Everything is nice when you have THE dessert at your Christmas table. That would be this Sugar & Spice Apple Cheesecake! This cheesecake is stacked with a one-of-a-kind flavor combination. A graham cracker crust sets the stage for a creamy cheesecake filling, topped with a seasonally spiced apple layer topped with a delicious streusel crumble and salted caramel drizzle. In just one bite, you will fall in love with Sugar & Spice Apple Cheesecake.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the streusel topping:
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
For the apple layer:
- 2 cups apples, peeled, thinly sliced and chopped
- 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the cheesecake filling:
- 12 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
For the caramel drizzle:
- 3 tablespoons salted caramel sauce, plus more, to taste, for topping, store-bought or homemade
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –In a medium bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, the granulated sugar, and 6 tablespoons of the melted butter and stir to combine into a thick, coarse, and sandy mixture. Make sure to break up any large chunks.
Step 3 –Add the graham cracker mixture to an ungreased 9-inch pie plate and, by hand or with a small flat-bottomed measuring cup with medium pressure, pat the crumbs down on the bottom and up the sides of the plate until it is no longer crumbly. Do not pack down with heavy pressure as the crust will be too hard.
Step 4 –Bake the crust until golden and set, about 10 minutes.
Step 5 –Transfer the crust from the oven to a wire rack.
Step 6 –Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Step 7 –In a medium bowl, add the oats, the flour, 3 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon and whisk to combine.
Step 8 –With a pastry cutter or two forks, add the remaining cold butter cubes to the oat mixture and cut the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Step 9 –Cover the streusel mixture and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill until ready to bake.
Step 10 –In a medium bowl, add the apples, 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar, the lemon juice, and the remaining cinnamon and stir to combine. Set it aside.
Step 11 –In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and the remaining brown sugar and, using an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed, beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Step 12 –With a silicone spatula, scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the mixing bowl with the cream cheese mixture.
Step 13 –Add the sour cream and the vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture and beat until fully combined and very smooth.
Step 14 –Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl again as needed to avoid large lumps in the batter mixture.
Step 15 –With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg to the cream cheese mixture and beat until just combined.
Step 16 –If there are lumps in the batter mixture at this point, whisk by hand just until the large lumps break up. Small lumps are fine.
Step 17 –With a small offset spatula, evenly spread the cheesecake filling mixture onto the bottom of the warm crust.
Step 18 –Evenly spoon the apple mixture over the cheesecake filling layer.
Step 19 –Evenly drizzle 3 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce over the apple mixture layer.
Step 20 –Evenly sprinkle the cold streusel mixture over the top of the salted caramel layer.
Step 21 –Bake the cheesecake until the center is almost set and slightly wobbly, about 45 minutes. During about the last 10-15 minutes of baking, to prevent the crust edges from getting too brown or burning, tent the entire cheesecake with a piece of aluminum foil.
Step 22 –Transfer the cheesecake from the oven to a wire rack and let it cool at room temperature, about 1 hour.
Step 23 –Transfer the cheesecake from the wire rack to the refrigerator and let it chill, at least 2 hours or up to about 2 days before serving. If chilling for more than a few hours, tightly cover the cheesecake. The topping will soften the longer the cheesecake sits.
Step 24 –When ready to serve, warm up the extra salted caramel sauce and evenly drizzle it over the chilled cheesecake.
Step 25 –With a clean sharp knife, cut the cheesecake into serving-sized slices and serve.
