Do you love apple pie? Do you love cheesecake?
Planning holiday dessert menus and want a little of both? Looking for an alternative to pumpkin pie?
Problem solved!
Combine your two favorites into one Apple Pie Cheesecake!
I found this brilliant recipe for Apple Pie Cheesecake at Tasty in Kathryn Aubin’s feature 4 Pies to Bake With Your BFF. Just like any cheesecake, this takes some time to bake, but that’s it. The remainder of the process is easy, easy, easy. Seriously – a no-brainer easy. Apple Pie Cheesecake can be made the day before serving and kept cold in the refrigerator. In fact, it should be made the day before to allow the cheesecake to cool and set.
I strayed from Kathryn’s recipe only by omitting the nutmeg in the apple topping and using puff pastry for the top lattice rather than pie crust. I mean, who doesn’t love the puffy, buttery, lightness of puff pastry? I did sprinkle demerara sugar on top of the puff pastry after the egg wash. Demerara has big crystals and gives the crust a nice little crunch. I get lots of compliments every time I use demerara on pies, cookies or bars, If you play your cards right and your family insists on tradition, make the cheesecake with puff pastry topping and use the other pie crust for a pumpkin pie or any other single crust pie.
Oh, did I mention the crust is made from one refrigerated pie crust you will find in any grocery store’s refrigerator section? One of my college roommates bakes professionally. She makes lots of pies and uses refrigerated store-bought pie crust because it’s made with lard, not shortening or butter. Anyone who’s baked pies for a while understands the value of lard in pie crust dough. Lard makes the pastry tender, lighter and flakier. My mother and grandmother could whip up a lard pie crust in the blink of an eye. I’ve done that, too, not as fast as my predecessors I might add, but I prefer using 1/2 lard and 1/2 vegetable shortening. I find the dough to be more manageable that way.
Forgive me, I did not take pictures of the springform pan or of mixing the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, etc. But here’s a pic of the apples simmering in water, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Can it get any better than that? Wait – read the recipe.
Shall we bake an Apple Pie Cheesecake? YES!
Easy Apple Pie Cheesecake
I found this brilliant recipe for Apple Pie Cheesecake at Tasty in Kathryn Aubin's feature 4 Pies to Bake With Your BFF. Just like any cheesecake, this takes some time to bake, but that's it. The remainder of the process is easy, easy, easy. Seriously - a no-brainer easy. Apple Pie Cheesecake can be made the day before serving and kept cold in the refrigerator. In fact, it should be made the day before to allow the cheesecake to cool and set.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, premade refrigerated or homemade for a 9" pan
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 3-8oz bars cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated (It's so much better! Get whole nutmegs and a Microplane)
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, large to jumbo, room temperature
- 3-4 medium sized apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 egg for eggs wash plus 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon demerara sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
- Line a 10" springform pan with one pie crust. Press along the bottom and sides. Halfway up the sides of the pan is fine.
- In the large bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix all the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
- Add sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest if using, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until well blended.
- Add eggs one at a time until well blended.
- Pour cheese mixture into springform pan and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Afterward, turn oven off but let cheesecake sit in oven in the oven for another hour.
- Apple Topping
- While the cheesecake is baking, prepare the apple topping.
- Peel and dice 3-4 medium size apples.into a medium only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">bowl I used gala apples. Dribble lemon juice from half a lemon over apples. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and water over medium-low heat. Stir to incorporate.
- Once simmering, add apples. Stir until apples are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add 1 Tablespoon butter and let cool.
- Once the cheesecake has baked, remove to a cooling rack. Increase oven temperature to 425F degrees.
- Pour apple mixture over the cheesecake.
- Cut thawed puff pastry into strips and weave over the top of the apple mixture.
- Brush with egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water)
- Sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons demerara sugar, if using.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown
- Chill and serve
Notes
This is a great holiday cheesecake! Bake the day before serving and chill well in your refrigerator. Top with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream or how about cinnamon ice cream.
Variations: Add 1/2 cup minced pecans to the cheesecake batter before baking. Or top with salted caramel sauce. YUM!
