Indulge in this Apple Crumble Cheesecake that showcases cinnamon-flavored cookie crust complementing the luscious cream cheese filling.
This creamy dessert is best served as the main star of special occasions like birthdays, or any fall celebrations, but it also works as a casual, yet fancy, coffee snack. Not to mention, it’s always a pleasant surprise when secretly packed in school lunches for the kids!
I love pairing this cheesecake recipe with an iced caramel macchiato or a Mexican hot chocolate. Although these are not exactly the healthiest dessert combinations, there’s no harm in indulging in delicious snacks once in a while with your family.
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Where did apple crumble originate?
Apple crumble is a baked dessert that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1940s. It was a product invented from the efforts of the people trying to make a fun dessert out of their limited rations due to the ongoing World War II.
Known for its baked apple under a crumble topping made of brown sugar, melted butter, and flour, the apple crumble recipe was immediately well-loved.
As years went by and the recipe was passed along, apple crumble easily became a mainstay in various cuisines and is currently used to elevate classic desserts such as cheesecakes.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This baked cheesecake recipe is packed with plenty of things to love.
- It easily fits autumn-themed parties. Thanks to its autumnal flavors and visuals, this cheesecake is a surefire way to impress guests at parties that happen during fall.
- The ingredients are grocery and kitchen staples. You probably already have them on your shelves.
- This apple crisp cheesecake is an aromatic delight. Your family or guests will be delighted to smell the caramel apple crumble cheesecake filling your home.
If you love the taste of apple crumble toppings and want to try a breakfast recipe, check out and try these Apple Crumble Muffins.
🥘 Ingredients
When I said the ingredients for this recipe are very easy to get, that statement was definitely not a joke.
- Cookies: Prepare some shortbread cookies to make a strong base for this cheesecake.
- Butter: This baking staple adds the richness that binds your cookie crumbs together once you bake the crust.
- Cinnamon: Just a pinch of this spice offers a warm kick to the apple cheesecake filling, crumb topping, and crust that enhances the overall taste of this recipe.
- Brown sugar: This common baking ingredient gives a subtle caramel flavor to complement the creaminess of the cheesecake and to balance the tart flavor of the apple crisp.
- Cream cheese: This is the star ingredient in making the cheesecake filling. It’ll contribute a velvety texture and creamy taste that makes this cheesecake as good as it’s meant to be.
- White sugar: This ingredient sweetens the cheesecake batter and also contributes to its smooth texture and creamy consistency.
- Sour cream: You’ll need this to give your cheesecake a slightly tangy flavor.
- Vanilla: A perfect cheesecake recipe needs a touch of vanilla to give a richer depth to the overall flavor.
- Eggs: This kitchen staple binds the ingredients together so the cheesecake will keep standing stable.
- Corn starch: A tablespoon of this enhances the batter’s smooth texture, allowing the cheesecake to be free of cracks once it’s done.
- Green apples: Get fresh apples to add the best tartness and a crispy texture to your dish.
- Oatmeal: The oat will provide an extra crisp and nutty flavor for the top of the cheesecake and apple slices.
- Wheat flour: This ingredient helps the apples and crumble stick together.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔀 Substitutions
Cookies: Crushing cookies isn’t exactly time-efficient, so you may replace them with ready-made graham cracker crumbs to make a graham cracker crust.
Green apples: If you don’t have green apples on hand, you can use other crisp and tart apple varieties like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
Make your afternoon snacks more exciting with these delicious variations!
- Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars: If you’re feeling up for it, you can make apple crumble cheesecake bars by using smaller molds. A heads up, though, this variation is more time-consuming, but the visual appeal is worth the time.
- Maple-Pecan Fun: Enhance the streusel topping by mixing in crushed pecan nuts and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
If you love these recipe variations, you should definitely try out this Maple Walnut Bread. It’s another heavenly dessert packed with a unique maple sweetness.
🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
Most of the things you need to cook this recipe are already in your kitchen. Just get these out to ensure a problem-free baking experience.
- Springform pan: The removable bottom of this pan is going to be helpful for easily releasing the sidewalls without damaging the cheesecake.
- Stand mixer: With all the mixing this recipe requires, a stand mixer with a paddle attachment will definitely come in handy.
- Mixing bowls: This recipe requires a medium bowl and a small bowl for combining ingredients, making the crust, preparing the filling, and mixing the crumble topping.
🔪 How to Make Apple Crumble Cheesecake
This apple crumble cheesecake isn’t the easiest dessert out there, but trust me, once you taste it, you’ll realize that this recipe is well worth the effort.
Step 1: Make the crust mixture
Crush the cookies into crumbs using a rolling pin. Then, add the cinnamon, sugar, melted butter, and mix.
Step 2: Bake the crust
Use aluminum foil to cover your pan mold 3-4 times, ensuring that the foil also covers the side of the pan. After doing so, add the crust mixture so it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C or 350°F.
Step 3: Mix the filling
Put the cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and sour cream in a bowl and mix thoroughly. You should then add the starch and mix again.
Once done, incorporate the eggs into the dough as well, but make sure you don’t beat when mixing.
Step 4: Pour the filling in
Pour the cheesecake filling into the mold on top of the formed crust you’ve finished baking. Make sure to flatten the top.
Step 5: Add the apples
The apples for this recipe need to be peeled and then sliced thin. Sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar before putting each slice on top of the cheesecake.
Step 6: Make the topping
Mix the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter all together until the mixture’s texture is similar to that of wet sand. Then, add the crumb topping over the apple slices.
Step 7: Bake the cheesecake
Place your cheesecake mold in a large frying pan or baking sheet. Fill with boiling water added for a water bath, until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the pan. After that, put the cheesecake in the oven for 60 minutes at 350°F. You might need to cover the top with some aluminum foil but don’t cover it all the way.
Step 8: Serve and enjoy
After baking, turn off the oven and open its doors to let the cheesecake cool down for an hour. Then, store the cake in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
Personal tip: It’s best to enjoy this cheesecake with some salted caramel drizzled on top!
👩🍳 Pro Tips
- Prevent cracks in your cheesecake by avoiding overmixing the filling after adding the eggs. Overmixing adds too much air that leads to cracks during baking.
- Bring your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge for a while before mixing. Room-temperature ingredients blend more smoothly, resulting in a creamier filling.
❓ Recipe FAQs
You can store apple crumble cheesecake in the refrigerator after baking. Just let it cool down first at room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container or in a tight plastic wrap. This keeps your cheesecake fresh for an extended period and prevents unwanted moisture and odors.
It’s necessary to bake cheesecake in a water bath for gentle heat distribution. The steam from the hot water serves as protection for your cheesecake, preventing the outer edges from cracking and helping promote a creamy and smooth texture.
Certainly! Freezing your Apple Crumble Cheesecake is a great option if you want to enjoy it later. Make sure your cheesecake is uncovered before placing it in the freezer for an hour. This ensures your cheesecake firms up when you wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
🙏 Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Apple Crumble Cheesecake:
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📋 Recipe
Apple Crumble Cheesecake
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Equipment
- Springform pan
- Stand Mixer
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 1 8.8 ounce package Biscoff cookies
- 1 stick butter
- cinnamon pinch
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Filling
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 large green apple
Topping
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- cinnamon pinch
- 1/3 cup wheat flour
- Caramel sauce for decoration
Instructions
- With a rolling pin, break the cookies into crumbs. Then, add melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
- Mix the ingredients.
- Wrap the prepared mold with foil 3-4 times tightly. Lay out the base and form the sides. After doing so, bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 180°C or 350° F.
- Mix the cream cheese with sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and sour cream. Add starch and mix again before you add eggs separately to the dough.
- Mix well, but do not beat.
- Add the filling to the base of the mold. Flatten the top.
- Top off the filling with apples that are peeled, very thinly sliced, and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.
- Prepare the topping by combining oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix until the consistency of the topping is like wet sand.
- Add topping over the sliced apples.
- Place the mold on a tall baking sheet or a large frying pan.
- Pour boiling water at the bottom of the sheet or pan reaching halfway up the sides of the pan, so that the cheesecake is baked in a water bath.
- Bake in the oven for 60 minutes at 350°F. If necessary, cover the top with foil (although, do not cover the entire top).
- Refrigerate cooked cheesecake for 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with salted caramel.
Notes
- Prevent cracks in your cheesecake by avoiding overmixing the filling after adding the eggs. Overmixing adds too much air that leads to cracks during baking.
- Bring your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge for a while before mixing. Room-temperature ingredients blend more smoothly, resulting in a creamier filling.