This apple butter cheesecake lays atop a moist and flavorful sourdough graham cracker crust. With three distinct layers, this fall sourdough apple dessert is one you will not want to miss.
We used our last remaining apples of the season we made smooth, flavorful apple butter. With so many apple recipes to choose from, we knew we wanted an amazing dessert.
This sweet and buttery apple jam needed a home. When figuring out what to do with the apple butter, we thought what better place than on top a cheesecake!
This sourdough fall dessert is made of three distinct layers. A sourdough graham cracker crust, New York style cheesecake and apple butter.
The end result? A party of warming spices, sweet apple butter, creamy cheesecake and a sweet graham cracker wrapped up in every bite.
The best part about this recipe is the beautiful presentation. This apple butter cheesecake could be a centerpiece for a fall party! It is almost too beautiful to eat.
Reasons to Love This Recipe
Inspired by our sourdough s’mores bars, this recipe uses the sourdough graham cracker base. This crusty base is a firm base to the rich layer of New York style cheesecake. This classic dessert could not be easier to make in three steps.
Homemade Apple butter, similar to homemade pumpkin butter, is both quick to make and budget friendly. The apples are cooked in a medium pot on the stovetop with spices and brown sugar until they broken down before they are blended.
The moisture content is reduced by cooking the apple butter mixture down. This allows the moisture to evaporate and the texture to thicken. Because of this cooking process, you will be left with a thick, glossy butter-like spread.
The final product is creamy and full of flavor. It truly reminds me of a fall candle in a buttery jam form. This is truly the perfect fall dessert.
Kitchen Equipment
- Cake pan with liners
- Large bowl and small bowl
- Handheld mixer
- Medium pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients for Apple Butter Cheesecake
Each layer to this apple butter cheesecake dessert has a variety of ingredients.
Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust
- All purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Graham crackers
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Butter
- Sourdough discard
New York Style Cheesecake
- Vanilla extract
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Egg
- White sugar
- Salt
Homemade Stovetop Apple Butter
- Apples
- Any apples will do! We found the more variety, the better.
- Vanilla extract
- Brown sugar
- White sugar
- Cinnamon
- All spice
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
How to Make Apple Butter Cheesecake
There are a few steps involved with making an apple butter cheesecake with a sourdough graham cracker crust. The three layers can be made separately or simultaneously depending on your time and fermentation goals.
Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust Tutorial
To make the graham cracker crust, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.
Crush two graham crackers and add to the dry mixture. To the dry mixture, add sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and softened/melted butter. Mix until combined.
Press the crust evenly onto the bottom of a lined or greased cake pan. Use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line the bottom of the pan. You could also use a springform pan coated in cooking spray or butter.
Bake in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. The crust will not be completely cooked. It will cook longer as you bake the cheesecake mixture.
New York Style Cheesecake Tutorial
Make the New York style cheesecake. Start by combining softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth using a handheld mixer or stand mixer.
Add in vanilla extract and sour cream. Finally, add the egg. Whip for two minutes or until completely smooth and with no lumps.
Pour on top of the sourdough graham cracker crust and bake for 30 minutes. When touched, the cheesecake should barely stick to your fingertip. The center will be cooked through.
Allow to cool in the cake pan in the refrigerator. The graham cracker crust will harden completely, making it easy to remove from the cake pan.
Homemade Stovetop Apple Butter Tutorial
There is always the option to use store-bought apple butter if preferred. To start making the homemade stovetop apple butter, start by peeling the apples.
Slicing them to paper thin thickness and add to a pot with spices, vanilla extract, white sugar and brown sugar. You can add lemon juice if you would like.
Place the lid on the pot and allow to cook down on low heat. Because of the lid, the apples will release moisture.
The apples will continue to cook down and become translucent. Once a wooden spoon can break apart the apples, use a handheld immersion blender to blend until smooth. Be careful for steam and any escaping apple butter.
Once smooth, continue cooking down. The apple butter will become thick in texture and turn from apple sauce to buttery and glossy. It will stick to your spoon- like caramel.
This will make about a half cup apple butter. Allow the apple butter to cool before spreading on the sourdough graham cracker cheesecake.
Make a thin layer across the top of the cheesecake filling. Option to serve with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Long Fermented Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust
To better increase the digestion, thanks to the power of fermentation, make the sourdough graham cracker crust and allow it to ferment rather than making the crust right away.
To make the long fermented sourdough graham cracker cookie crust, follow the tutorial above. Rather than cooking the crust right away, wrap the cookie crust tightly in plastic wrap to ensure it does not dry out.
Place the wrapped sourdough graham cracker cookie crust on the counter for up to 12 hours. If you would like to ferment longer, place the crust into the fridge. The grains will continue to break down as it sits.
When you are ready to bake the crust, cut the dough into slices and press onto the bottom of a lined or greased cake pan. Cook as outlined above in the ‘stir and go’ instructions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to store this apple butter cheesecake?
To store, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to a week. Place into freezer if not eating immediately. If placing in the freezer, put in a plastic bag or airtight container.
To thaw, remove from the freezer and place in the fridge. You can place the cheesecake container in hot water to thaw quicker.
What is the texture of the sourdough graham cracker crust?
The crust is not crumbly and hard. It is similar to a cookie dough as it sticks together and becomes like a sourdough cookie dough bar.
Apple Butter Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 Cake Pan Or cheesecake pan
- 1 Medium Pan
- 1 Kitchenaid Mixer
Ingredients
Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 cup All purpose flour All purpose flour, spelt flour, oat flour or gluten free flour can be used within this recipe
- 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
- 2 Graham Crackers Equivalent of 3/4 cup. Blended or crushed into a fine powder
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Salt Leave out if using salted butter
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg
- 1 stick Butter *Unsalted or salted, see notes
- 3 TBS Sourdough discard Active sourdough or sourdough discard
New York Style Cheesecake
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 8 ounces Cream cheese 1 block
- 1/4 cup Sour cream
- 1 Egg
- 3 TBS White sugar
- 1/8 tsp Salt
Homemade Stovetop Apple Butter
- 4 large Apples Any variety will do; peeled and sliced paper thin
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1 TBS White sugar **Add more if apple variety is sour
- 1 TBS Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ginger
- 1/8 tsp All spice
- 1/8 tsp Cloves
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
- There are a few steps involved with making an apple butter cheesecake with a sourdough graham cracker crust. The three layers can be made separately or simultaneously depending on your time and fermentation goals.
Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust Tutorial
- To make the graham cracker crust, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt together in a medium bowl.Crush two graham crackers and add to the dry mixture. To the dry mixture, add sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and softened/melted butter. Mix until combined.
- Press the crust evenly onto the bottom of a lined or greased cake pan. You could also use a prepared springform pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 6-8 minutes. The crust will not be completely cooked. It will cook longer as you bake the cheesecake mixture.
New York Style Cheesecake Tutorial
- Combine the softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth using a handheld mixer or stand mixer. Add in vanilla extract and sour cream. Finally, add the egg. Whip for two minutes or until completely smooth and with minimal lumps.
- Pour on top of the sourdough graham cracker crust and bake for 30 minutes. When touched, the cheesecake should barely stick to your fingertip. The center will be cooked through.
- Allow to cool in the cake pan in the refrigerator. The graham cracker crust will harden completely, making it easy to remove from the cake pan.***If using store bought apple butter, skip to the assembly instructions.
Homemade Stovetop Apple Butter Tutorial
- Peel the apples. Slice them paper thin. Add the apples, spices, vanilla extract, white sugar and brown sugar to a medium pan.
- Place the lid on the pot and allow to cook down on low heat. Because of the lid, the apples will release moisture. The apples will continue to cook down and become translucent.
- Once a wooden spoon can break apart the apples, use a handheld immersion blender to blend until smooth. Be careful for steam and any escaping apple butter.
- Once smooth, continue cooking down until the apple butter is thick in texture and turns from apple sauce to a buttery and glossy texture. It will stick to your spoon- like caramel.Allow to cool completely before spreading across the cheesecake.
Apple Butter Cheesecake Assembly
- Spread a thin layer across the top of the cheesecake filling. Option to serve with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
Notes
If using salted butter, do not add salt into recipe for crust.
Homemade Apple Butter
- Note on Sweetness
A note on sweetness – if your apples are not sweet, adjust the amount of sugar within the recipe by 1-2 TBS at a time. Use white sugar first, then brown sugar until your desired sweetness is achieved. - Homemade vs store bought
The homemade recipe above will yield approximately 1/2 cup of apple butter. If you use store bought apple butter, use the equivalent 1/2 cup. - Long Fermented Sourdough Graham Cracker Crust
To follow a long fermentation period, make the graham cracker cookie crust as outlined above. Cover with plastic wrap and press down firmly to ensure the graham cracker cookie dough will not dry out.
What is your favorite fall dessert? Ours is this apple butter cheesecake or a slice of an apple crisp sourdough Dutch baby. Let us know your perfect dessert for fall in the comments below!
