This Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake is fabulously decadent, silky, smooth, and scrumptious. It also can be served with a delightful and rich butterscotch sauce.
Butterscotch v. Butter Squash
Hello everybody! Happy Monday Cheesecaketime. Let me share a fanny fact happened just seconds ago. I was finishing working on this post, including the recipe and photos, when I realized I had written butternut squash instead of butterscotch all over the post (Yup, “cut and paste” has its downsides lol.)
I am 100% not against butternut squash, and I bet a Butternut Squash Apple Cheesecake would be delicious too, but that’s not the main hero today. By the way, Andrew confuses these two things all the time. That must be contagious! Please monitor your symptoms for the next while when writing your blog posts, my friends! :)
Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake
This Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake is outrageously smooth, silky, delicious, yet moderately sweet!
The predominant flavour here is butterscotch. Even though I incorporated some apple puree into the cheesecake, it is not very obvious. However, you can still feel a lovely apple undertone which, I believe, would be stronger if apples are tart. The main apple flavour comes from a delicious apple-walnut topping.
Importantly, this is not an overly cheesecake. Most similar recipes would suggest using a cup of sugar along with butterscotch chips. Lately, I’ve been significantly reducing the use of sugar in baked recipes, including cheesecakes, and the results are always great! Besides the idea of reducing refined sugar itself, our main purpose is the taste. For our liking, many desserts are way too sweet (And most of store-bought are horribly sweet.)
Less Sugar – More Flavour!
We don’t mind sugar; however, sometimes you can taste sugar and nothing else. While it enhances the flavour profile, it also could overwhelm and camouflage other flavours. We want to be able to distinguish all the flavours – not just the sugar. That being said, it is surprising how reducing sugar not only would make your dessert healthier but also could improve the flavour! Of course, in some recipes the ratio of sugar is critical, but many could be adjusted.
Cheesecake is a perfect dessert for this kind of experiment. In fact, we loved the richness and saltiness of the filling without tons of extra sugar. Besides, if you are going to serve a cheesecake with a caramel or other sweet sauce, it is only better if the cheesecake is just subtly sweet. Oh yeah, this butterscotch sauce is awesome, and it was a perfect addition to this Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake. I am embarrassed to admit how ridiculously simple the recipe is. Basically, you just mix cream with a handful of butterscotch chips and stir until melted. Then obviously wait until cool, but we liked it slightly lukewarm (Just place for 10 seconds or so in a microwave, before serving.)
Lastly, this apple-walnut topping is a delight, too. It can easily be served as dessert on its own (Well maybe be with a scoop of ice cream.) But it certainly goes so perfectly with this Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake (and butterscotch sauce) that you won’t to separate them!
Also, you can try other cheesecake recipes from my blog like this Maple Walnut Cheesecake or Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Irish Cream Caramel.
Cheers for now.
Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy6-8
servings15
minutes30
minutes1
20This Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake is fabulously decadent, silky, smooth, and scrumptious. It also can be served with a delightful and rich butterscotch sauce.
Ingredients
- Cheesecake Base:
~ 1 and 1/2 cups graham honey crumbs (or other type)
~ 1/3 cup melted butter (~ 5 tbsp. and 1 tsp.)
- Cheesecake Filling:
1 large tart apple (~200 gr.), chopped in chunks
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 cup heavy (35%) cream
2/3 cup butterscotch chips
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
500 gr. cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
- Apple Walnut Topping:
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts (1 cup before chopping)
2 apples, sliced
a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg each
- Butterscotch Sauce:
~ 2/3 cup cream 10%
~ 1 cup butterscotch chips
Directions
- Cheesecake Base:
- To make the crust, combine the melted butter with the graham crumbs. Press into a 20 cm (~27 for a thinner and larger cheesecake) spring form pan. Bake the crust for about 7-8 minutes at 170 degrees C (350 degrees F) then remove and completely cool.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 150 degrees C (300 F). Place a pan filled with water on the lower rack of the oven.
- Cheesecake Filling:
- In a small saucepan combine the apples with maple syrup and simmer for about 10 minutes, until tender. Cool slightly and puree.
- In another saucepan, combine the heavy cream with butterscotch chips until fully melted. Completely cool.
- In a large bowl beat with an electric mixer on low speed the cream cheese with the apple puree, cinnamon, and sugar for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has incorporated.
- Add the eggs (one at a time) and beat 30 seconds each time, to incorporate.
- Lastly, stir in the melted and cooled butterscotch chips just until incorporated. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Slightly tap the pan a few times around the bottom – this will help to release the bubbles and decrease the possibility of cracking it.
- Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour. Check the cheesecake – the edges of the cheesecake should look firm and set while the center remains slightly fudgy. If it doesn’t look like that yet, bake it for another 5-10 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the cheese for another 10-15 minutes inside (You can open the door if you’re afraid of overcooking it).
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let completely cool. Refrigerate overnight then lose the baking pan and, using the help of a knife if necessary, release the cheesecake.
- Apple Walnut Topping:
- Melt the butter with maple syrup over medium heat. Add and toast the walnuts for a minute. Then add the apples and spices and cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples are tender but slightly firm. Off heat and cool. Serve with the cheesecake, chilled or room temperature.
- Butterscotch Sauce:
- In a small saucepan simply combine the cream and butterscotch chips over low heat, whisking, until fully melted. Serve with the cheesecake, chilled or lukewarm (preheat in the microwave for 5-10seconds.) When refrigerated, it is solidified.
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Butterscotch, cheesecake, apples, walnuts all together sound like the best combination ever for the fall season. Butterscotch anything is a win! I’d love to dig into that and it’s so beautiful!
OH how I love butterscotch. AND butternut squash haha, but mostly butterscotch. Especially with apple and cheesecake. Come to Mama!
Wow, talk about a dessert that screams fall! I absolutely love butterscotch and combined with apples is a heavenly culinary marriage. The cheesecake looks addictively creamy and delicious. Wish I could snatch that slice in the photo! And I’d love it with butternut squash too.?
Mouth watering butterscotch Apple cheescake is looking yummy, Butterscotch is one of my favourite flavour either in Cakes or in Icecreams.
Aish Manu recently posted…Delicious dark Forest cake
Ben, your Butterscotch Apple Cheesecake sounds great. I love butterscotch in any form so I’d love this for sure. I don’t know how you can eat such a work of art. Your images are great.
Ron recently posted…Smoked Cheese Update…
What a great way to incorporate butterscotch (not butternut squash…haha) into a recipe. I’ll have to keep that melting trick in mind! I do love butterscotch, but I’ve only baked with it a handful of times. This cheesecake sounds perfect for Autumn! How did the cat and dog like it? (Just kidding!)
David @ Spiced recently posted…Antipasta Grilled Cheese
What a crack up, Ben. Big difference between butterscotch and butternut squash for sure – though I love them both.
I think you just might have the ultimate autumn dessert here. Absolutely irresistible flavors and textures!