Bobba’s Cheesecake with caramel apples and streusel topping

Ingredients

1 box Nuttikrust biscuits or your favourite tea biscuits

150g butter, melted

3 extra-large eggs

¾ cup sugar

3 x 250g tubs full-cream cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup cake flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon juice

1 x 495g can pie apples 

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

3 Tbsp brown sugar

Streusel topping

1 cup brown sugar 

½ cup cake flour 

a pinch salt 3 

Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Decorative topping (option)*

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp syrup

Method

1. Crush the biscuits in a food processor (or with a rolling pin), then mix with the melted butter until smooth. Line the base of a springform cake tin with the mixture and refrigerate while preparing the filling and topping.

2.  In the bowl of a food processor or mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and creamy. Reduce the speed and slowly add cream cheese, sour cream, flour, vanilla essence and lemon juice until well blended. Do not overbeat as it may cause the top to crack. Pour half of the mixture over the cold biscuit base. Delicately place the pie apples over the cream-cheese mixture and sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar. Cover the apples with the remaining cream-cheese mixture.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the topping ingredients, then crumble the mixture with the tips of your fingers. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the unbaked cheesecake. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160°C and bake for another 20 minutes. Switch the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside for a further 15 minutes.  If necessary, place a sheet of aluminium foil on the cheesecake after the first 25 minutes – if the streusel is golden-brown already – but continue to bake at the lower heat as the cheesecake still has to cook through the middle.

4. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely in the tin. Before removing from the tin, run a knife between the outer edge of the cake and the inside of the tin. Position the cake on a serving dish and carefully release the spring. 

*If you’re opting for something more decadent, fry the Granny Smith apple in the butter and syrup until soft and the liquid has turned to caramel. Just before serving the cake, pour mixture over the top.