Description
This rich apple crumble cheesecake has a layer of brown butter cheesecake, gooey brown sugar apples, and cinnamon crumble. No eggs, dairy free, and easy!
Ingredients
Scale
Vegan Caramel Sauce:
- 1 batch vegan caramel sauce
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 package (250 g) vegan graham crackers or Lotus Biscoff Cookies
- 1/3 cup (87 g) melted vegan butter
Crumble Topping:
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour*
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp (70 g) vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
Apple filling:
- 2-3 (600 g) large gala or honey crisp apples, peel removed and sliced into 1″ chunks
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
Cheesecake filling:
- 36 ounces vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 mL) vegan heavy cream or cashew cream, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 7 tbsp (70 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 g) vegan salted caramel from caramel above
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3–4 cups boiling water, for water bath
Instructions
- Prep: We’ll make this cheesecake in a few stages. First, we’ll want to prep the pan. I suggest making sure the apples are prepped (peel removed and sliced thickly) first. Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 400F. I also recommend making the caramel first. Once the caramel is made, we can move onto the next step.
- Make the crumble: While the oven is preheating, we’ll make the crumble, followed by the apple filing. In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together the melted vegan butter, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Once all the dry ingredients are wet from the butter, set this aside.
- Make the apple filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the vegan butter until it begins to brown slightly on medium heat. Then add in the apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Lightly toss to evenly coat the apples, then cover the pan and cook on low for 5-7 minutes until the apples are slightly tender and soft. Then remove from heat.
- Make the graham cracker crust: The oven should be preheated by now, so now we’ll make the graham cracker crust! In a large food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they reach a crumb. Then add in the vegan melted butter and pulse until the graham cracker crumbs are wet. Pour the crumbs into the prepared springform pan and use the flat bottom of a measuring cup or bowl to press the crust into the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the walls.
- Bake the graham cracker crust: Place the springform pan into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. Once it bakes, remove the crust from the oven and lower the heat to 350F. Set the crust aside.
- Make the cheesecake batter: In the large food processor again, add in all of the cheesecake ingredients, including 1/2 cup of the vegan caramel Blend until creamy and smooth. If needed, you can pause the food processor and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is integrated. Then start processing again until smooth.
- Assemble the cheesecake: Once the cheesecake batter is made and the crust is baked, it’s time to assemble the cheesecake. Pour half of the batter into the cheesecake crust, followed by half of the apples and 1/4 cup of the crumble, sprinkling both the apples and crumble evenly over top. Then pour the remaining batter on top. Spread the remaining apples on top of the batter, and sprinkle the remainder of the crumble topping on top.
- Bake the apple crumble cheesecake: Place the cheesecake onto a baking sheet, then open the oven again, and place the baking sheet with the cheesecake on it onto the middle rack. Close the oven door quickly. Bake the cheesecake for 75 minutes.
- Cool the cheesecake in the oven: Once baked, turn OFF the oven but leave the cheesecake INSIDE. Crack the oven door just slightly, and let the cheesecake cool down for 1 hour in the oven.
- Chill the cheesecake: Once cooled, you can remove the cheesecake from the oven. Carefully wrap it and place it into the refrigerator to chill and set for 3-4 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve: Carefully remove the walls of the springform pan and plate the cheesecake. Top with vegan salted caramel, slice and serve!
Notes
See blog post for all tips and tricks!