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one piece of vegan caramel apple cheesecake pie
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Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This caramel apple cheesecake with a homemade apple pie filling and caramel sauce is a wonderful dessert for the holidays. It's rich, creamy, thick, flavorful, and tasty! The recipe is vegan (dairy-free, egg-free) and gluten-free!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 10

Equipment

  • Food processor*
  • 7-inch springform*
  • Blender*
  • Kitchen scale*

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 cup (120 g) gluten-free flour or regular flour (see notes)
  • 6 tbsp (40 g) almond flour (see notes)
  • 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp water)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) vegan butter (softened) or coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) granulated sugar (see notes)
  • Pinch of sea salt

Apple Pie Filling:

  • 2 (360 g) apples peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
  • 2 cups of (480 ml) water
  • 7 tbsp (84 g) granulated sugar (see notes)
  • 3 1/2 tbsp (28 g) cornstarch (see notes)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cloves

Cheesecake Layer:

Caramel Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp (20 g) maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut milk canned
  • 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) brown sugar or date sugar
  • 1 slightly heaped tbsp (20 g) nut butter of choice
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  • You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.
    I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Check out the easy-to-follow step-by-step photos + video above in the blog post.

Crust

  • To make the flax eggs, simply put 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (or ground chia seeds) in a small bowl, add 6 tablespoons of water and mix with a whisk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Process all ingredients for the crust in a food processor until the dough crumbles but holds together.
  • Press the pie crust into the bottom of a 7-inch (18 cm) springform (or 8-inch) and transfer the springform to the refrigerator.

Vegan Apple Pie Filling

  • Next, make the vegan apple pie filling. You can use store-bought apple pie filling, but homemade is much better, and it only takes 5 minutes to make it. Add all ingredients (except the diced apples) to a saucepan, whisk without heat, then bring the mixture to a boil. Add the diced apples and simmer for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Transfer half of the apple pie filling over the crust and spread it evenly with a spatula. Place the springform into the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Vegan Cheesecake Layer

  • Soak cashews in hot water for at least 30 minutes (if you are in a hurry, you could also boil them for 15 minutes).
  • For the vegan cheesecake layer, simply process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until completely smooth, creamy, and lump-free. Check the photos above in the blog post to see how the cream should look like.
  • Pour the cheesecake cream over the apple pie filling and spread it evenly.
  • Bake the vegan cheesecake in the oven for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven. Leave the cake in the oven, but crack the door for about 10 minutes. If you are using a bigger or smaller springform you will need to adjust the baking time. Please note that the center of the cake will still be jiggly, which is normal, though. It will set later in the refrigerator.
  • Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature (which will take a couple of hours). Then add the second half of the apple pie filling on top and spread it carefully. You might need to reheat the apple pie filling with a little water to make it spreadable again. Refrigerate the cake to set completely. It's best to leave it there overnight.

Caramel Sauce

  • Make the homemade caramel sauce by adding all ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to a boil on the stove and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Drizzle the caramel on top of the cake. Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

Notes

  • Sweetener: Any granulated sweetener can be used. Some other examples are Xylitol*, Erythritol, coconut sugar, regular sugar, or date sugar. *Desserts with Xylitol should be never given to dogs.
  • Cornstarch: You can use arrowroot flour instead.
  • Gluten-free flour blend: I used 1/2 cup (80 g) rice flour and 5 tbsp (40 g) tapioca flour (cornstarch is fine too). A store-bought gluten-free flour blend (with similar ingredients) or regular all-purpose flour should work as well.
  • Almond flour: To make the recipe nut-free, you can use ground shredded unsweetened coconut. Simply process it in a blender or electric coffee/spice grinder.
  • Tofu: You can use one package (12.3 oz or 350 g) of firm silken tofu instead of regular tofu. Leave out the canned coconut milk if you use silken tofu. If you want to make a soy-free version or a nut-free version, then please check out the recipe and the recipe notes of this Lemon Cheesecake Tart.
  • Recipe serves 10. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Amount per Serving
Calories
293
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
5
g
25
%
Carbohydrates
 
43
g
14
%
Fiber
 
3
g
12
%
Sugar
 
24
g
27
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.