Apple Spice Cheesecake
I wanted to thank Cosmic Crisp Apples® for sponsoring this Apple Spice Cheesecake post! As always, all opinions and ideas are 100% my own.
This creamy yet fluffy Apple Spice Cheesecake features a delicious spiced apple compote made with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. The cheesecake is perfectly spiced with same apple spice flavours and has a soft, rich, yet fluffy texture. The apple compote is made with Washington State Cosmic Crisp Apples for the ultimate texture and sweetness!
WHAT ARE COSMIC CRISP APPLES
Cosmic Crisp Apples are a variety of apples that come from Washington state! These apples are mouth-wateringly crisp and full of sweetness. They hold their shape very well in cooking and they are slow to brown, making them a perfect apple for all your baking and cooking needs!
Cosmic Crisp Apples are non-GMO, and are a classically bred hybrid between ‘Enterprise’ and ‘Honeycrisp’ Apples – which is what gives them their superior texture and flavour! You can find more information on cosmic crisp apples here!
MAKING THE APPLE COMPOTE TOPPING USING COSMIC CRISP APPLES
Making the cosmic crisp apple compote is seriously so easy! Just throw all the compote ingredients into a frying pan, then cook over medium heat until the apples have softened! This will probably take about 10-ish minutes. Then simply allow the apple compote to cool to room temperature or cool completely in the fridge if you prefer it to be extra cold.
SOFTENED CREAM CHEESE IS ESSENTIAL
It is crucial that the cream cheese is well softened for this Apple Spice Cheesecake recipe. What does softened cream cheese mean? Well it means that the cream cheese needs to be extremely soft! Do not use cream cheese straight out of the fridge! I personally like to pull my cream cheese out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for several hours until it is very soft in texture and at room temperature throughout.
If you’ve forgotten to pull the cream cheese out on time, cut the blocks up into cubes then place them into the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the cream cheese is very soft and creamy (but not hot).
So why do you need softened cream cheese for a cheesecake? Softened cream cheese is easier to mix, making for a more uniform cheesecake! Cold cream cheese tends to be lumpier, meaning that you will most likely be left with chunks of unmixed cream cheese in your Apple Spice Cheesecake!
HOW TO MAKE THE APPLE SPICE CHEESECAKE
1. Make the crust: Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar to a bowl, then whisk to combine. Pour in the melted butter and toss with your hands until everything is well coated and resembles wet sand.
2. Bake and cool the crust: Grease a spring form pan with baking spray, then press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. I like to use a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup to really compact the crust down. Place the crust into the oven to bake for 10 minutes, then allow the crust to cool to room temperature before adding the filling.
3. Beat cream cheese: Add the softened cream cheese to the stand mixer or large bowl and beat on low until the cream cheese looks creamy and smooth – about 3 or so minutes
4. Add sugar, salt, and vanilla: Add the sugar, spices, salt, and vanilla to the cream cheese, and beat on low until everything is well-combined, smooth, and creamy looking.
5. Add eggs: Add the eggs and egg yolks in, one at a time, incorporating each one fully before adding the next one! This just ensures even mixing and no streaks of egg throughout!
6. Add cream, sour cream, and cornstarch: After all the eggs have been incorporated, add in the heavy cream and sour cream, and beat again on low until everything looks smooth, well-combined, and uniform. Add cornstarch, then beat on low until cornstarch is combined completely.
7. Bake: Take 2 pieces of tin foil and wrap them around the base of the spring form pan. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan, then pour boiling water into the roasting pan, ensuring that the water comes about halfway up the cheesecake pan. Place into the oven to bake!
8. Cool cheesecake: After the cheesecake has baked, allow the Apple Spice Cheesecake to cool in a cracked oven for about an hour. This reduces the amount of cracking. After an hour, let the cheesecake come down to room temperature on the counter, then cover with plastic wrap and place into the fridge to cool and set overnight.
8. At serving time, top with apple compote: After the cheesecake has fully cooled and set in the fridge, remove it from the spring form pan, and pour the cooled apple compote on top. Serve immediately!
Get the Recipe: Apple Spice Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¾ cups (230g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1/4 cup (50g) White Sugar
- 1/2 cup (114g) Unsalted Butter,, melted
Apple Spice Cheesecake
- 32 oz (1000g) Cream Cheese,, well softened (4 blocks of cream cheese)
- 1 ½ cups (300g) White Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 3 Large Eggs,, at room temperature
- 2 Large Egg Yolks,, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (172g) Heavy Cream
- 3/4 cup (180g) Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
Apple Compote
- 4 Cosmic Crisp Apples,, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup (57g) Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (110g) Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Cloves
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour the melted butter into the bowl, then mix with a fork, or your hands, until the butter is well dispersed and the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Grease a 9” or 10” springform pan, then add the crust into pan and press it down evenly into the bottom. Use a flat bottom measuring cup to really compact the crust down. Place the crust into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Apple Spice Cheesecake
- Turn the oven down to 325°F. Prepare the cooled springform pan (with the crust) by wrapping the bottom of the pan with 2 sheets of tinfoil, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, add the soft cream cheese and beat on low until it looks soft and creamy – about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt, and beat on low until very creamy – 3-4 minutes. While still beating on low, add the eggs and yolks, one at a time, ensuring that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next, ensuring that you are also scraping at the bowl as necessary.
- Add the heavy cream and sour cream, then beat on low until the cheesecake filling looks creamy, smooth, and uniform. Finally, add in cornstarch then beat on low one last time on low until the corn starch is well-combined.
- Pour the filling over top of the cooled crust in the springform pan, then place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan so that it reaches about halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Place into the oven to bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. When the cheesecake is done it should still be a little jiggly in the centre.
- When done, lightly crack the oven open to allow the cheesecake to slowly cool for about an hour and a half. After an hour and a half, remove the cheesecake from the oven and water-bath and place onto the counter to cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, wrap with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
Apple Compote
- In a skillet over medium heat, add all of the ingredients. Stir everything together until melted and combined.
- Continue cooking the compote until apples have softened, stirring occasionally – about 10 minutes.
- Remove the compote from the heat and transfer into a bowl. Allow to cool to at least room temperature before adding on top of cheesecake.
- At serving time, add the cooled compote on top, then serve.
Do I bake this with the same times if I use a steam function on the oven?
Hi! I’ve never made it using the steam function, so I can’t be 100% sure. I would say to start checking it around 1 hour 15 minutes though