Apple Creme Brulee Cheesecake
"This recipe is from Tish Boyle's "Cake" cookbook. Be sure to use the water bath, it keeps the cheesecake moist and prevents the top from cracking."
- Ready In:
- 2hrs
- Ingredients:
- 19
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
-
For the graham crust
- 1 1⁄2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 -5 tablespoons melted butter
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For the apple layer
- 3 green apples, sliced into 1/4 in. slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 pinch nutmeg
-
For the cheesecake
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
- 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream (full fat)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or 1 tablespoon flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1⁄4 cup brown sugar (for brulee topping)
directions
- Make the Crust:.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and mix. If the crumbs seem dry, add the last tablespoon of butter. Press onto the bottom of the springform pan. Press in an even layer.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The crust should be firm and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cool the crust completely. Once cooled, wrap the outside of the pan in a heavy duty piece of aluminum foil.
- Apples:.
- Toss the apples with the lemon juice.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the apples and cook for 2 minutes, over medium heat, until the apples begin to soften. Sprinkle with sugar and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the apples soften further and begin to turn golden. Add the cream and the nutmeg and lower the heat slightly. Cook until the cream has been absorbed by the apples, about 10 minutes. Transfer the apples to a plate and let cool completely.
- Cheesecake.
- In the bowl of your mixer, beat the cream cheese for a minute or two until it's smooth. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until smooth, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, the salt, the cinnamon and the ginger and beat for another minute. Add the sour cream and cornstarch and beat until blended, another minute or two. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Layer the apples over the cooled graham cracker crust. Pour the prepared cheesecake filling over the apples. Place the pan in a large, shallow roasting pan and add hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Carefully place the pan in the oven. Bake for between 70 and 80 minutes, until only wobbly in middle.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and from the water bath. Peel off the aluminum foil layer and place on a rack to cool completely. Once cool, place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- Just before serving, sift brown sugar over top of cheesecake to lightly cover the entire surface. Either using a propane kitchen torch, or by putting the cheesecake under the broiler, melt the sugar to form thin crust. (This step can be omitted and cheesecake is still excellent).
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Reviews
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DH & I made this together. I did the crust, substituted vanilla wafers for graham crackers. and I mixed the cheesecake filling. DH sliced and cooked the apples. Changes would be to peel the apples. Instructions did not indicate peeled apples, so we didn't peel them. Second change would be fewer apples to make a single layer of apples. We made this for a Christmas dinner and we got rave reviews. After broiling the sugar, DH did drizzle some carmel on top. This is a keeper!! -
The BEST cheesecake I have EVER had!!! <br/>We found that 6.5 graham cracker sheets made the 1.5 crumbs called for here.<br/>We substituted Splenda for the sugar and neufchatel for the cream cheese (well, actually 2 Neufchatels and 1 full-fat cream cheese), as well as low fat sour cream - all to lighten it up a bit calorie-wise. Doing this cut the fat to 26.6 g per serving, (15.8 g saturated fat) and carbohydrate down to 20 grams.
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I've never had apple cheesecake b4 so I was surprised how wonderful it tasted. This is definitley a keeper in my house. A little time consuming but well worth it in the end. My father who loves cheesecake asks me to make this for him all the time. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Tweaks
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The BEST cheesecake I have EVER had!!! <br/>We found that 6.5 graham cracker sheets made the 1.5 crumbs called for here.<br/>We substituted Splenda for the sugar and neufchatel for the cream cheese (well, actually 2 Neufchatels and 1 full-fat cream cheese), as well as low fat sour cream - all to lighten it up a bit calorie-wise. Doing this cut the fat to 26.6 g per serving, (15.8 g saturated fat) and carbohydrate down to 20 grams.
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DH & I made this together. I did the crust, substituted vanilla wafers for graham crackers. and I mixed the cheesecake filling. DH sliced and cooked the apples. Changes would be to peel the apples. Instructions did not indicate peeled apples, so we didn't peel them. Second change would be fewer apples to make a single layer of apples. We made this for a Christmas dinner and we got rave reviews. After broiling the sugar, DH did drizzle some carmel on top. This is a keeper!!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I'm 26, married and live in Southern California. My husband and I share our home with four crazy cats, lots of books and enough musical gear to outfit two or three bands.
