Crustless Chai Spiced Apple Cider Cheesecakes

Hi Bakers,

These crustless chai-spiced apple cheesecakes are the cozy fall dessert you didn’t know you needed. Made with one block of cream cheese, warm spices, and a reduced apple cider syrup that packs all the flavor of apple pie into one rich spoonful. Made quickly in one bowl, these might be the easiest cheesecake you've ever made! Be sure to make the cider syrup first ( which takes about an hour, or you can make it ahead of time)
Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of cider syrup, some apple slices, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Want to take it further? Add a quick apple pie filling. Check out a previous blog post if you want to use my recipe. Craving dip instead? Serve it with gluten-free graham for the perfect dip. This makes 3 adorable personal cheesecakes. Try it and let me see your beautiful bakes!

Crustless Chai Spiced Apple Cheesecake

Makes three 3.25” cheesecakes

1  8-oz block of cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tazo Chai teabag*

1 large egg

1/8 cup apple cider syrup**

Topping

apple cider syrup

whipped cream

Garnish

apple slices

cinnamon

Optional

apple pie filling for extra special topping

gluten-free graham crackers to dip into cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill a baking pan with 1”-1.5” of water and set it aside. Baking the cheesecakes in ramekins set in the water-filled pan will cook them more evenly.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth, and then add sugar and ground chai tea. Mix well. Add the apple cider syrup and finally the egg. Beat on low until just mixed. Scrape down the sides and mix again. Divide the batter into three ramekins and bake for about 20 minutes or until they jiggle a bit in the center when tapped and coat a knife with some cooked cheesecake when poked in the center. There should be some thickened cheesecake batter on the knife; you don’t want it to come clean! Cheesecakes will cook more as they cool. Use a metal spatula to carefully lift the ramekins out of the water bath. Let cool at room temp about 20 minutes, then cover and set in the fridge to chill at least 2 hours. Top the cheesecakes with apple cider syrup, whipped cream, apple slices, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Miss the crust?? Dip graham crackers into the cheesecake for a dessert dip instead.

* Finely grind the dried tea with some of the sugar using a mortar and pestle or a small spice grinder.

** My 1-ingredient cider syrup recipe

Boil 1/2 gallon fresh apple cider in a wide-bottom pot over high heat Keep boiling for about an hour until it’s 1/8 original volume and coats the back of a spoon. Pour into a lidded container and chill. Syrup thickens as it cools. Store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.