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Caramel Apple Cheesecake

By September 14, 2015February 18th, 2023Desserts, Holiday Recipes

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

TESTIMONY OF THE DAY

Phone Client Update!

“Hi Maria! I here is my report after 1 week…

1. Overall, I am feeling much, much better health wise. On days when I “stick to plan”, take all my supplements, and get my 8 hours sleep I feel FANTASTIC….almost like I’m on an energy high!!

2. I’ve lost 10 pounds already and I have not even been “perfect” or exercising as much as I normally do during triathlon season (just training for the 10 miler).

3. I’m learning so much, I never, ever, knew from all your stuff, I’m still trying to read it all, print it all, and digest it all in bits and pieces….just because my stepson and job do not allow for large blocks of time!! I’ve also done research out on a lot of what you have provided/said and you are dead right about everything it is amazing. I just wish I could digest it all quicker, but I know it will be an ongoing learning process………

4. I was a PASTA AND BREAD fanatic…..I bet I ate those things one way or another 80% of the time!!! I have cut all of that out and mostly I don’t even want it……I thought I would be drooling in every direction at all of it…..but I’m not….I look at it and my body almost says…..”do it and you will feel crappy”!!!! It is weird!!! Now I almost CRAVE GOOD foods!!! I hope this lasts……(the supplements help so much!)

5. I told Kari earlier this week, this is one of the best things I have ever, ever done in my life!!! (along with finding triathlon, etc……I feel like this was a missing component).

If you want to get started on your “after” photo, click HERE. 

The 30 day meal plans will help you take the planning out of how to get the perfect keto ratios in your meals.

Treats that are dairy free will also be included!

 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

HERBS vs FRUITS

A lot of American’s are ingrained with the idea that they should be eating an apple a day so they pick a big red Golden Delicious feeling like they are doing a “body good.”

Not necessarily; many times we focus on taste, or should I say sugar content, to stimulate sales. In the book, Eating on the Wild Side, Jo Robinson’s reviews a 2009 study that refers to 46 overweight men with high cholesterol and triglycerides who agreed to participate in an eating experiment. Half of the men stayed on their regular diets, serving as a control group. The other 23 added an apple to their fare. The goal was to determine if eating an apple a day would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. At the end of the study, the men who ate the apple a day had higher levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol than before the study began. The conclusion is that the apples used were too low in phytonutrients to lower the men’s bad cholesterol, and too high in sugar causing an increase in their triglycerides.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

 

For example, most animals have learned how to become fat and how to become thin. They do it in a tightly regulated way… Hibernating mammals will double their weight and fat in the fall in preparation for winter… I realized that I can learn by reading the studies about these animals. As I read them, I had another insight, which had not been appreciated before; these animals develop all the features of metabolic syndrome that we do. They get fat. Their visceral fat goes up. They get fatty liver. The triglycerides go up in their blood. They get insulin-resistant… It’s a normal process.

Millions of years ago, our ancestors consumed fructose from natural fruits rather than the massive doses of high fructose corn syrup like we do today, but they still experienced this fat-gaining phenomenon. During the summer, they would consume large amounts of fruit and would put on weight in order to survive the famine during the colder months when fruits were unavailable. This led to a genetic mutation that resulted in a greater uric acid response to fructose. The more sugar we eat, the more uric acid our bodies produce, which increases our liver and intestines’ ability to absorb sugar, which is a bad thing! Obese people absorb fructose effortlessly, where skinny people don’t absorb it as well.

It is a detrimental snowball effect for my obese clients; the more sugar they eat, the more uric acid you make; which leads to the sensitivity to fructose absorption. Once you head down that path, it is almost impossible to stop. This is why I have to get so extreme with clients and cut out fruit too. If you start soon enough and cut out all foods that are creating the fat-creating snowball, you can recover, but if you don’t, you will lose the fat-burning, energy-producing mitochondria and you can’t restore them. At this point, you reset your fat cells at higher set point and our bodies want to stay at that set point for homeostasis.

You can try and try to lose weight, but our fat cells have memory. They are cozy in your body and think they are protecting you. This causes the hormone leptin to be mis-firing too. Leptin and ghrelin are very important hormones that work like a “checks and balances” that manage hunger and fullness. Ghrelin, produced in the stomach, increases appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a message to our brain when we are full. This imbalance causes us to intensely crave food and never feel full. The worst part is that we don’t crave broccoli, we crave high calorie sweets and starchy foods. Over time, this imbalance can easily lead to long-term weight gain. Since insulin, ghrelin and leptin, function as significant indicators to the central nervous system in the long-term regulation of energy balance, decreases of circulating insulin and leptin and increased ghrelin concentrations, studies prove that it leads to increased caloric intake and eventually contribute to increased fat cells during high consumption of fructose.

HEALTH TIP: A damaged liver causes low moods and can lead to serious depression. Are you depressed? Get your liver checked and eliminate all foods that bog down your liver.

NO FRUIT? How will I get nutrients? When I am asked if I eat fruits, I jokingly say of course! I eat avocado, olives and tomatoes! But most people think I am a bit extreme when I limit most vegetable consumption for my clients too. To get keto adapted, even some low-starch vegetables may keep someone with a damaged metabolism out of ketosis. Which is why my Accelerated 30 day meal plans are so detailed with what low-starch vegetables are allowed to get into ketosis fast.

We need to update the recommendation of eating 9 servings of fruits and vegetables for maximum health. This suggestion has a few issues with it. A few years ago, I read that most kids actually do get the recommended servings for fruits and vegetables. Are you shocked to read this? Yep, they eat French fries, onion rings and ketchup. Sad, but it does fit the guidelines. Will you reap the benefits of eating 7-9 servings of these foods? Absolutely not.

So even if you aren’t even eating French fries or ketchup, eating 3 bananas a day isn’t a good idea. Studies prove that the current state of the produce we consume is relatively low in phytonutrients, and much higher in sugar than it was in our Paleo days. All of the fruits and vegetables displayed in our supermarkets have much less nutrients than what you would find in the wild. Consumers want fruit that tastes sweet. This is why we now have “Cotton Candy Grapes!” Traditional grapes weren’t sweet enough, so we modified them to satisfy our kid’s desire for sweets in order for them to eat fruit. The sad part is, we think it is a good thing when our kids eat massive amounts of fruits. The more palatable our produce has become, the less beneficial they are for our health. The most beneficial phytonutrients have a bitter, sour or astringent taste.

Sure many high sugar fruits have healthy antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C and E. Antioxidants protect cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food BUT you produce little to no free radicals if you stay in a keto-adapted state. And what is interesting is an orange that is high in vitamin C also has a lot of sugar. Glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another when entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells. If there is more glucose around, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell. It doesn’t take much: a blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index by 75%. So when you eat sugar, think of your immune system slowing down to a crawl. Instead try parsley or bell peppers!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, oregano and basil are the most nutritious plants you can consume. For example, everyone things spinach is the perfect food, but fresh oregano has eight times the amount of antioxidants! Sure, we don’t eat a cup of oregano like we would spinach, but it does go to show that a little bit provides a huge benefit. Instead of consuming fruits and starchy veggies that have fructose and raise blood sugar quickly, I suggest using herbs, vanilla beans and spices more often in your cooking preparations.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

If browning butter seems daunting, check out just how easy this flavor bomb is to make!

OPTIONAL: I made this without the crust and it was still awesome! If you do not have cocoa butter, skip the crust!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Maria Emmerich
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Servings 12
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • CRUST:
  • 1 ½ cups almond flour or pecan meal
  • cup Natural Sweetener
  • ¼ cup butter melted
  • FILLING:
  • 5 8 ounce packages cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups Natural Sweetener or powdered erythritol*
  • 1 tsp stevia glycerite
  • 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp apple extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon Redmond Real salt
  • CARAMEL Apple SAUCE:
  • 1/2 cup Natural Sweetener
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp apple extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • CRUST: Place all the ingredients into a medium bowl and combine well with a hand mixer until the mixture resembles sand. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Place in the oven to bake for 8 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
  • FILLING: In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with natural sweeteners until smooth. Blend in almond milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in extract and salt; combine until smooth. Pour ½ the batter into greased spring-form pan. Reserve the rest.
  • CARAMEL SAUCE: Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go – the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As soon as it comes to a boil, watch for specks of brown (this is brown butter….SO GOOD on veggies!). Immediately add the sweetener and the cream to the pan. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  • Spoon ½ the caramel sauce into the ½ way full cheesecake batter. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.
  • Then top with the rest of the cheesecake batter and the caramel sauce. Cut through batter again several times for a marble effect.
  • Bake 55 minutes or until center is almost set (a water bath helps to cook the cheesecake evenly). If you are not using a water bath, I suggest placing a lined baking sheet under the cheesecake to catch any overflow or leaking. If you don’t use a water bath, when done baking, turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking.
  • Cool completely.
  • Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Makes 12 servings. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Notes

Nutritional Information:
569 calories, 54g fat, 12g protein, 7g carbs, 1.5g fiber
P:E Ratio 0.2

Are you concerned about the price of almond flour (not to mention the carbs in nuts)? No worries!

The Ketogenic Cookbook is almond-flour free! Find your copy HERE!

Thank you for your love and support!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Maria Emmerich

Maria is a wellness expert who has helped clients follow a Ketogenic lifestyle to heal and lose weight for over 20 years. She has helped thousands of clients get healthy, get off medications and heal their bodies; losing weight is just a bonus. She is the international best selling author of several books including "Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet.".

28 Comments

  • Jeanne says:

    Looks so good! As I am trying yet again to get, and STAY, keto adapted, I find I am having trouble getting to sleep…. I am in ketosis, but not yet completely fat adapted, I take melatonin to help get to sleep ( and have for years). Do I just increase it? I also take magnesium and potassium by the way.

  • sarah says:

    This looks soooo good but I just cannot bear the taste of Stevie. It’s a deal breaker for me. Shame because looks like you have created a masterpiece here for sure!

  • Jackie says:

    Where do you get the apple extract?

  • Teresa says:

    Where do you find cocoa butter?

  • Lilia says:

    Looks great. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Hope butter (made in Hope, MN – just a few miles south of Owatonna off #35). It is the best butter I have ever tasted, literally. I pick it up in Hope, but it is also sold in the Twin Cities in the Byerly’s stores. I will be trying their special baking butter, which has a higher fat content than their regular butter (which, again, is absolutely outstanding). I am not sure if you can get the higher-fat content butter at a store though. If you see it, you should give it a try. I am drooling after watching the video about browned butter and thought about how good the best butter ever would taste browned …

  • Beth says:

    This looks amazing – can’t wait to try it. do you have the nutritional information? I am curious how many carbs. I am very excited to see your new cookbook as well. I lost 70 pounds in 2014 and your books were invaluable to me, I think I have almost all of them. Thanks for all you do and your knowledge and inspiration. You are amazing!

    • mary says:

      I did the nutritional info on Myfitnesspal.com and according to the site the information is Servings 12.0
      Amount Per Serving
      calories 269
      % Daily Value *
      Total Fat 25 g 38 %
      Saturated Fat 17 g 85 %
      Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
      Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
      Trans Fat 0 g
      Cholesterol 115 mg 38 %
      Sodium 237 mg 10 %
      Potassium 107 mg 3 %
      Total Carbohydrate 10 g 3 %
      Dietary Fiber 6 g 22 %
      Sugars 5 g
      Protein 6 g

  • Mary says:

    Just noticed your Ketogenic Cookbook is available on Kindle. Woo hoo!

  • krickt says:

    I think I’ve mentioned I’m a teacher in here before, science teacher on top of that. My “duty” this week is to patrol the cafeteria before school (breakfast) and at lunch. I haven’t been in a lunch room in a couple of years, and I was shocked.
    Breakfast this morning for these kids was a biscuit, gravy with a little bit of sausage in it, mixed fruit in syrup, low fat or non-fat (chocolate) milk, and orange juice. I think I calculated the carbs at almost 175g, considering that even the the food pyramid only recomends around 300g of carbs in a day, that was a huge dump of sugar into these kids. Lunch was bread roll, chicken breast with bbq sauce slathered all over it, and more fruit in syrup. They offer a salad to these guys, but the dressings are all sweet, they had crazins as a “veggie”, and croutons. Several kids were skipping the high sugar lunch in favor of a salad, but after they loaded it down with dried fruit and french dressing, they weren’t seeing any benefits.
    We are covering the 4 types of nutrients (carbs, prot, lipids and nucleic acids), and I wore them out on the difference in starch and sugar. They think I’m nuts (I don’t eat while at school, unless it’s a spoonful of cream cheese or a scant handful of nuts, but that’s rare) because I won’t eat their food, and I’m always calling it poison. But after today’s lesson on nutrients/chemistry, they finally got it, it’s been entertaining (from my point of view) to see it click, that eating starchy foods is the same as eating sugar straight out of the bowl.

    Anyway, this article just hit me where I’ve been living, right in the trenches.
    Thanks for giving me so many resources!
    k

  • Can i brown ghee the same way you brown butter?

  • Rebecca says:

    Do you prebake the crust at all? Also when you add the cream and sweetner to the caramel sauce do you leave it on the heat or remove it at that point. I made this last night, although delicious it doesn’t look as nice as yours. Thanks for the great recipe.

  • Connie N says:

    Do you know if erythirtol/stevia would work on the caramel?

  • Wendy says:

    I would love to have a reason to make this full recipe, but I am the only one in the household who happily consumes Swerve. Everyone else in my family wants their cane sugar and the like.

    Please Maria, do you have any single serve cheesecake recipes that can be made in a muffin tin, or a 4 serving recipe that can be made in a smaller springform or tart pan? I really want to make this, but don’t want 12 servings in the house for just me! Thank you for everything you do!

    • krickt says:

      You could always make little “cupcakes” Freeze what you can’t eat for now, and keep out what you can consume in a week or so.
      k

  • James says:

    Maria, can I use Mascarpone instead of cream cheese. Would I need to adjust the amounts or add or subtract given the nature of Mascarpone. I love the consistency as I tried it in the Ketogenic Cookbook in the Apple Fudge recipe. Help please, I’m doing it soon. Thanks and thanks to a great cookbook. Have lost 5 lbs in 3 weeks!

  • Susan says:

    Great post! I am curious about the science about this statement: “Glucose and vitamin C have similar chemical structures, so…they compete for one another when entering the cells.” I’d love to read more! As a keto enthusiast I have read so much great info but this one is new to me. Could you tell us more or link to some other resources? Thanks!

  • Amy says:

    I am going to make this for my 50th birthday party this weekend with a maple bacon crust and maybe just caramel flavor instead of Apple. Looks delicious!

  • susie says:

    Hi Maria!! LOVE your recipes and this one is next on my list!! Could you recommend a good quality apple extract? Thanks so much!!

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