Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Follow the instructions at the above recipe link and press just enough dough into the bottom of a 7-1/2 or 8-inch spring form pan to line it. Be sure to press the dough thinly into the corners where the bottom meets the sides of the pan, as well as all of the way up the sides. Freeze the remaining dough For a future mini cheesecake. Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil to prevent leakage of butter from the crust as well as preventing water from getting into the cake later during baking. Place the pan on a cookie/baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a metal rack.

Spoon some of the apple pie filling onto the cooled crust and distribute evenly. Set the remaining filling aside to top the baked cheesecake.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sour cream and beat until fully combined.

Place the cheesecake pan in a larger baking dish or roasting pan and place in the oven with the shelf halfway outside of the door. Fill the pan/dish halfway up the side of the cheesecake with boiling water. Carefully slide the shelf fully inside of the oven.

Bake until the center of the cake is set, about 55 minutes.

Turn off the oven and remove the pan and cheesecake; place them on top of the stove. Return the cheesecake to the center shelf of the oven and the baking dish of water to a lower shelf. Close the door and allow to bake and slowly cool for 20 minutes.

Set on a cooling rack, still inside the pan and cool for 4 hours on top of the stove.

Remove the ring from the springform pan by loosening any stuck-on cheesecake using a plastic knife or spatula to prevent scratching your pan. Using two spatulas (offset spatulas work most easily), loosen the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan and transfer to a cake board or serving dish.

At this point you may freeze the cheesecake, before adding the toppings, for future use. Just freeze the cheesecake as is and then wrap thoroughly with plastic wrap, as tightly as possible and then with foil. Then, the day before the event defrost overnight in the refrigerator and a little longer, if necessary, at room temperature. However, make the caramel topping the day before serving the cheesecake allowing the caramel sauce to cool.

Fold in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dulce de leche to the remaining apple pie filling and add this mixture to the top of the cheesecake.

Follow the recipe for Dulce de Leche, but only use half the amount of ingredients. However, you can make the full recipe and use the leftovers to simply eat by the spoonful or as an ice cream topping. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. (If making in advance, refrigerate and bring to room temperature when ready to serve by microwaving in 10-second intervals, stirring in between.)

Just prior to serving, drizzle on top of the cheesecake. You can also drizzle over individual slices, if some people prefer less sweet desserts. Just realize that the cheesecake filling is not very sweet, allowing the sweetness of the apple pie filling and caramel topping to sweeten it perfectly.