Sunday 5th of January 2020

Actually, the key lime one might have flour in it. But I made my gluten free pumpkin cheesecake this year for Thanksgiving with no flour (had a GF guest and no GF flour on hand) and it turned out perfectly. So no issues with omitting the flour regardless of flavor so far. ;)

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Sunday 5th of January 2020

I'm so glad you loved this recipe! Almost all my cheesecake recipes are just a variation on my "go to" method. The key lime cheesecake on the site (https://goodiegodmother.com/my-birthday-and-key-lime-cheesecake/) is a good example. But you can totally get creative with this and add whatever you'd like. <3

Valerie

Wednesday 16th of October 2019

Can you use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean?

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Thursday 17th of October 2019

Absolutely! I do it all the time. :)

Clarissa

Sunday 29th of September 2019

What are the ingredients for the streussel topping ? Nothing is seperated :(

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Sunday 29th of September 2019

Oh no! I just went in and fixed that. A recent site change threw a few formatting things off. You should see all ingredients separated by category now.

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