Creamy soft with a toffee-like swirl made with a homemade apple syrup — Caramel Apple Cheesecake is one of my favorite things around the holidays.
Cheesecake is super delightful anytime of year, but especially during apple season. This cheesecake has a traditional batter, but then I folded in a freshly made caramel apple syrup that has tons of fall flavors and is super quick to put together. The batter is layered into the pan in two stages, and bakes up with a hint of caramelized sugar and dotted with cinnamon apple goodness.
When I think about sharing a slice it makes me smile because I love to serve this cheesecake at holiday gatherings, or after dinner for a special ending to a great meal. Your guests will find it most delicious at Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Caramel Apple Syrup
2 apples – gala, granny smith or honey crisp
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Crust
1 package graham crackers, about 16 rectangles
6 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoon sugar
Cheesecake
24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
(Make 9-inch Cheesecake)
To Prepare:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap outside of springform pan in foil. In a food processor, pulverize all crust ingredients together into fine crumbs. Pour into springform pan and press into bottom. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, remove and let cool.
2. To make syrup, remove skin from apples and dice. In a sauté pan, add butter and sugar and place over medium heat. When melted, add apples and stir. Cook for 4 minutes, allowing liquid to reduce slightly. Turn off heat and add vanilla and cinnamon, stir to combine.
3. In food processor, add all cheesecake ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour half of mixture over crust. Spoon half of caramel apple syrup over batter. Repeat, ending with caramel apple syrup on top.
4. Place springform pan in a large casserole dish and fill with hot water halfway up sides. Carefully place casserole dish in oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until mostly firm, but center slightly jiggly.
5. Remove dish from oven and let cheesecake rest in water bath for 5 minutes. Remove cheesecake from water bath and remove foil wrap. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
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