Apple Crumble Cheesecake 苹果金宝芝士蛋糕

Biscuit base

• 100 g marie biscuits or digestive biscuits
• 85 g melted butter

Apple topping

• 3 green apples or 4 green apples
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 100 g caster sugar
• 50 g raisins
• 30 g butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder optional
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 tbsp water, mix well

Crumble toppng

• 50 g plain flour
• 50 g dry demerara sugar or coarse sugar
• 40 g cold butter chopped

Cheese filling

• 3 egg yolks used large eggs
• 250 g cream cheese room temperature
• 25 g caster sugar
• 65 ml dairy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 lemon zest
• 2 tbsp cake flour/plain flour sifted
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 35 g caster sugar

• Biscuit base – Grease the sides of a 8 inch removable cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Crush biscuits with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag until they are like crumbs, then add melted butter and mix well. Pressing the biscuit crumbs with your hand at the bottom of the lined greased cake pan (use a removable 8 inch round cake pan). Put the tin in the fridge for later use.
• Apple topping – Peel and core apples, then diced and toss with lemon juice. Add butter in pan at low heat.  Pour in diced apple, sugar and stir till sugar dissolved.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes till apples are tender, then add cornstarch solution and stir well. Off heat and add raisins, stir well again and set aside to cool.
• Crumble topping – combine all ingredients  – rub butter into flour mixture till crumbly with your finger tips. Keep chill in fridge.
• Cheese filling – Cream the cheese and sugar together at low speed. Gradually pour in whipping, beat till smooth at medium speed. Continue beating and vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, mix well .
• Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until all combined followed by 2 tablespoon of flour. Transfer cheese mixture into a large bowl.
• In another clean bowl, whisk egg whites and lemon juice till foamy. Add sugar in batches and whisk to peak form. Use a rubber spatula to fold egg whites to cheese mixture in 3 batches.
• Gently pour cheese mixture into prepared cake pan. (Wrap the cake pan with aluminium foil to prevent cheesecake batter seeped through the pan).
• Steam bake cheesecake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for 30 minutes till the top semi-set.
• Take out the cake pan from the oven.  Spread cooked apple on top followed by the crumble topping and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.
• Remove cheesecake from pan after cooling. Chill cheesecake for several hours before serving.