This is a great cheesecake for autumn. It has a graham cracker crust and an apple crumb topping. Spoon a drizzle of warm caramel sauce over the top and you have an amazing dessert which is sure to warm you on a chilly fall day. You might even consider it as a Thanksgiving dessert!
I love cheesecake! I have a delicious Classic NY Cheesecake I make often with various seasonal fruit toppings, but I have yet to top one with apple, let alone an apple crumb! I’m a sucker for a crumb topping, too, so I had to try this recipe. You should too!
Here it is…
Big Apple Crumb Cheesecake
(Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network)
Ingredients:
Graham Cracker Crust:
Nonstick cooking spray for the pan
15 graham crackers (or 2 cups crushed crumbs)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Apple Crumb topping:
1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced
Cheesecake Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch kosher salt
Three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade), for serving
Directions:
1. For the graham crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. Add the graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until fine, then add the brown sugar and salt and pulse until well combined. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until the mixture resembles damp sand. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake the crust until firm, about 10 minutes, then let cool.
3. For the apple crumb topping:
Stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the butter and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand, using your hands to form some clumps. Fold in the diced apple.
4. For the cheesecake filling:
Stir together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl. Pulse together the cream cheese and sour cream in a food processor until smooth.
Note: (or use your electric mixer with the flat blade, I did)
With the processor (or mixer) running, add the sugar mixture ½ cup at a time until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, pulsing or mixing until well combined, then add the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the processor or bowl, pulsing or mixing again to make sure everything is incorporated. Pour the cheesecake filling over the top of the graham cracker crust.
5. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the filling.
Bake the cheesecake until it is mostly set but still has a bit of a jiggle in the center, 60 to 70 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door slightly open for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, about another hour, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour more. Run a paring knife around the outside before unmolding and slicing.
Serve drizzled with the caramel sauce.
