Bake the best apple streusel cheesecake recipe with cinnamon apples and a golden crumb topping - creamy, seasonal, and irresistible.
If you love apple pie and cheesecake, you'll fall for this apple streusel cheesecake. Creamy cream cheese with sweet cinnamon-spiced apples and a buttery crumb baked until golden and irresistible.
It's easy enough for a weekend treat but impressive enough for Thanksgiving or a dinner party - no wonder I've been making it for years.
I couldn't resist another cheesecake. I know I've already posted lots of them: fruity ones like the No-Bake Blueberry Lemon Curd Cheesecake, others full of chocolate like Nigella's Chocolate Cheesecake and the White Chocolate Apricot Cheesecake, and so on.
Ingredients: 14 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 14 slices | Resting time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe Ingredients
Cookies for the crust: Crushed cookies or graham crackers. I used Leibniz butter cookies, which are crisp and sweet. They are very similar to Petit Beurre. However, any regular cookies available in your area will be perfect as well. For instance, graham crackers or Spekulatius (traditional German spiced cookies).
Quark is a fresh dairy product that is traditional in the cuisines of German-speaking, Scandinavian, and Slavic countries. It is protein-packed (½ cups have 11 g of protein in them) and super healthy, especially the low-fat kind. Use more quark to make amazing Crustless Cheesecake, Quark Muffins, or Cheesecake Maracuya.
- If you cannot find any quark, but you would still like to try this apple crumb cheesecake recipe, try substituting quark with a mixture of cream cheese and plain yogurt; in this case, ½ cup/ 120 g cream cheese and ¼ cup/ 60 g yogurt.
Other ingredients: Cream cheese, Philadelphia style, heavy cream, and cinnamon apples.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make apple streusel cheesecake?
This apple streusel cheesecake is super quick to make, especially if you have a stand mixer or a food processor.
Make the crust and the streusel
Step #1: Process the biscuits or crackers and the melted butter in the food processor until combined.
Step #2: Press the mixture on the bottom of a springform pan.
Step #3: Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Step #4: Pulse the streusel ingredients in the food processor until crumbly. Transfer to a bowl, scraping the processor clean for the filling.
Make the filling
Step #5: With the paddle attachment, beat quark and cream cheese until fluffy. On low, mix in sugar, flour, vanilla, and salt.
Step #6: Add eggs and yolk one at a time, mixing well after each. Pour in the heavy cream and mix until smooth.
Assemble and bake the cheesecake
Step #7: Spread the chopped apples evenly on the base of the cake.
Step #8: Pour in the filling, stirring gently to avoid pushing the apples to the edges.
Step #9: Sprinkle the crumbles evenly on top.
Step #10: Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The streusel should be quite brown, and the middle of the cake should still be a bit wobbly.
Turn off the heat, but keep the cake in the oven. Place a wooden spoon in the door to keep it slightly open and leave the cake for 2 more hours. Remove the cake and let it cool completely.
Adjusting baking time for a smaller pan
I bake my apple crumble cheesecake in a 10-inch/ 26 cm pan for 40-50 minutes and then leave it in the turned-off oven for 2 hours.
If you use a smaller 9-inch/ 23 cm pan, the cheesecake will be taller, so bake it for about 45-55 minutes before leaving it in the off oven to set.
How to make the cheesecake without a food processor?
Crust: Crush the biscuits or crackers in a bag with a rolling pin. Mix with melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared springform.
Streusel: Crush the remaining biscuits or crackers and mix with flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter with a knife until the mixture forms crumbles. Set aside.
Filling: Beat the cream cheese and quark with a hand mixer until fluffy. On low speed, add the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well, then add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing thoroughly between additions. Finally, mix in the heavy cream.
Good to know!
Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results.
Like any other cheesecake, the cheesecake with streusel topping is best served the next day. Let it cool completely, cover it with foil, and refrigerate it. Let it come slightly to room temperature before serving.
How to store it?
You can refrigerate the apple streusel cheesecake, covered, for another 3 days after the first day it needs to spend in the fridge.
You can also freeze the leftover German apple cheesecake for about 2 months. Once thawed, the streusel topping will no longer be crispy, but the cheesecake will still taste good.
Apple Streusel Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- Food processor or stand mixer OR electric mixer and bowls
- springform 10 inches/ 26 cm diameter (See Note 1 for a 9 inch/ 23 cm pan)
Ingredients
Crust (Note 1):
- 7 oz crushed butter cookies or graham crackers Note 2
- ½ cup unsalted butter
Streusel:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold
- ½ cup crushed butter cookies or graham crackers 1.7 oz
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour 2.5 oz
- ¼ cup brown sugar 1.7 oz
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
- 1¾ cups cream cheese 14 oz
- 1 cup quark 9 oz
- ½ cup granulated sugar 3.5 oz
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 medium to large apple
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line the base of the springform with parchment paper.
- Make the crust: Place the butter cookies in a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, you could place them in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix it with the crumbs. Press the mixtures into the prepared springform.7 oz crushed butter cookies or graham crackers + ½ cup unsalted butter
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Streusel:
- Make the streusel now, so you will not have to clean the food processor twice. Place the cold butter and butter cookies/graham crackers, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the food processor. Process until the mixture starts forming large crumbs. Alternatively, mix with your hands until you get the crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. Scrape the food processor as well as you can; there is no need to wash it before making the filling.¼ cup unsalted butter + ½ cup crushed butter cookies or graham crackers + ⅔ cup all-purpose flour + ¼ cup brown sugar + ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Filling:
- To make the filling, attach the paddle attachment to the food processor. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer.
- Mix the quark and the cream cheese until very fluffy. Continue on the lowest speed and add the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and salt.1¾ cups cream cheese + 1 cup quark + ½ cup granulated sugar + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 pinch of salt
- Add eggs: Mix to incorporate, then start adding the eggs and the egg yolk, one by one, mixing well in between. Pour in the heavy cream and combine.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk + ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Assemble and bake:
- Peel the apple and chop it into small cubes. Mix with lemon juice.1 medium to large apple + 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Brush the walls of the springform with some butter. The form is hot so that the butter will melt, and brushing will be very easy.
- Fill: Place the chopped apples on the base of the cake and carefully pour in the filling. Stir gently to make sure that the apples don't get pushed towards the walls of the springform. Sprinkle the cake with the streusel.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The streusel should be pretty brown, and the middle of the cake is still a bit wobbly (Note 1).
- Let rest in the oven: Turn off the heat but leave the cake inside the oven. Place a wooden spoon in the oven door to prevent it from closing and leave the cake for another two hours in the oven.
- Cool: Take it out and let it cool completely. Best served the next day.
Notes
- Smaller baking pan: I bake my apple crumble cheesecake in a 10‑inch (26 cm) pan for 40-50 minutes, then let it sit in the turned-off oven for 2 hours to set. For a smaller 9-inch (23 cm) pan, the cheesecake will be taller, so bake for 45-55 minutes before letting it rest in the off oven.
- Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results. I strongly recommend using the metric system for baking this cheesecake.
- Substitute quark: If you can't find quark, you can replace 250 g of it with a mixture of ½ cup cream cheese/ 120 g and ¼ cup/ 60 g plain yogurt for a similar texture and taste.
grace says
this is a cheesecake that has pretty much everything going for it! streusel topping?! yes please! what a delightful concoction. 🙂
Rosa says
Hi Adina! Wow! I am honoured! Thank you for the mention! Your cheesecake looks so perfect and mouthwatering! I'm drooling ... 🙂
Anca says
It looks delicious. I didn't use quark in cheesecake, I imagine it's lighter. Yum!
Sissi says
Your beautiful apple cheesecake reminds me of a fantastic dessert I once had in a small restaurant in Bern and tried to reproduce... in vain. It was definitely without US cream cheese (I suspect only quark because it was very light), but it looked very rich while the taste was so light! I must try to copy it once more (or go back and ask for the recipe).
Chris Scheuer says
This is a wonderful combination. I love both cheesecake and apple desserts so this is right up my alley!