Apple Tart Cake Ingredients

• 1/2 lb plain flour

• 4 oz butter (or margarine)

• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

• 4 tablespoons caster sugar (Baker’s Sugar, Superfine sugar or make your own-below recipe)

  • (Do NOT use 10x, Powdered or Confectioners sugar)

• 1 lb of peeled and sliced apples...(no middle either)

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons of milk

Baking Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F

• Line a 8" cake tin with baking sheet/ grease proof paper.

• Sift the flour and spice into a bowl, rub in butter until it makes breadcrumbs, add sugar and finely sliced apples.

• Beat eggs and mix into the bowl. If the ingredients seem dry add the milk but it shouldn't be sloppy

• Apple juices will wet the cake when cooked.

• Put into the tin then into the oven for 1-1 1/4 hours or until firm to touch.

• Put on a wire tray once cooked and remove paper once cooled. Sprinkle sugar before serving.

Homemade Caster Sugar:

Hard to find in some countries, you can try to order it online but it is rather expensive, so you can make your own which is almost as good.

• Add your regular white sugar to a food processor and process it.

• Add a little extra sugar to account for the amount that may stay in the processor or be processed into dust (about ½ cup). You also should keep a kitchen towel over the lid of the processor, so as to trap that dust inside a little better even with the lid on. Keep an eye on your regular white sugar as it processes: about 1-2 minutes for this, but if you process it too long then you may accidentally make powdered sugar, and need to start over

• You also should use colder firmer butter when using this sugar as the mixer will help break down the sugar and whisk in your eggs at a low speed for the same reason.

Crust Ingredients

• 1½ cups (150g) gingersnap cookie crumbs*

• ¼ teaspoon each: ground ginger and ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, melted

• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Oven: Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

Crust Preparation

Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies into crumbs. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter until combined. Mixture will be sandy. Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. No need to grease the pan first. Pack the crust down tightly. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the hot pan on a large piece of aluminum foil. The foil will wrap around the pan for the water bath. Allow crust to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.

Cheesecake Ingredients

• Four 8-ounce blocks (904g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature

• 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar

• ⅓ cup (80g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup (227g) pumpkin puree*

• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• Topping Suggestions:

Salted Caramel and Whipped Cream

Cheesecake Preparation

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the final egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. To help prevent the cheesecake from deflating and cracking as it cools, avoid over-mixing the batter as best you can.

Scoop out 2 cups of batter and place in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until combined. Begin adding spoonfuls of each batter, the plain and the pumpkin, on top of the crust. Alternate until all the batter is used and pan is filled. Using a toothpick or knife, swirl the batters together by dragging the toothpick top to bottom, then left to right.

Prepare the simple water bath. Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. As the water is heating up, wrap the aluminum foil around the springform pan. Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the roasting pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in. Whichever is easier for you.)

Bake cheesecake for 55-70 minutes or until the center is almost set. When it’s done, the center of the cheesecake will slightly wobble if you gently shake the pan. Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour as it cools down. Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Add toppings, if desired. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving, Wipe the knife clean and dip into warm water between each slice.

Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Helpful Hints!

Make sure you’re using blocks of cream cheese, not cream cheese spread.

All of the cheesecake batter ingredients must be at room temperature so the batter remains smooth and combines quickly, so as to not over-beat the eggs.

Do not over-mix the cheesecake batter

Bake cheesecake in a water bath

Leave cheesecake in the cooling oven for 1 hour

Cool completely at room temperature before chilling