Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 250g/0.5 lb packet plain biscuits or a cheesecake crust
• 75g/2.6oz unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Cheesecake:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in cubes
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 600g/1.3lbs cream cheese at room temperature
• 125g/4.4ozs brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

For Butterscotch Sauce:

• 75g/2.64oz butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 150ml/5 fl oz thickened cream

Directions:

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 160C fan forced. Add butter into a medium saucepan and cook apples with brown sugar and cinnamon gently until starting to become tender but not soggy. Stir in vanilla and cool. You could also use tinned apple pie filling with some added vanilla if you wish.

Step 2 - Blitz the biscuits and cinnamon in a food processor until crumbled finely. Add butter until it comes together. Press into a greaseproof paper lined 20cm diameter springform pan and place in the fridge while you do the filling (if you also line the sides with greaseproof paper it’s much easier to remove).

Step 3 - Put a kettleful of water on the boil. In the cleaned food processor beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and cornflour until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.

Step 4 - Place cooked apples on the bottom of the cheesecake. Pour over the cream cheese mixture. Put 2 layers of foil around the tin to prevent any water from the water bath from getting in. It's useful to have that wider foil for this task if you have it. I didn't and it was still ok though.

Step 5 - Place tin in a deep baking dish and pour filling into the foil lined tin. Then pour the boiling water around the cheesecake so that it sits in a bath being careful not to splash any on the cheesecake itself.

Step 6 - Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 1 1/4 hours although you may want to check at 1 hour. The outside should be set and the inside with a hint of wobble which will firm up in the fridge. Remove the foil and cool on a wire rack and when cold, place in the fridge overnight covered with cling film.

Step 7 - Make butterscotch sauce: Place butter, sugar and cream into a saucepan over low heat. Stir until butter has melted. Simmer gently for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 20 minutes or until thickened.

Step 8 - Unclip the springform tin and unmould from the edges. Place on a serving plate (I always leave the cheesecake on the springform base) and then drizzle over with the butterscotch sauce.

Source: notquitenigella.com