100 / 100 · Sweet and Unhurried
Baked Cinnamon Cheesecake Apples
4 filled baked apples Active 20 min Total 1 hr 10 min
A hollowed apple becomes a small shell for vanilla cheesecake filling, with just enough cinnamon to warm its flavor. The apple and filling bake together until the fruit is tender and the center is set. Choose sturdy baking apples that can stand upright, and leave a thick wall of flesh when scooping so the sides do not collapse. A little water in the dish keeps the exposed lower skin from drying. Serve the apples warm after a short rest, when the filling has settled and is easy to spoon.
Scoop a cavity, not an empty shell
Remove the core from above while leaving the base intact. Then widen the opening to about one and a half inches, taking out enough flesh for the filling but retaining roughly a half-inch wall. A small melon baller helps, though a teaspoon and a paring knife can do the job carefully. If an apple rocks, trim a very thin slice from the bottom without cutting through the cavity.
Soften the cream cheese first
Cream cheese that is still cold can leave small lumps when mixed with the egg. Let it soften just enough to stir smoothly, then mix the ingredients without beating in excess air. The filling should sit slightly below the cavity rim so it has room to rise. Apples vary in firmness; cover loosely with foil if the filling is set before a thick apple wall has softened.
Rest before the first spoonful
The center is much hotter than it looks immediately after baking. A short rest also allows the cheesecake filling to settle back into the fruit. Lift each apple with a broad spoon or spatula so the tender base stays intact. Spoon a little of the buttery pan liquid around it if desired. No additional cream is needed: the filling already supplies the soft, rich contrast to the baked fruit.
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large firm baking apples, such as Honeycrisp or Braeburn (about 800 g total)
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened (170 g)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (38 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup water (80 ml)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 small pieces (14 g)
Set out
Small baking dish that fits four apples, Paring knife and melon baller or teaspoon, Mixing bowl, Instant-read thermometer, Foil
Allergens
Milk, egg. Check ingredient labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Slice about 1/4 inch from each apple top. Remove the cores from above, leaving the bases intact, and scoop cavities about 1 1/2 inches wide while keeping a roughly 1/2-inch wall of apple flesh.
- Stir the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon juice without beating in much air.
- Stand the apples in a small baking dish. Divide the filling among their cavities, stopping slightly below each rim. If any filling remains because the apples are small, bake it separately in a small greased ramekin rather than overfilling.
- Pour the water around the apples and put one piece of butter into the water beside each apple.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the apple walls are tender when pierced and the filling is set, reaching 160°F/71°C in its center. Firm apples may need another 5–10 minutes; cover loosely with foil if the filling colors early.
- Rest for 15 minutes before lifting onto plates. Spoon a little pan liquid around each apple and serve warm.
A useful detail
Do not pierce the apple bases when removing the cores, or the soft filling can leak into the baking dish.
Make it your own
- Use firm ripe pears, halved and carefully hollowed, dividing the filling among eight halves; begin checking after 25 minutes.
- Use 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest instead of cinnamon for a citrus-scented filling.
Keep it well
Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or colder for up to 3 days. Reheat a portion to 165°F/74°C, or serve chilled. The fruit softens further in storage.