This Apple Crumb Pie Cheesecake has a pie crumb crust, brown sugar apple pie cheesecake filling, topped with a crumb topping.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Crumb Pie Cheesecake:

• Two Desserts in One– apple crumb pie and cheesecake. Two desserts is always better than one.
• Unique Crust –This cheesecake has an unusual crust made using pie crust to make it have more of a pie flavor.
• Fall in Cheesecake Form – This is the perfect dessert to serve for your fall gatherings, but can be made year round. 
• Medium Difficulty Recipe – While this may seem daunting with all the steps it has, in general the cheesecake is easy to make. The only scary element is making your own caramel. Which is why I say you can use caramel sauce.

6 Layers to Love

1. Pie Crust-Crust: While this may sound redundant saying crust-crust. But you bake store bought (or homemade if you want) pie crust. Then you finely crush the pie crust. Then use the pie crust crumbs to make a crust like you would a classic graham cracker crust.
2. Apple Pie Apples: Honeycrisp apples diced and cooked in cinnamon, brown sugar, and apple pie seasoning. Then strained as to not add more liquid to the cheesecake.
3. Crumb Topping: This crumbly topping is a scaled-down version of what I use when making crumb cake.
4. Cinnamon Swirl: A mix of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
5. Brown Sugar Cheesecake Filling: A creamy cheesecake filling using brown sugar instead of granulated studded with apple pie apples.
6. Apple Cider Caramel Sauce: To save time you can just buy caramel sauce (just make sure it’s a good one). I make a apple cider caramel sauce (recipe is included) but you can use a plain caramel or even a salted caramel sauce.

Ingredient Highlights:

As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found at the bottom of this post.

• Cream Cheese: Use full-fat brick cream cheese. Make sure you’re buying the bricks of cream cheese and not the tubs of cream cheese spread as it would affect the texture and outcome greatly.
• Pie Crust: I used Pillsbury Refrigerated pie dough. It comes with two 9-inch crusts and that is what is needed for the recipe. If you want to use your own pie crust feel free. You will need to get 2 cups of finely crushed pie crust crumbs for the recipe.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is used in place of granulated sugar. I love using brown sugar in cheesecakes as it adds a whole other depth of flavor.
• Sour Cream: Make sure to use full fat sour cream.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: I always use Rodelle vanilla. They are by far my favorite vanilla.
• Eggs: All recipes on the blog use large eggs unless indicated. When making cheesecake it is best to use room temperature eggs.
• Apples: I used the apples from my tree…which are usually a mystery as to what variety. But I would use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for this recipe. Peel and diced them into bite-size pieces.
• Apple Pie Spice: I buy my apple pie spice every year for fall baking. McCormick makes one as well as King Arthur Flour.
• Homemade Apple Cider Caramel Sauce: It’s a creamy and smooth caramel sauce that gets a fall makeover with using fresh apple cider..
• Cake Flour: I find cake flour really makes for the best crumb topping.
• Butter: I always use unsalted butter unless specified to use salted butter.

Expect to see a lot of apple recipes in the coming months.

As my apple trees are producing a ton of apples.

It’s a miracle they still produce.

See, my husband has been passively trying to kill our fruit trees for years.

He doesn’t water them. And yes, the Seattle area does get rain often, lately there has not been as much.

We don’t prune them like you are supposed to each year.

Every now and then the takes the tree saw and hacks it up if it’s starting to grow into the neighbors yard.

But it’s never intentional.

Our one apple tree has been hit by our trailer twice.

It now leans weird.

But, it lives out of spite.

And it’s our fruit tree that produces the most fruit. 🙂

My theory is that the apple tree has the goal to produce so many apples that eventually we are buried in them. 😀

I have no idea what kind of apples I have.

I know they are tart-ish and I like using them in baking as they hold together well.

Part of why I don’t know what kind they are is because the previous owner that planted them spliced three different varieties in each tree.

So it’s apple lottery.

This cheesecake is a combo of my two favorite dessert.

When I make an apple pie I like to have a regular pie crust bottom and a crumb top.

And so I went that route with this cheesecake as well.

To get the true pie flavor I used pie crust instead of graham crackers to make the crust.

It really does add to the dessert.

You could make this caramel apple and not use the apple pie spice if you prefer.

But me, I love the warm flavors that apple pie spice adds.

Tips for a Successful Cheesecake:

• Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. I have to calibrate my oven about 5 times a year. Now, granted, I use my oven more than most people but if you have not done it in awhile you should check it.
• Room Temperature Ingredients – It is imperative that you let your cold ingredients come to room temperature. Cold ingredients will create a lumpy batter.
• Don’t Over Mix – Over mixing the cheesecake batter when you’re adding the eggs/egg yolk can cause the cheesecake to buckle a little bit in the oven. It will still taste great, but won’t look as pretty.
• Don’t Over Bake – Don’t panic if it browns the slightest bit on top – that can happen without it being overbaked. But I if you feel it’s too brown you can tent the cheesecake with aluminum foil.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Can I halve this recipe?
• This one would be difficult to half due to all the components that make up the cheesecake.
• Do I really have to chill the cheesecake for so long?
• Yes! That’s the nature of cheesecake. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temp after it’s baked, and then transfer to the fridge to chill at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before serving.
• Do you have to use a bain marie (water bath)?
• Technically no.
• However, if you want a creamy cheesecake then, yes.
• If you want to minimize the chance for cracks in your cheesecake then, yes.
• The water bath does a wonderful job of keeping an even temperature for the cheesecake to bake in.
• You will need to wrap your pan in foil so water doesn’t leak into your springform pan.
• Better yet, use one of the silicone wraps.
• I like those way better.
• You can buy it HERE (it is an Amazon affiliate).

• Last but not least…It’s a great time to buy my cookbook.

Want More Cheesecake Recipes?

Irish Coffee Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cinnamon Roll Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Caramel Corn Cheesecake

Vanilla Chai Latte Cheesecake