Apple Crumble Cheesecake

5 from 2 votes

Apple crumble cheesecake is the perfect showstopping dessert recipe for fall! It's made with a creamy brown sugar cheesecake filling baked over a brown butter graham cracker crust. Cinnamon spiced apples and a crunchy crumble topping make the perfect topping!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 20

Chill Time6

Total Time8 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 505kcal

Author: Natalie

Equipment

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

½ cup unsalted butter browned or melted* For brown butter, start with 9 tablespoons of unsalted butter. For melted butter, use 1/2 cup butter. See notes below.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs from about 16 full sheets
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional

Cinnamon Spiced Apple Topping

2 medium apples Granny Smith and/or Gala, peeled, cored, finely diced to no larger than ¼ inch cubes, about 2¾ cups
1 tablespoon brown sugar packed, light or dark
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Crumble Topping

1 cup all purpose flour
⅓ cup rolled oats
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup light brown sugar packed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

32 ounces cream cheese brick style, full fat, room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 cup sour cream full fat, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

Set one oven rack in the center position and place one rack below it for the roasting pan (for the hot water bath to be used while baking the cheesecake). Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Lightly spray the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with baking non stick spray. Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the parchment paper.
Melt or brown the butter. If melting (not browning the butter), use 1/2 cup butter. If browning the butter, start with 9 tablespoons of butter. To brown the butter, start by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once it begins to bubble, stir it constantly. It will start to foam. Continue stirring as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color and develop a nutty smell which should happen in about five minutes. Pour the brown butter into a heat safe bowl, making sure the scrape the bottom of the pan for all the bits.
Use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or pulse graham cracker sheets. To make graham cracker crumbs, pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to finely ground crumbs. Pour the crumbs into a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (if using). Pour in the melted or browned butter and stir til combined.
Pour the graham cracker mixture into the prepared pan. Use your hands to spread it evenly on the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Pat mixture down with medium pressure with your hands or using a small flat bottom measuring cup. Be sure to press crumbs into place until compact and not loose or crumbly but avoid pressing too hard.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 Fahrenheit.

Cinnamon Spiced Apple Topping

Wash, peel and core the apples. Finely dice apples into ¼ inch cubes. Do not chop them larger than this or they may not bake thouroughly.
Place apples in a medium bowl. Stir or toss with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cinnamon Crumble Topping

In a large bowl, use a fork to stir together the flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and melted butter til crumbs form. Crumbs should vary in size from small to medium. Set aside.

Cheesecake Filling

Fill a kettle with water and heat the water to boil. You'll need enough water to add about an inch of water to your roasting pan, so you'll probably need a full kettle. Take out a 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan or a roasting pan. Set aside. This will be for the hot water bath.
Next, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese and sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Beat til just fully combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat only to combine. Stop mixing as soon as the last egg has been mixed into the batter. DO NOT OVERMIX.
Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth the top of the cheesecake with an offset spatula or regular spatula.
Use a slotted spoon to spoon the apples evenly over the cheesecake. Discard any liquid that may be on the bottom of the bowl.
Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apple layer.
Place your empty roasting pan or 9 by 13 inch rectangular pan on the bottom/lower rack in the oven. Pour about an inch or a little more than an inch of hot water in the roasting pan. Close oven door for a couple minutes to allow oven to return to 325 degrees. Next, set the cheesecake on the middle rack and quickly close the oven door to keep the steam from the hot water in the oven.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until the center is almost set. The center of the cheesecake should jiggle slightly when, with an oven mitt on, you gently shake the pan but the sides should be set. Turn off the oven. Crack the oven door open slightly and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, take the cheesecake out of the oven. Set the pan on a rack and allow cheesecake to cool uncovered til it's room temperature. Next, use an offset spatula or a small flexible rubber spatula and run it around the edges of the cheesecake. Press the spatula against the pan as you do this. This will make sure the cheesecake isn't sticking to the pan. Refrigerate the cheesecake uncovered for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight.
Keep cheesecake in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the cheesecake. Wipe the knife clean and run it under hot water in between slicing for extra neat slices. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Crust: Make the crust with melted butter or brown butter. If you're going to brown the butter, I recommend adding an extra tablespoon of butter since some of the water in the butter evaporates during the browning process.

Cream cheese and sour cream: Use full fat cream cheese and sour cream. They add the best flavor and texture. Use brick style cream cheese, not the tubs.

Room temperature ingredients: Take cream cheese, sour cream and eggs out of the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Room temperature ingredients make it possible for ingredients to get fully incorporated and makes your cheesecake creamy. Make sure your heavy cream for the pecan topping is also at room temperature.

Avoid overmixing: Beat the cheesecake mixture til the ingredients are just incorporated. Over beating creates air bubbles which can result in cracks in the baked cheesecake.

Oven door: If your oven door opens too wide, try placing a wooden spoon in the oven door. This will keep the door propped open slightly while preventing it from opening too wide.

Storage: Store leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze individual slices in an airtight container for up to 30 days. Thaw at room temperature 1-2 hours.

Nutrition