Description
This Apple Cider Cheesecake combines the tart sweetness of reduced apple cider with a creamy, rich cheesecake filling set atop a buttery digestive cookie crust. Infused with warm mulling spices and cinnamon, it offers a perfect autumn-inspired dessert that balances comforting flavors with a smooth texture, baked to perfection with a classic water bath for a silky finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 2 cups digestive cookies or graham crackers (270g)
- ½ cup butter, melted (113g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Filling
- 3 cups fresh apple cider (preferably Honeycrisp for tartness)
- Mulling spices (to taste)
- 3 cream cheese bricks, softened and at room temperature (227g each)
- 1 cup brown sugar (220g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream (240g)
- ⅓ cup reduced apple cider syrup (from above)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Reduce the Apple Cider: In a large pot, bring 3 cups of fresh apple cider and mulling spices to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 1 hour until the liquid thickens to a syrup-like consistency and reduces to approximately ⅓ cup. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a food processor, pulse the digestive cookies or graham crackers until finely ground. Add the melted butter, salt, and powdered sugar, pulsing until the mixture forms wet crumbs.
- Form the Crust: Press the crumb mixture firmly into an 8-inch round springform pan wrapped with foil or an 8-inch wide, 3-inch high cake pan lined with parchment paper and greased. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before chilling it in the refrigerator.
- Lower Oven Temperature: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) for baking the cheesecake.
- Prepare Cheesecake Filling: Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth and lump-free, scraping down the sides as needed. Add sour cream, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and the cooled reduced apple cider syrup. Beat again until the mixture is creamy and well combined.
- Add Eggs and Flour: Add the eggs one at a time along with the all-purpose flour. Beat on low just until combined, avoiding overmixing to keep the batter smooth but not aerated.
- Set Up Water Bath: Place your cheesecake pan into a larger 13×9-inch baking pan. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it comes about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan, creating a water bath to ensure gentle, even baking.
- Bake the Cheesecake: Pour the filling over the crust and bake for 90 minutes or more. The edges should be set while the center remains slightly wobbly when gently shaken.
- Cool in Oven: Turn off the oven and crack the door open using a wooden spoon. Let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for about 30 minutes to prevent cracking.
- Additional Cooling: Close the oven door and let it cool for another 15 minutes.
- Final Cooling and Chill: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on the counter. Once cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 8 hours before serving to allow it to fully set and develop flavor.
Notes
- Using Honeycrisp apple cider adds a nice tartness complementing the sweetness of the cheesecake.
- Wrapping the springform pan with foil prevents water from the bath from seeping into the crust.
- The water bath helps prevent cracks by providing gentle, moist heat during baking.
- Do not overbeat the eggs once added to keep the cheesecake dense and creamy.
- Letting the cheesecake cool gradually in the oven minimizes surface cracking.
- You can customize mulling spices according to taste, commonly including cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise.
- Allowing the cheesecake to chill for at least 8 hours or overnight helps the flavors to meld and the texture to firm up for easier slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of cheesecake)
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
