Apple Cheesecake Streusel Buns
Soft brioche-style buns filled with a creamy vanilla cheesecake center and spiced cinnamon apples, finished with a buttery crumble and sweet glaze.
Ingredients
The Dough:
- 400 g 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 200 ml 1 cup Whole milk, warmed
- 1 Large egg
- 65 g Unsalted butter softened
- 10 g Instant yeast
- 60 g 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 packet 8g Vanilla sugar
- Pinch of salt
The Fillings:
- Cheesecake: 200g Cream cheese 2 tbsp sugar, 1 packet vanilla sugar.
- Apple: 2 Apples peeled/diced, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water.
The Toppings:
- Crumble: 20g 1 tbsp Cold butter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup flour.
- Glaze: 1 cup Powdered sugar 2 tbsp milk.
- Egg Wash: 1 Egg yolk.
Instructions
- Dough: Mix all dough ingredients and knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled.
- Apples: Sauté diced apples with sugar and cinnamon until soft. Add the cornstarch-water slurry and stir until thickened. Let cool completely.
- Cheesecake: Whisk cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla sugar until smooth.
- Divide: Punch down dough and divide into 9 equal balls. Place on a parchment tray and rest for 15 minutes.
- Indentation: Press the center of each ball with a floured glass bottom to create a deep well.
- Assemble: Brush the edges with egg yolk. Fill the center with 1 tbsp cheesecake mixture, then 1 tbsp apple mixture.
- Crumble: Rub the cold butter, sugar, and flour together to make crumbs. Sprinkle over the buns.
- Bake: Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
- Finish: Drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze once slightly cooled.
Notes
- Cooling: Never put hot apple filling on top of the cream cheese, or it will curdle the mixture and flatten the dough.
- Apple Choice: Use firm apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp so they hold their shape.
- Texture: For extra crunch, add a handful of chopped pecans to the crumble topping.