Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Vegan Caramel Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups Simple Mills Honey Cinnamon Sweet Thins
• 1/3 cup vegan butter

Cinnamon Crumble:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Apple Topping

• 2 large apples, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Cheesecake Batter

• 2 cups (16 oz) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup dairy free yogurt
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3/4 cup cassava flour
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

You’ll first start with making the graham cracker crust, followed by the crumble, then the apple topping, and finally the cheesecake batter. So start by measuring out all ingredients for the crust. Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a 6” springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom and greased side walls. 

Make the “graham cracker” crust: Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they resemble a fine crumb. Then add in the cinnamon and melted vegan butter, and pulse again until the crumbs appear wet with the butter. Pour the crumble into your prepared springform pan, and press the crumbs flat on the bottom of the pan and up the walls of the pan. Place the springform pan into the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes.

While the crust is baking: Make the crumble topping. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Then stir in the melted vegan butter, mixing just until the flour mixture is wet with the butter and forms a thick dough. Cover the bowl, and set aside.

Remove the crust: Remove the crust from the oven, and turn down the oven to 375. Set the crust aside to move onto the apple topping.

Make the apple topping: slice the apples thinly. Place the slices into a bowl, and toss with sugar and lemon juice, and set aside.

Make the cheesecake batter: In a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the vegan cream cheese and dairy free yogurt. Cream together on high speed until light and fluffy, and the cream cheese appears to be consistent and not lumpy. Add in the sugar, cassava, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt. Mix together until incorporated. Then pour in the heavy coconut cream, and mix again on high speed for 5-7 minutes, until super fluffy and the sugar has dissolved into the batter. Scrape down the bowl as needed to integrate the ingredients all together, then restart the mixer.

Assemble the cheesecake: Bringing the graham cracker crust back, pour in the cheesecake batter to the springform pan. Add in the apple topping, and top with the crumble topping, sprinkling over the top of the apples.

Bake: Place the cheesecake onto a baking sheet (to prevent any spills onto the oven bottom if the springform pan leaks), and into the oven to bake for 55-65 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Don’t worry, the cheesecake will still wiggle in the middle. This is normal.

Cool: Once baked, allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Then cover the cheesecake, and place the cheesecake into the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight. 

Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, and run a butter knife along the walls of the cheesecake to release it from the pan. Carefully remove the walls of the springform pan and plate the cheesecake. Use a spatula to scoop the cobblered peaches onto the top of your cheesecake. Slice and serve