keto
Caramel pecan cheesecake
Base/Crust:
A pecan crust as described here (made with butter, NOT chocolate).
Cheesecake Layer:
unbaked Low-Carb French Cheesecake filling
optional Apple Layer:
IF you are KETO or diabetic, skip this apple filling.
Add 1 tsp. of spices per 100g of apple (adjust for personal preference). I used a large amount of cinnamon, and small amounts of: ginger, cardamom, clove, and allspice.
Add a 20g of salted butter per 100g of apple and cook all ingredients together in a pot until the apples are cooked through. Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge.
Caramel Layer:
freshly-made sugar-free caramel (thin it with extra cream if you are layering this dessert in a glass or cup, but keep it thick if you will be slicing or un-molding it)
a few drops of maple flavoring (optional)
Decoration:
whole pecans + large-crystal salt (kosher)
Instructions:
Spread the pecan crust into the bottom/base of your pan of choice. Compact it with the back of a spoon, your fingers, or the bottom of a cup.
Pour in a layer of unbaked French Cheesecake twice as thick as the crust layer.
Bake according to French Cheesecake instructions, then chill fully.
Once chilled, gently spread a layer of cooked apples on top of the baked cheesecake, making sure not to press too hard, and maintaining a thin layer if you are diabetic or in ketosis (to keep the carb count low).
Prepare or re-warm your caramel, mix in the maple flavoring if desired, then carefully pour it in a thin layer over the apples.
Chill the entire dessert in the fridge for minimum of 1 hour, or until the caramel has completely cooled.
Decorate the dessert with whole pecans and large-crystal salt as desired. (See video above for ideas).
Alternatives:
The video above shows how to create this multiple ways, including baking the cheesecake with apples in the center. I found that the way described above results in the prettiest presentation, but feel to try out different variations.