Praline Apple Pie Cheesecake

372

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup graham crackers or Gingersnaps
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
4 extra large or 5 standard size Granny Smith apples
6 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, soft at room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1 cup sour cream, full fat
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup firmly packed Dixie Crystals Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Crust
Cheesecake
Praline Topping
Crème Chantilly

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
To make crust: Crush gingersnaps with a rolling pin to obtain 1 3/4 cups. Add melted butter and sugar and combine well. Press onto bottom and 2/3 up sides of a 9-inch diameter spring form pan. Place in oven for 10 minutes or golden. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Place springform pan on 3 layers of aluminum foil and wrap outside of pan tightly with foil. Ensure that no water can penetrate through the foil. Place in a roasting pan and set aside.
Peel and cut apples into 4 wedges and core. Cut each wedge crosswise in 5-6 slices.
Pour 6 tablespoon sugar in a large sauté pan. Shake pan to create an even layer of sugar. Place on low- medium heat and allow sugar to melt into a light golden caramel.
When part of sugar is starting to melt, shake pan or stir to ensure an even melting. Be careful as caramel can cause severe burns!
When nearly all sugar has melted add butter and salt and stir to combine. Add sliced apples. Caramel will cling to apples which is normal. Keep stirring on low medium heat until apples are fully soft and caramel has melted.
Remove from heat and add cinnamon and vanilla extract. Stir. Transfer into springform pan and set aside.
Next make cheesecake layer: Blend cream cheese and sugar on lowest speed, alternatively mix by using a handheld spatula until no lumps remain. Scrape bowl well. Add 1 egg at a time waiting for previously added egg to be fully incorporated. Scrape bowl and beater between additions.
Add egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix well. Pour batter onto apples in springform pan.
Pour 1-inch of water into roasting pan and place pan in the oven.
Bake until center of cake no longer trembles when tapping sides of pan, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and refrigerate overnight.
Prepare caramel pecan topping: In a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil excluding pecans. Boil for 3 minutes ensuring that mixture will not boil over. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Allow topping to completely cool before spreading it onto crème Chantilly below.
Run a sharp knife around edge and bottom of cheesecake and transfer to a serving platter.
Prepare crème Chantilly and spread onto surface of cheesecake. Spoon praline sauce onto cream. Serve at room temperature.

Rate & Review

TeachNN

Dec 07, 2016

This is a complicated recipe. Many steps. The way the recipe was formatted it is difficult to see where the two parts of the cheesecake ingredients were separated. Review directions carefully before you begin.
I was disappointed with the Apple pie filling. My pie did not have the distinct slices. I also found the Granny Smith apples to be too tart. Perhaps a sweeter apple or more sugar?
Cheesecakes are my specialty. I have made dozens. This is the first one which had over 2 tablespoons of ghee (clear butter oil) in the aluminum foil surrounding the pie pan. Strange

orly88

Dec 25, 2016

It tastes amazing but the recipe needs some revision. 1) Maybe you should check that the pan is water tight BEFORE you make the crust, the foil doesn't affect the crust baking. 2) 3 cups of ginger snaps (at least) to get a third of the way up. 3) That is some finicky cheffy way to do the apples. Toss the apples in the sugar and cinnamon and then put into frying pain with the butter = same or better result with mo caramel burn risk. The Chantilly cream is de plus. There is already a ton of butter and cream in this cake. Just put the praline sauce on the top. It covers up any cracks that form.

Magolla1

Nov 26, 2016

RAVE reviews from the family! This is a wonderful recipe. I used gingersnaps in the crust, but probably could have used less butter. It has already been requested for next year. I saw a picture of this cheesecake in the coupon section of the Sunday paper and investigated it. So glad I did!