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This Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake has pieces of apple and pockets of cinnamon filling layered into it. The incredible combination of smooth cheesecake, cinnamon, and lightly crunchy apples is something you won’t want to miss!
Creamy Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
This post is sponsored by KitchenAid, but all opinions are my own.
I don’t know about you, but I am really starting to get excited for fall. Apple baking always seems to get me in the mood. I start breaking out the cinnamon, nutmeg and caramel and just can’t wait to devour it all over some delicious apples!
Enter this cheesecake. While I left out the caramel, I absolutely considered drizzling some over the top of it and you should consider it too.
But even without it, the cinnamon and apples are pure fall heaven.
Making the cheesecake takes some time, but really is easy to put together. That’s one of the great things about cheesecakes. Once it’s baked, you’re pretty much done. No fuss, just put it in the fridge to cool and top it with something tasty – cinnamon apples in this case.
To make the crust, I started with vanilla wafer cookies. I love the extra sweetness from using them, but graham crackers would absolutely work too if you have them on hand. I added some brown sugar and cinnamon to the crust to the extend the fall flavors into the crust and I loved it!
The cheesecake filling is fairly straightforward, it just has a little cinnamon in it. The real fun comes from layering the filling with the cinnamon filling and apples. OMG!
How to Assemble Your Cheesecake
To start the layering, you’ll top the crust with some chopped apples and drops of the cinnamon filling, then add about half of the cheesecake filling. Layer in more cinnamon and apples, then the rest of the cheesecake filling. Top it off with the remaining apples and cinnamon, then try not to eat it all before it even goes into the oven. The smell is wonderful!
Once baked and cooled, the cheesecake is topped with more cooked apples. The process for making the apples on top of the cheesecake is pretty similar to the ones inside, except you add a little butter and cook them for about 10 minutes. You could skip this step, but the additional apples really finish off the cheesecake nicely.
You’ll want to chop the apples, add them to the pan with the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter, then cook them until they reach the right consistency. I say about 10 minutes, but you could cook them for more or less time depending on how soft you want them.
And to spice up your fall even more KitchenAid and The Food Network have teamed up to host the Apple Challenge!
That’s right – Food Network Kitchens will select the top 4 recipe submissions and the 4 finalists will win a trip for 2 to NYC for a live cook-off to cook their dish to be judged by Food Network chef Geoffrey Zakarian. One winner will receive the grand prize of a suite of KitchenAid Black Stainless Steel Appliances and a private cooking lesson with Geoffrey Zakarian.
Um, I just died. How fun!
And did you know that KitchenAid just came out with black stainless steel appliances? They sent me some information about them and a sample of what the black stainless steel is like, and I’m in love. We have black appliances in our kitchen and I’ve always wanted stainless steel, but like the black color. These are the perfect solution! Clearly I need to win that contest and update my kitchen.
The contest ends September 14, so you better get on it! Submissions can be uploaded through Twitter or Instagram (with the hashtag #KitchenAidContest), FoodNetwork.com/applechallenge or food.com/applechallenge. And if you win, let me know so I can be super jealous.
And if you don’t win, don’t worry. We can drown our sorrows together in this amazing cheesecake. I’m pretty sure all the apples in it make it healthy, so win-win right there. 😉
Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake has pieces of apple and pockets of cinnamon filling layered into it. The incredible combination of smooth cheesecake, cinnamon, and lightly crunchy apples is something you won’t want to miss!
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 1/2 cups (201g) vanilla wafer crumbs
- 1/4 cup (56g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5 tbsp (70g) butter
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (230g) sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
APPLE CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 2 large apples, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup (56g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
CINNAMON CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 5 tbsp (70g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, melted
APPLE GARNISH, ON TOP OF CHEESECAKE
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp (28g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- sprinkle of lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter
Instructions
CRUST
CHEESECAKE AND CINNAMON FILLING
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 29.8 g
- Sodium: 262.5 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.2 g
- Protein: 6.9 g
- Cholesterol: 87.3 mg
Keywords: apple cheesecake, apple pie cheesecake, apple pie cake, apple cinnamon cake, cinnamon cake, best cheesecake recipe, apple cake recipe, moist apple cake recipe, best apple cake recipe
Filed Under:
Enjoy!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KitchenAid. The opinions and text are all mine.
Do I cover the top of the springpan too or just around the bottom and sides so the water doesn’t get in?
Just around the bottom and sides.
I made this and it turned out great.
Glad to hear that!
Hi Lindsay! Made the apple cinnamon cheesecake and followed the recipe exactly. I had leaky water bath and therefore soggy crust. I went back through the recipe to find any help to prevent that and true to Murphy’s Law, I found the tutorial about using a crockpot liner before you put on the tinfoil! Great idea!! At any rate, my cheesecake looked like the picture and tasted great – soggy crust and all!
Can I substitute the flour with cornstarch? and the wafer crumbs with gluten free coookies?
Yes. You only need half the mount of cornstarch though.
Thank you!
I love this cheesecake and everyone who has tasted it loves it too! My nephew told me he didn’t like cheesecake until he tasted this apple cinnamon one. The second time I made it for a function at my church and the ladies loved it! My Grandma’s cookbook has stars by the recipes that are good or better than good. This is one with a star in my cookbook. Thank you for this experience to my taste buds!
★★★★★
Is there a way to swirl chocolate instead of apples? Or do you have another recipe?
★★★★★
Can you make this in a 4″ springform pan instead? If so, what changes do you recommend as far as ingredients or baking time?
I’m sure you can but I have never made that size cheesecake so I’m not sure how to adjust.
My husband has chosen this for his birthday dessert but wants a streusel topping instead of the garnish since there are apples and cinnamon throughout…and the streusel topping is his favorite part of a Dutch apple pie (his normal bday dessert). Other recipes I use that include a streusel topping only bake about 45 minutes to an hour. I’m afraid the 90 minute bake time may burn a streusel topping if I just add it to this recipe, but I figure that I will flop and ruin the cheesecake if I remove it from the oven mid-bake to add the topping. Any suggestions??
Here’s a cheesecake where I did a streusel topping. I’d use that as a guide. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/bourbon-peach-streusel-cheesecake/
Lindsay, i love your recipes. I have made quite a few of them. I was wondering if you could help me when it comes to removing my cheesecake from the bottom of the pan (plate). Or can you do a tutorial? I would love to serve my cheesecake on a glass serving plate. I Always have to ask for the plate back, when I surprise someone with one of your recipes. Thank you in advance.
To Evelyn Jennerich, I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of springform pan. i then use it to slide cake off the bottom of springform onto plate then remove the parchment paper.
One of the best things I do is find a plate/serving dishes from thrift stores, garage sales etc. and use those. If I get the dish back okay otherwise I don’t worry about losing a favourite dish. 🙂
Perfect recipe! I don’t usually like water baths for cheesecakes, but even without the bath it turned out perfect! An awesome fall dessert! I also made a caramel sauce for the top:)
★★★★★