Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese, blending until it is nice and smooth and creamy. Mix in sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 40 to 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely. This can be done in several hours or overnight.
CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line with a round of parchment and spray again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, butter and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until well combined. Stir in the shredded apples.
Divide batter between the two pans and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out fairly clean. Let the cake cool for at least 20 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper and discard.
FROSTING
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter. Mix in the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add the caramel and the cinnamon and continue to mix until well combined. Add the cream and mix until nice and creamy.
ASSEMBLY
Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Spread it with a small amount of frosting (it will act as a sort of glue to keep the layers from sliding).
Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the cheesecake to remove the frozen cheesecake from the pan. Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be a slightly larger round than your cake, move it to a cutting board and gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake to get it to the same size as your cake layers. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Again, cover the cheesecake with a small amount of frosting. Place the 2nd cake layer on top of the cheesecake.
To frost, start by adding a large scoop of frosting onto the top of the cake. Use a long, thin spatula to spread the frosting evenly across the top and then spread it down the sides of the cake too. Continue to spread over the top and spread down the sides until the cake is completely covered. Decorate, as desired.
Keep this cake refrigerated. Top individual servings with a slice of apple and a drizzle of caramel.
Notes
This cake might seem like an arduous task, but you can most certainly do most of it one day and finish it up the next. Bake the cake one day, let the layers cool completely, wrap them each in plastic wrap and then assemble and frost the next day. It should stay nice and moist.
It's important to line the cake pans with parchment paper. It will make the cakes come out of the pans easily, with no chunks left behind.
I highly recommend bake even cake strips- simply wrap them around the cake pan and they allow your cake to rise e-v-e-n-l-y!