First we want to get our oven preheated to 350, and prepare a square 8×8 inch pan by greasing and flouring, spraying with non-stick spray or lining it with parchment paper.
Now we’re going to start with the apple mixture. Combine your chopped apples, sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and melt it over medium heat. Add in apple mixture and cook over med/low heat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken and the apples are just a little soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Next comes the cheesecake filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla with in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at low to medium speed until everything is well incorporated and nice and smooth. Don't over mix this layer, you don't want a lot of air whipped into the cream cheese layer.
For the cake you can mix by hand or with an electric mixer. This isn't a typical cake batter, it is thicker, more like a sweet biscuit dough. A stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment works well.
First gently whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a small bowl, mixing until well blended.
Then with an electric mixer, or by hand, in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer mix the cream cheese and butter together, then add in the sugar, and continue mixing until everything is well incorporated.
Add in the egg and milk, and mix thoroughly.
Add in the flour mixture a little at a time mixing between each addition until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients.
Spread half of the cake dough across the bottom of your prepared pan, pressing into place evenly. Now spread the apple mixture across the cake layer evenly. Next dollop the cream cheese mixture over the apples making it as even as possible.
Top the cake with the remaining cake dough mixture. Dollop it across the top as evenly as possible across the top of the cake.
Now pop it in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is a nice light golden brown.
Let it cool before serving. It’s delicious warm, or cool, however you like it!
Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container.