It's time for the November Daring Baker challenge and this month we were challenged to make our own version of cheesecake crumble pie.
This pie was to have a traditional pie crust, cheesecake filling of our choice and a crumble top. Check, check, check....I like all of those things.
In all my years of cooking, I've never made a cheesecake. I've shuffled my springform pan from cabinet to cabinet, always thinking someday I would use it. Still didn't use it for this recipe, but I just know one day it'll come in handy.
I chose to make a standard cheesecake filled with spiced apples and topped with a spiced crumble. There was way too much crumble, so next time I will half it, but it still turned out delicious.
The above photo was made when the pie came right out of the oven and then it had to cool overnight (torture) before cutting it.
The spiced apple filling is a good choice. Fresh peaches or blueberries would be good in this too.
I was planning on freezing some of it, as it makes an enormous pie, but we had already gone through half of it and it looks like we'll be able to polish it off.
The creamy Apple Cheesecake Crumble Pie is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. I think my first attempt at cheesecake was successful!
Apple Cheesecake Crumble Pie
Great combination of creamy and crunchy.
Ingredients
- 8 " to 9" pie crust of your choice
- Filling:
- 1 large or 2 medium apples, chopped
- 1 tablespoon spice mix* (or use apple pie spice)
- 16 oz cream cheese
- ¾ C sugar
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¼ C heavy cream
- Crumble:
- ½ C scooped and leveled all-purpose flour
- ¼ C rolled oats
- ½ C sugar
- ⅓ C brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ C cold butter, chopped
Instructions
- Before beginning, have all ingredients at room temperature.
- Bake the pie crust in an 8 to 9" deep-dish pie pan at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes, until lightly browned. Increase oven temp to 450 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped apple and 1 tbsp. of the spice mix (*2 tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 ½ tsp. ground ginger, ⅛ tsp. ground cloves - store any leftover spice). Stir well and let sit while preparing the cheesecake.
- Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and gradually add the sugar until smooth (1-2 minutes). Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated. Turn mixer to low and pour in the heavy cream. Beat until combined, then stir in the spiced apple mixture, including any juice it may have made.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake at 450 for 15 minutes (cover pie edges if they are getting too dark).
- While the pie is doing this initial bake, prepare the crumble by mixing all of the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the butter and crumble together until it resembles a pea-sized coarse meal.
- After the initial 15 minute bake, reduce the temperature to 200 degrees.
- Remove the pie from the oven and top with crumble. Return to the oven and bake for 1 more hour. Turn the oven off, prop the oven door open and let the cake cool in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove pie to a rack and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
Notes
Use your favorite pie crust recipe, but make sure it 's for a deep pie dish. There's a lot of filling, plus the crumble on top.
I mixed in about 1 tsp. of the apple pie spices into the cheesecake. I liked the slight spicy flavor.
I used a very large Fuji apple, but you could use 2 or so medium apples. Just make sure they're firm baking apples (not Red Delicious).
Watch your crust edges and cover with foil or a pie ring if they're browning too much, especially since it bakes for 1 more hour.
Propping the oven door open at the end of baking helps the cheesecake to cool down slowly; thus, helping it firm up without cracking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 953Total Fat: 54gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 734mgCarbohydrates: 106gFiber: 5gSugar: 35gProtein: 13g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
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