Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake

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This Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake has a layer of apple spice blondie topped with no-bake caramel cheesecake. The cake is topped with cinnamon apples and caramel sauce for a taste of pure heaven! Perfect for Fall and Thanksgiving!

Why You’ll Love Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake

Bring on all the fall apple recipes! This blondie cheesecake is the perfect combination of flavors and textures and has become an absolute favorite over the years. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as my family does. Let me try to explain just how good this cheesecake really is.

• Chewy apple blondie. The first layer is an apple blondie. It’s got plenty of tasty spices and apples baked right in. It’s chewy, not too heavy and absolutely delicious. The perfect base for a cheesecake.
• Creamy caramel cheesecake. So smooth and creamy, with great flavor. Sometimes it can be difficult to really make caramel flavor come through, but it comes through perfectly in the cheesecake! The chewiness of the blondie with the smoothness of the cheesecake is a killer combo.
• Flavorful toppings. I wanted every bite of this cheesecake to be filled with apples and caramel flavor. So, I topped it with cinnamon apples and even more caramel sauce, because why wouldn’t you? It’s irresistible.
• Perfect for fall. This is a great celebration cake for the fall. You could whip it up for Thanksgiving, autumn birthdays or any time you need a show-stopping dessert!

This cheesecake recipe has been such a hit over the years that I got many requests for a baked version, so you can also make my Baked Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake!

Ingredient Notes

Ready to get started? Here are a few tips to keep in mind when gathering your ingredients. You can find full ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Apple Blondie

• Flour. Regular all-purpose flour is best for creating the base of the blondie batter. You want to be sure to measure it correctly, so that you don’t have a dry blondie. I always recommend a food scale.
• Leaveners. To get the perfect rise and chewy texture you’ll need baking powder and baking soda.
• Spices. I used a combination of cinnamon and apple pie spice to flavor the blondie.
• Butter and salt. When baking I like to use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt. If you only have salted butter, make sure to omit the added salt.
• Brown sugar. For sweetness and extra caramel-y flavor, use light brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract. For flavor.
• Eggs. You’ll need 1 large egg and 1 large egg white. It’s important to use large eggs (not medium or extra large).
• Chopped apples. Use a firm, sweet-tart apple such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Honey Crisp for the best flavor.

Caramel Cheesecake Filling

• Cream cheese. Use full-fat, room temperature cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese has a higher water content, so it won’t set as well. I also recommend using bricks instead of tub or whipped varieties that are thinner and might not set well.
• Sugars. I used a combination of regular granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Both add to the sweetness of the cheesecake, and the brown sugar adds additional notes of caramel flavor to the filling.
• Caramel sauce. I used my homemade caramel sauce for this recipe. It has the perfect texture and consistency. The recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups so you’ll have plenty for the filling and topping if you want to drizzle some on top.
• Apple pie spice. For warm fall flavor.
• Heavy whipping cream. Make sure to use cold heavy whipping cream so that it whips properly.
• Powdered sugar. Helps to sweeten and thicken the whipped cream/cheesecake filling, keeping it stable so it doesn’t wilt.
• Vanilla extract.

Cinnamon Apple Topping

• Chopped apples. Use more of the sweet-tart, crisp apples described above. You’ll need about 2 large apples to have enough chopped pieces for the blondie bar and the topping.
• Lemon juice. Helps to balance the sweetness of the topping and prevent browning.
• Spices. To give the topping spiced flavor use a pinch of ground nutmeg and some ground cinnamon.
• Light brown sugar. Adds sweetness and caramel flavor.
• Unsalted butter. Gives rich flavor to the topping.

Whipped Cream

• Heavy whipping cream. To make stable, easy-to-pipe whipped cream, make sure it’s very cold before you start whipping it.
• Powdered sugar. Helps to sweeten and thicken the whipped cream, and to keep it stable.
• Ground cinnamon. More flavor!
• Vanilla extract.

How to Make Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake

There are several components to this cheesecake, but each is simple to put together! Use these helpful step-by-step photos and directions to guide you through the process. More comprehensive directions can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Apple Blondie

• Prepare to bake. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Combine dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice and salt and set aside.
• Combine wet ingredients. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract, egg and egg white and mix together until well combined.
• Mix dry and wet ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, but don’t over mix. Fold in the apples.

• Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Cool. Allow blondie to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then remove from the springform pan and place it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Reassemble springform pan. Wash the pan, reassemble it and grease the sides of the pan. Add the cooled blondie back into the pan.

Make the Caramel Cheesecake

• Begin making the filling. In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugars together until well combined and smooth. Add the caramel sauce and apple pie spice and beat until well combined and smooth. Set aside.

• Make whipped cream and fold it in. In another large mixer bowl, whip the cold heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
• Build the cheesecake and chill. Top the cooled blondie with the cheesecake mixture and spread into an even layer, then chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 4-5 hours.

Finish the Cheesecake

• Remove springform. Once firm, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and place it on a serving plate.
• Cook the cinnamon apples. Combine the apples, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter in a medium size saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until at preferred softness. Allow apples to cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Make whipped cream. While the apples cool, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Decorate. Pipe the whipped cream around the outer edge of the cheesecake, then spoon the cooled apples onto the cheesecake. Drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired, then serve.
• Enjoy!

Tips for Success

Want to make the BEST Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake? Don’t miss my pro tips below to avoid common mistakes.

• Use a springform pan. It makes removing the cheesecake from the pan so much easier. On that note, be sure to grease the pan and add a parchment circle in the bottom. Both help the blondie and cheesecake not stick to the pan.
• Don’t over mix the blondies. Mix the batter for the blondies until just combined. Over mixing causes the gluten in the flour to become overdeveloped and can make the blondie dense and firm.
• Use softened cream cheese. Cream cheese straight from the fridge is pretty firm and won’t blend smoothly with the other ingredients. Giving it time to soften to room temperature will make it much easier to blend and will prevent lumps in your cheesecake. You’ll know it’s ready when you can press gently on the wrapping and leave a slight indent.
• Full-fat everything. Use heavy whipping cream and full-fat cream cheese. The higher fat content in the whipping cream will allow it to whip up thicker, which is needed to hold the filling together. The higher fat content in the cream cheese will also help to keep the filling nice and firm.
• Use cold cream: Be sure that the whipping cream used in the filling and in the whipped cream topping is cold. If it is not, it will not hold volume properly. This will give you a flat whipped cream topping and a potentially runny filling.
• Whip to stiff peaks. Whipped cream is added to the cheesecake filling to give it thick creamy texture. Make sure to whip the cream to stiff peaks. If you’re new to making homemade whipped cream that means that the cream will stand up in pointy peaks when the whisk is removed from the bowl.
• Don’t skimp on powdered sugar. Be sure to use the full amount of powdered sugar in the whipped cream. It stabilizes the whipped cream, therefore providing structure to the filling and topping.
• Use homemade caramel sauce. If possible, use my recipe for easy caramel sauce. It firms up in the fridge, which will also help the cheesecake filling firm up. Many store bought caramel sauces are soft and pourable when cold, meaning they won’t help your filling to firm up. If you use a store-bought sauce, look for one that is thick and firm when cold.

Storage Information

• Refrigerator. If you find yourself with leftovers, seal the cheesecake in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. If you use plastic wrap, I suggest using toothpicks to prop it away from the topping. You could also arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container and store it that way. This cheesecake is best if eaten within 3-4 days.
• Freezer. I suggest freezing it before adding the apple and caramel toppings. Pop the cheesecake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. Sliced it? Arrange the slices in a single layer in a freezer-safe airtight container. You can store the cheesecake in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before adding toppings and serving.

More Caramel Apple Dessert Recipes

• Mini Caramel Apple Cheesecakes
• Caramel Apple Pecan Layer Cake
• Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake
• Caramel Apple Cookie Cups
• Baked Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake
• Caramel Apple Pie Cake

Watch How To Make It

Read Transcript

This post was updated 9/25/24, but the recipe is the same aside from that the apples on top used to be sliced are now chopped. If you’d like to reference the previous version, download the recipe PDF.

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