Description
This creamy cheesecake is infused with concentrated fresh apple cider, giving it a tangy, slightly sweet flavor that screams autumn in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 2 cups graham crackers or digestive cookies (about 270g)
- ½ cup (113g) melted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Filling
- 3 cups fresh apple cider (Honeycrisp cider recommended for extra tartness)
- Optional mulling spices (cloves, allspice, cinnamon)
- 3 bricks of cream cheese (227g each), softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream
- 1/3 cup reduced apple cider (see instructions below)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Reduce the Apple Cider
- Pour the apple cider into a large saucepan and add your choice of mulling spices if desired. Boil over medium-high heat for about an hour until it thickens into a syrupy consistency. You should end up with roughly 1/3 cup of reduced cider. Let it cool completely before adding it to the cheesecake.
- Prep the Oven and Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a food processor, pulse the cookies until they become a fine crumb. Add melted butter, salt, and powdered sugar, then pulse until the mixture resembles moist sand.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom (and slightly up the sides, if using a springform) of an 8-inch pan. You can use a springform pan wrapped with foil or a greased 8-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and allow it to cool completely. Chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
- Prepare the Cheesecake Filling
- Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth and free of lumps, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add sour cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and the cooled reduced apple cider. Mix on medium until the batter is silky and fully combined.
- Incorporate the eggs one at a time, then mix in the flour. Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined to avoid overworking the batter.
- Bake the Cheesecake
- Place the prepared cheesecake pan inside a larger 13×9-inch pan and fill the outer pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. This water bath will keep the cheesecake creamy and prevent cracking.
- Pour the filling over the chilled crust and bake for 90 minutes or until the edges are set and the center slightly jiggles when gently shaken.
- Cool Gradually
- Turn off the oven and crack the door open using a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake sit inside for about 30 minutes to cool gradually.
- Close the oven door and let it rest another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter.
- Chill Before Serving
- Once cooled, transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight) before slicing and serving. This ensures it sets perfectly and achieves that creamy, dreamy texture.