Ingredients

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped
1/3 cup salted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 pkg cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup sour cream

Topping:

6 apples
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 tbsp amber rum
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cardamom powder

Preparation:

Grease and line side of 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper;.
In bowl, stir together crumbs, walnuts and butter until moistened; press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake in 350°F oven until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Cheesecake: Into small bowl, sift sugar to remove any lumps. In stand mixer with paddle or in bowl with hand mixer, beat cream cheese with sugar at high speed for 5 minutes, scraping down bowl. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla and cinnamon. Beat in sour cream. Pour over crust.
Set pan in larger pan; pour in enough hot water to come 1 inch up side of pan. Bake in 325°F oven until set but centre still jiggles slightly, about 1hour
Transfer spring form pan to rack and remove foil; let cool. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Topping: Peel, core and thinly slice apples; toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; stir in sugar and cook until melted and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add apples, cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk rum with cornstarch and cardamom powder; stir into apples and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with cheese cake.