With a perfectly smooth cheesecake and a caramel apple topping, this Caramel Apple Cheesecake is the perfect make-ahead entertaining dessert! Plus all the tips for a silky-smooth, creamy, crack-free cheesecake every time.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not really a cheesecake fan. And yet I keep making them because I married a cheesecake lover. The running joke in our family is that my husband requests a cheesecake every year for his birthday because he knows he’ll get to eat the entire thing himself since I won’t touch it. 

I never mind making cheesecakes, however, because they’re shockingly easy to make, wildly popular with friends who visit, and most importantly: the flavor combinations are endless! I have an entire yearlong series on cheesecakes from 2022 and still have so many ideas for new flavors.

Today, we’re highlighting the ultimate early fall flavor: apples! (Pumpkin lovers, hang tight for another month – I’ll have yours ready before Thanksgiving. And in the meantime, may I highly, highly recommend this sweet potato cheesecake?)

Btu today, it’s all about apples. There’s something magical about combining the warm flavors of caramel, the crisp, tart apples, and the rich creaminess of cheesecake. This Caramel Apple Cheesecake has all of that wrapped into one perfect fall dessert. It starts with a buttery graham cracker crust, a smooth and extra creamy cheesecake filling, and then it’s topped with cinnamon-spiced apples and a generous drizzle of caramel sauce. It really doesn’t get any more fall than this!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Graham Crackers: Use finely crushed graham crackers, or for a twist, try swapping the graham crackers for gingersnap cookies (omit the additional cinnamon).
• Granulated Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Butter
• Cream Cheese: The cream cheese should be at cool room temperature – around 65°F – before using. Cream cheese that is still cold will result in a clumpy batter, which leads to cracks in the cheesecake.
• Sour Cream: Full fat yogurt can be used instead of the sour cream.
• Vanilla Extract
• Salt
• Eggs
• Apples: You can use any variety of apples for these, but I like honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Granny Smith for this cheesecake.
• Heavy Cream

Shortcuts: This recipe uses all homemade components, but you could always use a can of apple pie filling instead of the cooked down apples or storebought caramel sauce rather than making your own. And of course, canned whipped cream or Cool Whip can be used instead of the homemade whipped cream!

How to Make Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This caramel apple cheesecake has five components: a graham cracker crust, a vanilla-based cheesecake, a homemade apple pie topping, whipped cream, and super easy homemade salted caramel sauce.  Don’t let this scare you: it’s easier to make than you think!

Step 1: Prepare the Crust

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, creating an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until it’s lightly golden. Let it cool while you prepare the filling.

Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Filling

In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt, mixing to combine. Next, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

Step 3: Bake the Cheesecake

Bake the cheesecake using either a traditional water bath or a pan-in-pan water bath. For a traditional water bath, wrap the springform pan tightly with foil, then place it into a larger roasting pan or deep baking dish filled with hot water. For a pan-in-pan water bath, place the 9-inch springform pan inside a 10-inch cake pan; then place both in the roasting pan filled with hot water. The hot water should reach about halfway up the sides of the springform pan or cake pan. Bake for 70 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center is still jiggly. Turn off the oven, crack the door slightly, and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 minutes, followed by cooling at room temperature for an hour and then refrigerating overnight.

Step 4: Cook the Apples

While the cheesecake is chilling, prepare the apple topping. Peel, core, and chop the apples. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Step 5: Make the Caramel Sauce

To make the caramel sauce, heat the water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until deep amber in color. Carefully pour in the heavy cream (it will bubble up, so go slowly!) and stir until smooth. Cook for a few additional minutes before setting aside to cool.

Step 6: Make the Whipped Cream

This is an optional step; you don’t HAVE to include whipped cream. But it’s so good, especially with the caramel sauce on top! Use your mixer (or my favorite trick: an immersion blender with a whisk) to whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.

Step 7: Assemble the Cheesecake

Once the cheesecake has chilled, remove the sides from the springform pan. Pipe the whipped cream around the outside and pile on the cooled apples in an even layer. Drizzle generously with the salted caramel, saving some for serving. When you’re ready to serve the cheesecake, you can heat the remaining caramel sauce to pour over individual slices.

Why Cheesecakes Crack (and how to avoid it!)

In order to prevent cheesecakes from cracking, we first need to understand why cheesecakes crack in the first place.  And in order to do this, we have to talk about how cheesecakes set.  This means it’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

When we heat a cheesecake, the proteins in the eggs begin to lose their shape, unfolding in a process called denaturation.  As the proteins expand, new bonds form with other nearby proteins and sugars and start to clump together, or coagulate. With enough time and heat, the previously liquid ingredients coagulate enough to form a solid cheesecake.

Cracks in cheesecakes happen when there’s too much air in the batter or the cheesecake is exposed to drastic temperature changes. Beating the batter too vigorously introduces air, which expands as the cheesecake bakes, disrupting the coagulation process. As the cheesecake cools, the air contracts, leading to cracks.

Recommended Tools to Make Caramel Apple Cheesecake

• Food Processor: The best way to get evenly crushed, fine graham cracker crumbs for the crust is to use a food processor.
• Stand Mixer: An electric mixer will help get a silky-smooth cheesecake texture – just don’t overmix!
• Beater Blade: Using a beater blade means you don’t have to repeatedly scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• 9″ Springform Pan: This recipe is written for a 9″ springform pan and this one is my favorite.
• 10″ Cake Pan: For the easiest water bath, place the springform pan inside a 10″ cake pan.
• Roasting Pan: Use a roasting pan, or other large pan, to hold the 10″ cake pan and add hot water.
• Instant Read Thermometer: Taking the internal temperature of the cheesecake is the best way to ensure it is properly cooked.

Tips and Tricks for a Perfect Caramel Apple Cheesecake

1. Use room temperature ingredients.  Cold cream cheese and eggs are harder to mix smoothly.  To try to get a smooth batter, you’ll probably overbeat the ingredients, adding in excess air.  Make sure to set out all your ingredients ahead of time to bring them to room temperature first!
2. Avoid excess overmixing. Even if your ingredients are room temperature, you can still mix too much!  Over-beating the batter adds too much air, which causes the cheesecake to puff up while baking and skin while cooling, leading to cracks.
3. Grease the sides of the pan.  If the crust stops halfway up the sides of the pan, grease the sides above the crust.  A cheesecake shrinks a little as it cools; you want it to pull away from the edges and shrink inward, not stick to the sides.
4. Cool the cheesecake slowly.  One easy way to do this is to turn off the oven, leave the door open partway, and let it cool.  Alternatively, take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool inside a closed microwave or invert a large bowl overtop the cheesecake.
5. Chill overnight before serving. I know, I know.  You want that cheesecake and you want it now!  But by letting the cheesecake cool to room temperature and then refrigerating overnight, the cheesecake really has a chance to set.
6. Make Ahead Cheesecake: If this seems like a lot to do all at once, split this cheesecake up over several days. The cheesecake can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 4 days or wrapped in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 3 months. The apple filling can also be made a few days ahead of time and refrigerated, as can the caramel sauce (warm gently in the microwave before drizzling on the cheesecake). The whipped cream is generally the only part that I make the day I plan to serve the cheesecake.

More Cheesecake Recipes:

• Chocolate Banana Cheesecake
• Cranberry Cheesecake
• Mint Chocolate Cheesecake
• Funfetti Cheesecake
• Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
• Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
• All Cheesecake Recipes »

This recipe was first published in September 2019 and updated with new photos and helpful tips and tricks in October 2024.