Stepping in to fall with this apple crumble cheesecake. This cheesecake if full of fall flavors. It has a cinnamon and nutmeg cookie crust, cheesecake filling and topped with cinnamon sugar apples and lots of crumble. It is the perfect combination of an apple pie and cheesecake.
This apple crumble cheesecake is a perfect fall dessert. It has apples and cinnamon giving it lots of flavor. The crust is spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. It lifts the cheesecake to another level together with the cinnamon sugar apple crumble topping. They are all tired together perfectly with the creamy cheesecake filling.
For more cheesecake recipes, try Aperol Spritz Cheesecake, Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake and Raspberry Cheesecake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Cinnamon sugar apples: This cheesecake burst off apple flavor! It has diced apples covered in cinnamon sugar.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg crust: The crust is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg which takes this cheesecake to another level.
- Crunchy crumble: The crumble topping is the cherry on top of this cheesecake, giving crunch and delicious flavor.
- Creamy cheesecake filling: The creamy and smooth cheesecake filling ties together this delicious cheesecake.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this apple crumble cheesecake. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Digestive biscuits: We don't have graham crackers in Danmark, so I therefore use Digestive cookies. But if you can buy graham crackers then you can definitely use those instead if you want to make graham cracker crust.
- Cream cheese: It's important that it's full-fat cream cheese and it's at room- temperature when using it. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Sour cream: Measure and let the sour cream come to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking.
- Eggs: Take the eggs out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Apples: Dice the apple into small cubes. Use any apple you love, e.g. Jonagold, Granny Smith, Pink Lady etc.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon brings out all of the fall flavors, therefore cinnamon in both the crust and around the apples.
- Nutmeg: For extra delicious fall notes, I've add nutmeg to the crust. If you don't like nutmeg, it can be replaced by cinnamon.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CRUST
Here is how to make and bake these apple crumble cheesecake. This recipe needs a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, and a 22 cm/9 in spring pan lined with baking paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 22 cm/9 in springform tin lined with parchment paper in the bottom.
STEP 1: In a food processor, add the cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies.
STEP 2: In a 22 cm spring cake pan add parchment paper to the bottom. Add the cookie crumbs and press the cookie crust down with the bottom of a glass, and up agains the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out. Bake it for 10 minutes. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - APPELS AND CRUMBLE
While the crust cools down, prepare the apples and the crumble.
STEP 1: Dice the apples into small cubes and toss them in granulated sugar and cinnamon. Overtime the sugar will drag out some of the liquid in the apples, avoid adding that to the cheesecake when placing the apples.
STEP 2: Add flour, brown sugar and butter to another bowl. Mix it together by hand or with an electric mixer, until it forms a crumble structure. Set it aside both aside toppings while making the cheesecake filling.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHEESECAKE
Keep the oven temperature at 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven.
STEP 1: With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 min on low speed. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and let it mix for 1 min on low speed.
STEP 2: In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the vanilla extract and let it mix on low speed until combined. Then add one egg at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.
STEP 3: Pour the cheesecake batter into the spring pan. Gently divide the cinnamon sugar apples first on top of cheesecake, followed by the crumble.
STEP 4: Boil up water in a kettle. Place the springform pan in a 25 cm/10 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in another baking pan or roasting pan and fill it with hot water ⅔ up the side of the pan. This method will prevent water from getting into the crust. Alternatively, add a triple layer of aluminium foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water before placing it in a water bath. There might be a possibility of water leaking in, so make sure it's covered well if choosing this method. Bake for 1 hour and 20-30 min.
STEP 5: Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a bit wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.
STEP 6: Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature. Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Give the cheesecake pan a small shake, it's only slightly jiggling in the center of the cheesecake then it's done.
Yes, you can replace it 1:1 for full-fat greek yogurt.
Yes, you can switch out the apples for peaches or pear!
Yes, you can absolutely drizzle it with a caramel sauce.
WHY BAKE THE CHEESECAKE IN A WATER BATH
Why is baking a cheesecake in a water bath so important? What the water bath does, is that it makes the cheesecake bake more gentle. When baking a cheesecake without a water bath, it is more likely for it to over-bake, which will give a curdled texture, a cracked and lopsided top. The hot water protects your cheesecake while it's baking in the oven. It makes sure your cheesecake comes out smooth and cream
STORAGE
Store the apple crumble cheesecake in the refrigerator covered by plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within 5 days.
Other Cheesecake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Apple Crumble Cheesecake
Equipment
- 25 cm /10 inch cake pan optional
Ingredients
COOKIE CRUST
- 200 g digestive or graham crackers
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1,5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1,5 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 50 g butter melted
APPLES AND CRUMBLE
- 150 g apple diced small (1-2 apples)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- 70 g butter room temperature
CHEESECAKE
- 600 g cream cheese full fat, room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 150 g sour cream 14-18% room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
COOKIE CRUST
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC/325ºF, conventional oven.
- In a food processor, add the cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter. Add the melted butter to the food processor and blend it together with the blended cookies.200 g digestive or graham crackers, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1,5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1,5 tablespoon dark brown sugar, 50 g butter
- In a 22 cm spring cake pan add parchment paper to the bottom. Add the cookie crumble and press the cookie crust down with the bottom of a glass, and up agains the side of the pan, so it’s well packed together and flattened out.
- Bake it for 10 min. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch.
APPLES AND CRUMBLE
- While the crust cools down, prepare the apples and the crumble.
- Dice the apples into small cubes and toss them in granulated sugar and cinnamon. Overtime the sugar will drag out some of the liquid in the apples, avoid adding that to the cheesecake when placing the apples.150 g apple, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Add flour, brown sugar and butter to another bowl. Mix it together by hand or with an electric hand mixer, until it forms a crumble structure. Set aside both toppings while making the cheesecake filling.100 g all-purpose flour, 80 g dark brown sugar, 70 g butter
CHEESECAKE
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC.
- With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 min on low speed. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and let it mix for 1 min on low speed.600 g cream cheese, 200 g granulated sugar
- In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the vanilla extract and let it mix on low speed until combined. Then add one egg at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.150 g sour cream 14-18%, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the spring pan. Gently divide the cinnamon sugar apples first on top of cheesecake, followed by the crumble.
- Boil up water in a kettle. Place the springform pan in a 25 cm/10 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in another baking pan or roasting pan and fill it with hot water ⅔ up the side of the pan. This method will prevent water from getting into the crust.
- Alternatively, add a triple layer of aluminium foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water before placing it in a water bath. There might be a possibility of water leaking in, so make sure it's covered well if choosing this method.
- Bake for 1 hour and 20-30 min.
- Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a bit wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.
- Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminum foil and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.
- Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.
Comfort
This was an amazing recipe, and it was so easy to follow! The whole family loved it, even my parents who don't like super sweet treats. This will definitely be a recipe I come back to.
Shannon
This was spectacular! Everyone enjoyed it and couldn't stop raving. The only change... added more melted butter to the crust crumbs (and some more crust crumbs) because mine was dry and not enough there. I think we would add more apples in the future just because we loved that topping! Will make this over and over again! My 15 year old son found the recipe. It was a keeper. Thank you!
Makayla Fitchett
So easy to make! Light and delicate and the perfect hint of apples. I used graham crackers for the crust, added about two packs with a few additional tbs of butter. Several of my co-works said it was the best cheesecake they have ever had and they are already requesting a second one! I also use a crockpot liner around my foiled pan to keep water out in the water bath and it works great!
Megan
Excellent recipe! Not too sweet. It was perfect for Rosh Hashanah, and I will make it again.
Romana
The best cheesecake I’ve ever baked/eaten! Everyone loved it..thank you for this recipe ❤️ I like your photos and the way you write the instructions into details, I will definitely try more recipes 🙂
Julie Marie
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Rachel
OMG was this good! My first cheesecake ever and it was for my Husband’s 50th birthday -he loved it! I’m not a huge cheesecake lover and I was so impressed with just how good this was that I’m craving a piece right now lol. The only thing I wish was the 10” cake pan was mentioned in the equipment needed. I didn’t have one so I had to use the aluminum foil method and it did get some water in it. Even still, the cake turned out perfectly and was a
huge hit - my mom even asked for the recipe! Thank you!
Julie Marie
I'm so so happy that you enjoyed it! I've updated it so it say the 10" cake pan in the equipment as well 🙂
Maryla
Can this be made ahead of time? Will the apples/cheesecake get too soggy?
Julie Marie
Yes, it can definitely be made in advance. Store the apple crumble cheesecake in the refrigerator covered by plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within 5 days 🙂
Marin
Excellent recipe! I followed it to the letter and it came out amazingly perfect!! Incredibly smooth texture, not too dense, and the crumble topping stayed nice and crisp even after a full 24hr in the fridge. So nice to have a recipe that doesn't need a water bath! The cake was a unanimous hit at the party (with many cheesecake lovers) and it will definitely be my go to cheesecake recipe from now on!!! Thanks for all the details. One suggestion! Put the Graham cracker amount in grams so we don't have to figure out how big a sheet is 😉
Breeann S
I made this for thanksgiving this year and it was the hit of the night! Husband said it was the best thing he’s ever ate! Aha.
If I were to cut the recipe in half for a smaller group, would I change the cook time at all?
Anna Hines
Probably the best cheesecake I've ever had! My favorite part was the apples still had some crispness to them after cooking! Made if for Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved it, I had no leftovers!
Lindsay
This cheesecake turned out delicious! Definitely will make again!
Karina Romarniuc
Made this for the first time for thanksgiving this year was soo delicious and pretty easy to make
Thank you so much for the easy to understand directions 🤗❤️
Ashley
I made this for thanksgiving and it was so delicious! Everybody loved it. Recipe was perfect!
Chloe
Delicious!!!
Nectaria Georgiadis
This recipe is amazing! It is the 2nd Thanksgiving that I have made this cheesecake and it was delicious. I did add a bit of caramel drizzle when I served it!
Luca Van de Coevering
This was my first ever Cheesecake. I really liked the flavours, the texture. I will definitely bake more cakes from this website 🙂
Carrie
I’ve made this twice already and it is the best cheesecake!
Aleksandra
So good 😍
Jess
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’m from Louisiana, USA, and I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving today. My entire family LOVED it and I was asked for the recipe! It was my first time making cheesecake (I really love cheesecake) and am so glad I found your recipe. Directions were super easy to follow. I drizzled caramel sauce when we served, but followed everything else. Absolutely perfect!
Jess
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’m from Louisiana, USA, and I made this yesterday for Thanksgiving today. My entire family LOVED it and I was asked for the recipe! It was my first time making cheesecake (I really love cheesecake) and am so glad I found your recipe. Directions were super easy to follow. I drizzled caramel sauce when we served, but followed everything else. Absolutely perfect!
Devin
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for you can try here
Kerry
Has anyone made this gluten free?
Dr Julie Reese
Fabulous! My first cheesecake and it's a keeper!
Thanks to the tips in the reviews, I cooked it an extra 15 mins, had to make extra Graham cracker crust, and prefer the apples pealed.
Tammy
Im always up for a cheesecake recipe. This is by far one of thee best cheesecakes I've ever had. I am not a fan of anything crumble, so I only did half of the cake with the crumble and then just made a simple apple compote as for the other half. Hubby LOVED it, crumble and all. This is now my go to cheesecake recipe. Looking forward to making it for my Italian in-laws
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us.
Angie
At what point does the spring form pan come off?
Julie Marie
After it has rested in the fridge overnight 🙂
Madison
I made this before Halloween, came back to share this recipe with a friend. I have made it twice now and it has turned out perfectly every time. I even used GF 1:1 flour in place of regular flour. It is delicious, so flavorful! The water bath was intimidating but the instructions got me through. It was my first time making cheesecake and I’ll be back to make this one again!
Nicola
The best cheesecake ever!
Tina Ryberg
Hej.
Kan jeg finde denne opskrift på dansk nogen steder? 😊
Julie Marie
Ja her er en: https://juliemarieeats.com/da/apple-crumble-cheesecake/
Sheila Driscoll
Hello - this looks so delicious! I would love to try it - do you have the amounts in cups as opposed to grams.? I’m an American !
Thank you!
Julie Marie
Yes, in the recipe card you will see that there is a toggle you press between metrics and cups. If you click on cups it will show all of the cup measurements 🙂
Dominic
The cheesecake was delicious, though I had to make a few adjustments. I needed some extra butter in order to get the Graham cracker crust to press down without just crumbling. I’d also recommend adding some salt to the recipe- say in the crust, as the apples provide a good amount of sweetness. Lastly, I found my finished cheesecake to be a touch too soft in the center, I’d recommend baking it for an additional 15 minutes on top of what’s in the recipe. All that aside, I’d definitely make this again.
Melissa
This was amazingly delicious. I added a caramel drizzle and it was fantastic
ROBERT WHITTINGTON
Looks ever mouth watering .Great ! Job On the APPLE CRUMBLE CHEESE CAKE ! ! ! ! !
Óscar Martínez Carratalá
Excellent recipe. Instructions are clear and detailed, with a delicious yet simple result. Everyone loves cheesecake and apple 😗
Ellen
What is the Danish equivalent to sour cream? Here in Sweden we don’t have actual sour cream so I’d have to use “gräddfil” och creme fraiche, do you know what I should use? 😬 Thank you!
Julie Marie
It's creme fraiche that is the equivalent 🙂
Susanna
Hi! I wanted to try making this in cupcake tins and was wondering if you happened to know how long I would have to bake the crust and cheesecake filling for? The recipe looks sooo good!
Julie Marie
Hi. I'm so happy to hear that! I would suggest try baking the crust for 5 minutes and the cheesecake filling for about 18-23 minutes. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Susanna
I tried this recipe and have a few notes for anyone wanting to try cupcake sized cheesecakes!
1. Crust needs to be cooked for a bit longer than 5 min. Maybe around 10 min total.
2. You’ll be left with a lot of extra cheesecake filling if you don’t increase the crust amount by 1.5x or 2x. The original crust measurements might work if you spread the crust across the bottom of the cupcake tin only. But if you want the crust to go all around the sides, you’ll need some more!
3. Cheesecake filling needs to be baked for more than 30 min. Mine were undercooked in the middle and almost looked like pudding when I cut into it. But it was still pretty good!
4. I ended up with around 21 cheesecakes using the cupcake tins. But around 7 of them didn’t have crust, and 4 of them didn’t have any of the apple or cookie crumble on top.
But overall it’s just a really yummy recipe. It’s hard to mess up!
Amena
Looks AMAZING! I was wondering if I could use strawberries instead of apples? Planning on making this for a strawberry-lover 😄
Julie Marie
That sound like a great idea. I would toss the strawberries in 1 tsp of cornstarch before adding them on top of the cheesecake, as they hold more liquid than apples 🙂
Ana Romo
Best cheesecake ever!!!
easy to make and bake, the cheesecake is sooo creamy but no dense!
happy that I found your recipe
Marlene
Delicious
Alexia Drakakis
Made this amazing cake at Christmas time and it instantly became a family favourite. Can’t wait to try it again!
Lucia Firestine
I made this cheesecake and it is amazing ❤️ can’t wait to make it again!
Lucia Firestine
I made this cheesecake and it is amazing ❤️
Breanna Michele Burrone
I used this recipe for my mother in-law’s 50th birthday party. Everyone loved it and commented on its inviting Fall essences of apple crumble, apple pie, and cheesecake combined into one. I will definitely use this again! Thank you!
Karen
Delicious!! The first cheesecake I ever made and was amazing!! Great instructions.
Steph
Absolutely delicious! I don't trust a lot of cheesecake recipes because they end up tasting like whipped cream cheese but this? The perfect taste and texture!
Even my neighbour who doesn't like cheesecake LOVED it
Avital freidkin
Made this as my first ever cheesecake for my bf, who’s a cheesecake Enthusiast, and he absolutely LOVED it.
I think that already says enough.
An incredible recipe🫶🏼
Iben Nielsen
The most wonderful cheese cake ever.
Mariam
This was beyond expectations
Amazing and super delicious
Grear thanks for sharing this recipe
Sam
Is the nutritional info per service or for the entire cheesecake?
Julie Marie
They are pr slice.
Michelle
I made this cheesecake to take on family vacation with us and everyone said it was the best cheesecake they had ever had!! Sooo good!
Iben Nielsen
I loved it!.
Iben Nielsen
Wonderful cake and easy to make.
Iben Nielsen
This is an amazing cake. It’s a most try.
Megan
I tried this this week end, it was soooo good ! Good recipe and explications 🤩
Try it 👍🏼
Liesbeth
Another amazing recipe. The taste was great and it was a favourite of many friends (out of 3 recipes). I left the aluminium foil around the baking pan though, leaving the bottom soaked by the juice of the apples (I put a oven tray with water beneath the baking pan, because I had nothing big enough to put it in, so it definitely was not water). I’ll try it another time. But maybe the espresso chocolate cheesecake that time 🙂
Virginia
This cheescake it's absolutely amazing! I've made it twice in a week and everybody liked It. I feel it will be the Queen of Cheesecakes on my table. Thank you for sharing it!