Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Last week I was reading different blogs and came across a recipe for Personal Apple Pie Cheesecakes with Caramel Sauce from Mommy's Sweet Confessions.  It sounded amazing and I knew I wanted to make a Caramel Apple Cheesecake for my Mom's birthday.  One of her favorite cheesecakes is an Apple Cheesecake from The Cheesecake factory.  I was off and running from there.

I decided to use my cheesecake recipe and adapt it.  I made a graham cracker crust, an apple pie filling, and I used a store bought Dulce de Leche.  I must tell you that I made it for my Mom's birthday last Sunday and it was truly amazing.  So I want to thank Lindsay for giving me the inspiration for this cheesecake.

Here it is, without further ado, Caramel Apple Cheesecake.

Ingredients:

Filling:
5 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
6 eggs
1 pt sour cream
2 cups sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla

Crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter melted

Apple Pie Filling:
3 apples - peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 TB cornstarch
1/4 cup water

3 cans Dulce de Leche - you can find it in the section with sweetened condensed milk in the store

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a  10 inch spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray.


Mix the ingredients  for the pie crust and press firmly into the bottom and part way up the sides of the spring form pan.  About 1/2 inch up the side of the pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Set aside when done.

In a saucepan add the apples, sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and bring to a boil.  Then simmer until apples are tender about 15 minutes.  Once apples are cooked add the cornstarch to thicken the apple pie filling.  Cook another 3 to 4 minutes.  When thickened set aside.

Next add your softened cream cheese to a mixing bowl and whip your cream cheese with you mixer.  Once the cream cheese is whipped add the eggs one egg at a time.  You will need to scrape down the sides of your bowl every once in a while to make sure that it is mixed well.  Next add the sour cream, and mix well.  Next add the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.  Mix well until the cream cheese mixture is smooth.  There should not be any lumps in your filling.

Next put your apple pie filling on the bottom of your pie crust.  It should be about 1/2 inch from the sides of the pan.  Then pour your cheesecake mixture over the apple pie filling.

You will next need to put 1 can of Dulce de Leche in a bowl and heat in the microwave until runny.  It took mine about a minute and a half.  You don't want it too runny, but you want it pourable.  Pour in a swirling pattern in the cheese cake.  Then take a knife and swirl the Dulce de Leche through your cheesecake.

Bake cheesecake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  It should be pretty firm in the middle and lightly browned on top.  ( if it still shakes in the middle it is not done.  It will rise in the middle, but not as high as the edges.) It is okay if it cracks, that is normal.

Once done, turn the oven off and leave in the oven for 1 hour with the door open.  Next 1/2 release the pan and keep in oven for another 30 minutes with the door open.

Then take the cheesecake out of the oven and cover and put in the refrigerator to finish cooling.  After a couple of hours you will heat the other 2 cans of Dulce de Leche like you did with the first can.  This can be a little thicker then last time, because you are going to spread it over the top of the cheesecake.  You can then put it back in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it, or serve it  now.

This serves 12 to 16 depending on the size of the pieces you cut.

This turned out great, everyone loved it, especially my Mom.  Let me know what you think of this recipe.  I hope that all of you like it too.

Enjoy!!!
Debi
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