Apple season is still going strong, so I'm keeping the apple recipes coming. Today's star is cheesecake. Cheesecakes are usually made with cream cheese, but smooth, full-fat cottage cheese works just as well — just press it through a fine-mesh sieve first. This time I decided to experiment and used a half-and-half mix of cream cheese and cottage cheese, and I have to say the result was absolutely stunning — not too rich and creamy, not too cottage-cheesy, but something beautifully in between. I'll definitely be using this combination in future cheesecakes. For the cream layer, I skipped vanilla this time and went with lemon, using lemon zest for flavor. This lemon twist paired perfectly with the caramel apples on top, which really took the cheesecake to the next level. Overall, it turned out truly incredible — incredibly, incredibly delicious!
Ingredients:
- Crust:
- 120 g cookies
- 60 g butter
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- Cream layer:
- 500 g cream cheese (or full-fat smooth cottage cheese, or half and half)
- 200 g heavy cream 33%
- 120 g sugar
- 15 g cornstarch
- 3 eggs
- zest of one lemon
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice
- Apples:
- 3 firm apples
- 30 g butter
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
How to cook cheesecake with caramel apples
Break the cookies into pieces and place them in a food processor. I used a mix of cookies and pretzel sticks — it doesn't really matter, use whatever you have on hand, the important thing is to grind everything into fine crumbs. Add the cinnamon and process until finely ground. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs and pulse everything together once more.
Pour the crumb mixture into the pan — I used a 20 cm ring mold — and press it firmly and evenly across the bottom. Optionally, place the pan in an oven preheated to 160°C and bake for 10–15 minutes. Let cool. This time I skipped the baking and simply chilled the crust in the refrigerator.
Make the cream layer. Place the room-temperature cream cheese (or cottage cheese) in a bowl and beat lightly with a mixer. Add the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. If you're using cottage cheese, blend the mixture thoroughly with an immersion blender at this stage until completely smooth. If your cottage cheese is lumpy, it's best to press it through a fine-mesh colander beforehand. Add the starch, lemon juice, and zest, pour in the heavy cream, and mix gently — be careful not to incorporate air bubbles. The batter is ready. The finished batter should have no visible curds; it must be completely smooth (aside from the lemon zest)!
Pour the batter into the pan. Place in an oven preheated to 160°C (bottom heat only) and bake for about 1 hour. Bake using a water bath — set the pan inside a larger pan filled with hot water. Since I was using a ring mold, I went with a simplified version and placed a baking sheet filled with hot water on the rack below the cheesecake. The cheesecake is done when the center still has a slight jiggle.
Let the finished cheesecake cool in the oven with the heat turned off and the door slightly ajar. Then be sure to refrigerate the cheesecake for several hours.
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