Recipe: Dutch Caramel Apple Cheesecake and Caramel Apple Cheesecake

DUTCH APPLE CARAMEL STREUSEL - menu description
Source: Cheesecake Factory

Our Original Cheesecake, Baked Apples, Caramel and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Walnut Streusel.

Cheesecake Factory's recipe is not on the Internet yet. Hopefully you can experiment with one of these recipes. Good luck!

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DUTCH CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE
Source: Rosemary Weliever, 2005

FOR THE CRUST:
20 Pecan Sandies cookies
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp. butter, softened
FOR THE FILLING:
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temperature
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 (20 oz.) can apple pie filling (or 1 1/2 cups your own homemade)
FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 Cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
FOR SERVING:
caramel sauce of your choice (like caramel ice cream topping)

TO PREPARE THE TOPPING:
Blend all together will in blender or food processor until fine crumbs form. Set aside to use at end of baking cycle.

TO PREPARE THE CRUST:
Process ingredients for crust in food processor until crumbs are nice and moist; pat into a 10-in. springform pan.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Place a pan with abut 2-inches water in bottom of oven, to create moist atmosphere.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In large mixing bowl, cream sweetened condensed milk, and softened cream cheese. When well blended, add 3 large eggs, one at a time, vanilla, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Beat until well blended. Pour into crust. Top with Apples from Pie Filling, placing apples in fan design around the cheesecake. You won't need a whole can. Save the rest for something else, it will freeze fine.

Bake for 35 minutes, pull from oven and sprinkle dutch topping on and pat well. Return to oven for 15 minutes.

Remove cheesecake and run knife round edges of cake to loosen. TURN OVEN HEAT OFF. Return cheesecake to oven and crack door and let set one hour, to slowly start cool down. (This cooling method will help you bake a crack free cheesecake.) Remove and finish cooling on wire rack. Refrigerate for 3 hours.

TO SERVE:
Remove sides of springform pan. Drizzle with caramel sauce of your choosing (like caramel ice cream topping), when serving.

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CARAMEL APPLE CHEESECAKE
Source: Leta / Recipezaar

"This is a soft texture cheesecake with a wonderful apple, caramel and struesel topping. Should chill overnight."

FOR THE CRUST:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
FOR THE FILLING:
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (20 ounce) can apple pie filling
3/4 cup caramel topping
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped walnuts

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
Stir together in bowl the flour and sugar.

Cream in the butter, then add the egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. The batter will be very soft. Spread in the bottom of a spring form pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12- 15 minutes.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to smooth consistency. Add the sour cram and vanilla, beat until smooth. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 200 degrees F and bake 1 hour.

TO MAKE THE STREUSEL TOPPING:
In a small bowl combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts.

After the cheesecake has baked 1 hour and 15 minutes,* top with the apple pie filling. Pour caramel over the top of the pie filling and then top with the streusel. (Note: The cake is not completely baked at this point, so it will be loose.)

Return cake to the oven and continue to bake at 200 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake on wire rack 2 hours.

Remove sides of spring form pan**. Let cake cool completely before serving.

*If you like a more cakey cheesecake, I would suggest you try cooking this an addition 15-20 minutes before adding the toppings.

**This is a very soft cheesecake, and I found it better to wait until the cake had chilled overnight, then run a knife around the inside of the pan before removing the sides.