Description
A silky, spiced cheesecake with a crisp crust and a rich, tangy apple flavor that captures the very essence of fall.
Ingredients
Scale
- → Crust:
- 2 cups (270g) digestive cookies or graham crackers
- ½ cup (113g) butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- → Filling:
- 3 cups fresh apple cider (honeycrisp cider is more tart!)
- Mulling spices (cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, etc.)
- 3 cream cheese bricks (227g each), softened and at room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) sour cream
- 1/3 cup reduced apple cider (from above)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Instructions
- Reduce Cider: Pour 3 cups of cider into a pot with mulling spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool.
- Make Crust: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). In a bowl, mix crushed cookies, melted butter, salt, and powdered sugar. Press firmly into a 9-inch springform pan.
- Make Filling: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add brown sugar, salt, and vanilla; beat until combined.
- Finish Filling: Mix in sour cream, reduced cider, and cinnamon. Gently beat in eggs one at a time, just until combined. Fold in the flour.
- Bake: Pour filling over the crust. Place the springform pan inside a larger baking dish. Add 1 inch of hot water to the larger dish to create a water bath.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the center slightly jiggles. Turn off the oven, prop the door open, and cool for 1 hour.
- Chill: Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Notes
- For a perfectly smooth filling, make sure your cream cheese is completely at room temperature.
- A water bath is essential to prevent cracks and ensure a smooth, creamy texture.
- Do not overmix the filling, especially after adding the eggs.
- The cheesecake is best chilled overnight for the flavors to fully develop.
- Prep Time: 3 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12th of cake)
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Keywords: Apple Cider Cheesecake