Apple and Quince Honey Cheesecake with Four Spices

Bake a creamy apple quince cheesecake layered with honey-roasted fruit and warm four-spice notes; step-by-step instructions and tips included.

Apple-and-quince cheesecake with honey and quatre-épices is a seasonal French dessert that fuses classic American cheesecake technique with the warm flavours of Western European patisserie. The recipe layers a crisp, buttery biscuit base with a creamy filling of fresh cheese, eggs and sugar, then crowns the cake with cubes of apple and quince slowly candied in honey and perfumed with the “four-spice” blend—usually cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Chilled overnight for optimal texture, this aromatic cheesecake is typically served in autumn and winter, making it a popular make-ahead finale for Sunday lunches, holiday dinners or any occasion that calls for a comforting yet refined sweet course.

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Apple and Quince Honey Cheesecake with Four Spices

Designed for weeknight bakers, this rendition skips the tricky water bath and uses everyday fromage frais to keep the filling ultra-light. The slow honey confit doubles as a built-in glaze, meaning the cheesecake stays silky and picture-perfect for up to three days in the fridge.

Prep Time
40 minutes
Cook Time
130 minutes
Total Time
470 minutes
Servings: 8 Course: desserts

Ingredients

  • Speculoos (spiced) biscuits

  • Melted unsalted butter
  • Philadelphia-style cream cheese
  • Fromage blanc (or ricotta)
  • Eggs
  • Caster sugar
  • Cornflour (corn-starch)
  • Runny honey
  • Ground four-spice mix (quatre-épices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove)
  • Apples
  • Quinces
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Vanilla extract (optional but recommended for extra aroma)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C

  2. Grease a springform tin and line the base with baking parchment
  3. Crush the speculoos biscuits into fine crumbs
  4. Melt the butter gently
  5. Mix the melted butter with the biscuit crumbs until coated
  6. Press the crumb mixture firmly onto the base of the prepared tin
  7. Chill the tin in the refrigerator while preparing the filling
  8. Peel the apples and quinces
  9. Core the peeled fruit
  10. Dice the fruit into small cubes
  11. Pour the honey into a saucepan and warm it
  12. Add the diced fruit to the warm honey
  13. Sprinkle the four-spice mix over the fruit
  14. Squeeze a little lemon juice into the pan
  15. Cover the pan and cook the fruit over medium heat until tender
  16. Remove the lid and let the cooking liquid reduce until syrupy
  17. Transfer the compote to a plate and let it cool completely
  18. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth
  19. Add the caster sugar to the cream cheese and beat again
  20. Crack one egg into the bowl and beat until incorporated
  21. Repeat with the remaining eggs one at a time
  22. Fold the crème fraîche into the cheese mixture
  23. Stir in the vanilla extract
  24. Pour half of the cheese mixture over the chilled biscuit base
  25. Spread the cooled fruit compote evenly over the cheese layer
  26. Pour the remaining cheese mixture on top of the fruit layer
  27. Smooth the surface with a spatula
  28. Tap the tin gently on the work surface to release air bubbles
  29. Place the tin on a baking sheet
  30. Bake the cheesecake for about 55 minutes until just set
  31. Switch off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the door ajar for 1 hour
  32. Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake
  33. Let the cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack
  34. Cover the cooled cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours
  35. Remove the cheesecake from the tin
  36. Drizzle a little warm honey over the top
  37. Dust lightly with four-spice before serving

Nutrition

Calories
5620 kcal Protein
90 g Fat
373 g Carbs
507 g Fiber
26 g Sugar
376 g

Notes

Total Time: 470 minutes (includes baking, cooling, and 4h refrigeration)

Chef’s note: Toast the biscuit crumbs for 8 minutes at 180 °C before mixing in the butter; the pre-roast drives off moisture and keeps the base crackling crisp under the moist filling. No quince on hand? Swap in firm pears or even rehydrated dried apricots and poach them in the same honey–quatre-épices syrup for a comparable floral lift.

why this recipe

This apple quince cheesecake rewards every minute spent in the kitchen with layers of contrast that feel both comforting and refined: smooth, tangy cream cheese filling meets tender cubes of apple and quince slowly confited in honey, their natural sweetness deepened by a whisper of four-spice. The aromatic blend infuses the fruit and biscuit crust with gentle warmth—think cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg—so each bite offers a fragrant echo of autumn markets. Because the fruit is briefly sautéed before baking, it retains a delicate bite while releasing enough syrup to ripple through the creamy custard, creating marbled pockets of flavor that set this dessert apart from ordinary cheesecakes. Whether you serve it slightly chilled or at room temperature, the glistening honey glaze and subtle spice make it feel celebratory yet approachable, the kind of showpiece that disappears quickly but lingers in memory long after the plates are cleared.

FAQs

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Frequently Asked Questions

What fruit can I use as a substitute if I can’t find quince?
You can replace the quince with firm pears, treating them the same way in the honey–quatre-épices syrup. Alternatively, rehydrated dried apricots poached in the syrup give a similarly floral sweetness.
Q2: What can I use instead of fromage blanc (or ricotta) if it’s unavailable?
Use the same weight of full-fat Greek yogurt that has been drained for 30 minutes to thicken, or opt for crème fraîche loosened with a splash of milk until it matches the texture of fromage blanc. Both substitutes keep the filling light and tangy and bake at the same rate as the original recipe.
Can I make the cheesecake ahead of time, and how long will it keep?
Yes—this cheesecake actually improves after an overnight chill, so feel free to bake it up to 24 hours in advance. Kept tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it stays silky and flavour-true for about 3 days; just add any final honey drizzle or spice dusting right before serving to keep the top glossy and the spices aromatic.

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