Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake
Satisfy your fall cravings with a plant-based twist! This Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake is 100% vegan and egg-free, featuring fresh tart apples sautéed in cinnamon and brown sugar. The creamy filling is light yet rich, perfectly balanced by the salty-sweet notes of the caramel. It’s a decadent, refined treat that celebrates the flavors of the season without the dairy.
Categories: UNCATEGORIZED
Ingredients
- 200g vegan digestive biscuits, crushed
- 80g vegan butter, melted
- 3 large apples, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 600g vegan cream cheese
- 150g vegan Greek yogurt
- 100g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 60g all-purpose flour
- 40g brown sugar (for the crumble)
- 40g cold vegan butter, cubed
- 100g white sugar (for the caramel)
- 40g vegan butter (for the caramel)
- 60ml vegan cream
- A pinch of sea salt
Cooking Instructions
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01
Preheat your oven to 180u00b0C. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a lined springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes and let it cool.
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02
In a saucepan, cook the diced apples with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until they soften. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with a little water, stir it into the apples to thicken the sauce, and set aside to cool.
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03
Whisk the vegan cream cheese with the granulated sugar until smooth. Add the vegan yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and the remaining two tablespoons of cornstarch, mixing until creamy.
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04
In a separate bowl, prepare the crumble by rubbing the flour, brown sugar, and cold cubed butter together with your fingers until you get a clumpy texture.
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05
Pour half of the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base. Spread half of the cooked apples on top. Cover with the remaining cheesecake mixture, then add the rest of the apples and sprinkle the crumble topping over the entire surface.
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06
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Once baked, let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to set perfectly.
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07
For the caramel, melt the white sugar in a pan until it turns into a golden liquid. Carefully whisk in the butter, then the vegan cream and sea salt. Let it cool slightly.
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08
Remove the cheesecake from the pan and drizzle generously with the salted caramel before serving.
Chef notes
1. Choose the Right Apples Use firm, tart apples like Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp. They hold their shape better during cooking and baking and provide a nice contrast to the sweet caramel. 2. Don't Skip the Room Temp Step Make sure your vegan cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing. If it’s too cold, your filling will be lumpy. Vegan cream cheese doesn't smooth out as easily as dairy cheese once cold. 3. Prevent a Soggy Crust When adding the cooked apples to the layers, try to use a slotted spoon. Avoid pouring in too much of the excess liquid from the pan into the middle of the cheesecake, as this can make the texture too soft or "mushy." 4. The Cooling Secret (Most Important!) Unlike traditional cheesecakes, vegan versions rely heavily on the cooling process to firm up (due to the cornstarch and fats). Do not try to slice it early. 6–12 hours in the fridge is mandatory for that perfect, creamy texture. 5. Perfecting the Caramel When making the caramel, warm the vegan cream slightly before adding it to the melted sugar. If the cream is cold, the sugar will "seize" (turn into a hard rock), and you’ll have to spend a long time melting it back down. 6. Cold Butter for the Crumble For the topping, make sure your vegan butter is very cold. If it’s too soft, you’ll end up with a paste instead of nice, crunchy crumbs. 7. Pan Prep Grease the sides of your springform pan and use a circle of parchment paper at the bottom. This ensures the cheesecake releases perfectly without sticking to the edges. 8. Don't Over-mix Once you add the cornstarch and lemon juice to the cream cheese, whisk just until combined. Over-mixing can incorporate too much air, which might cause the cheesecake to crack or puff up too much in the oven.
