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Paleo Caramel Apple Cheesecake - You will never believe this creamy caramel apple paleo cheesecake is vegan friendly and gluten, grain and dairy free! The perfect healthy comfort food dessert for the fall! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit
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Apple Paleo Cheesecake with Caramel

Read notes carefully, as cheesecake needs to be made one day in advance.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 16 People
Calories 388kcal
Author FoodFaithFitness

Ingredients

For the cheesecake:

  • 3 Tbsp Flax meal
  • 7 1/2 Tbsp Warm water
  • 2 1/2 Cups Roasted cashews, * soaked in water overnight *
  • 1 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • 10 Tbsp Coconut sugar (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)
  • 5 Tbsp Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 5 Tbsp Honey (or agave for vegan)
  • 2 Tbsp Ghee, melted (or vegan butter)
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Amoretti Apple Pie with Crust Extract
  • Pinch of sea salt

For the crust:

  • 1/3 Cup Ghee, at room temperature (the consistency of softened butter - or use vegan butter)
  • 3 Tbsp Honey (or agave)
  • 3/4 Cup Coconut flour, sifted (66g) **
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • Pinch of sea salt

For the caramel:

  • 1/2 Cup Coconut sugar
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp Full-fat coconut milk
  • 3 Tbsp Ghee, at room temperature (or vegan butter)

For the Apples:

  • 4 Large apples, sliced 1/3 inch thick (I used Fuji)
  • Lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1/4 Cup Ghee (or vegan butter)
  • 1/2 Cup Coconut sugar
  • Cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 Tbsp of flax meal and 7 1/2 Tbsp of warm water and place into the refrigerator to gel while you make the cheesecake.
  • lace the soaked cashews into a high-powered blender (make sure you drained the water into the sink first!) along with all of the other ingredients for the cheesecake. Puree until thick, smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Set aside while you make the crust. Note: you want to be able to pour the cheesecake onto the crust as SOON as it's out of the oven, which is why it's best to prepare it first.
  • In a large bowl, beat together ghee and honey for the crust, until smooth. Stir in the coconut flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until well mixed. The dough may be a little wet - that's normal!
  • Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 9 inch Spring form pan.
  • Bake until the edges of the crust are lightly golden brown, about 7-8 minutes.
  • When the crust has about 2 minutes left to bake, transfer the cashew mixture into a large bowl and pour in the flax eggs from the refrigerator. You want to leave them into the refrigerator as long as possible, so they can really gel up. Stir until the flax is evenly mixed into the cashew cream.
  • Remove the crust from the oven. Your crust with most likely have risen in a few spots. Just use a small spoon to pack it back down flat, leaving no cracks. Immediately pour the cheesecake mixture over top and smooth out evenly.
  • Bake until the cheesecake has risen slightly and the outside appears set and firm,about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the counter. Then, cover and refrigerate overnight to completely set.
  • The next day, combine all of the caramel ingredients in a SMALL sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring so everything is melted and combined.
  • Once boiling, let it boil for 1 minute without stirring. Then boil, stirring frequently, until it begins to thicken, darken and reduce, about 2 minutes. Once thick, transfer to a bowl and let it stand for 15 minutes to further thicken, stirring occasionally. 
  • While the caramel sits. Toss the sliced apples in a squeeze of lemon juice and heat the ghee in a large, high-sided frying pan on medium-high heat.
  • Once the ghee is melted, add the apples into the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are golden brown and fork-tender, about 5-6 minutes.
  • Add in the coconut sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon and cook until the sugar melts and is syrupy, about 1 minute.
  • Run a sharp knife around the outsides of the Springform pan, and then release the sides from the pan.  Spread the caramel over top of the cheesecake.
  • Arrange apples in concentric circles atop cheesecake and brush apples with any juices left in skillet. 
  • Slice and DEVOUR!

Notes

*I buy my cashews pre-roasted. If you're aren't, stick them in a 400 degree oven for just a few minutes, until lightly golden brown.
**I've made this crust with different brands of coconut flour and, to get 66g, some brands need less than 3/4 cup. So, I STRONGLY urge you to weigh your flour to make sure you get perfect results.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23.7g | Saturated Fat: 10.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.5g | Cholesterol: 26.3mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 161.5mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 13.1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1.9mg