This cherry cheesecake recipe is a brilliant creamy traditional cheesecake topped with juicy cherries in a golden, baked Graham cracker crust. I’ll present you learn how to bake the proper cheesecake that’s crack-free! And you may make the cherry topping from scratch or save time with a can of cherry pie filling!
A cherry cheesecake was the proper means to make use of up leftover filling once I made an excessive amount of for my do-it-yourself cherry pie. I baked a traditional cheesecake and topped it with a layer of juicy cherries. It was so good! The distinction of wealthy and creamy vanilla cheesecake with the candy, tart, tangy cooked cherries is be.yond. It’s excellent.
Causes You’ll Love This Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
- Wealthy, creamy cheesecake. The bottom is a dense and creamy New York-style cheesecake, created from scratch.
- Step-by-step. I embody all of my greatest ideas and easy steps for an ideal, crack-free cheesecake.
- Festive for the vacations. The juicy purple cherries and snowy white cheesecake make this an ideal Christmas dessert. I take advantage of frozen cherries, so it’s actually a year-round recipe. Canned cherry pie filling may even work!
What You’ll Want
You’ll want the next components to make a traditional cheesecake, together with the wealthy do-it-yourself cherry pie filling for the topping. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the total recipe quantities.
- Graham Crackers – To mix and mix with melted butter and brown sugar to make a simple do-it-yourself graham cracker crust. I take advantage of about 14-15 full sheets of crackers to make sufficient crust for a 9” pan.
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese will give the cheesecake an extra-rich, creamy texture.
- Greek Yogurt – Bitter cream is an effective substitute in the event you want one.
- Sugar and Eggs – Our baking fundamentals, to present the cheesecake construction.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is greatest.
- Vanilla Extract – Or an equal quantity of vanilla paste.
- Flour – All-purpose flour, measured utilizing a kitchen scale or the spoon and degree technique. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Don’t scoop! Afterward, degree off the cup with the again of a knife to keep away from packing in an excessive amount of flour.
Cherry Topping
- Cherries – I take advantage of frozen cherries and thaw them first. You may also make the topping with recent cherries in the event that they’re in season. Chances are you’ll have to simmer the cherry filling for barely longer, on this case.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar or mild brown sugar, to sweeten and caramelize the topping. I additionally add a bit salt for steadiness.
- Cornstarch – To mix with water and lemon juice to make a slurry. This helps thicken the filling.
Cheesecake Tip: Use Room Temperature Substances
Earlier than you start, carry fridge-cold components like cream cheese, yogurt, and eggs, to room temperature. Doing so avoids lumps within the cheesecake and uneven baking. If you could do that in a rush, these are some fast tips:
- Soften cream cheese rapidly. Pour boiling water right into a heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl. Depart it to heat up for five minutes. Then, dump out the water and place the bowl over the cream cheese. Wait one other 10-Quarter-hour, and the warmth from the bowl ought to soften the cream cheese proper up!
- Deliver eggs to room temperature. Place the chilly eggs in a bowl of heat (not sizzling) water and allow them to sit for 10 minutes.
- Deliver the bitter cream to room temperature rapidly. Ideally, the bitter cream ought to come to room temperature regularly. Nevertheless, in the event you want it warmed in a rush, you should utilize the microwave. Warmth in 5-10 second increments and stir in between till it’s now not chilly. Don’t overheat the bitter cream; in any other case, it modifications the feel.
Extra Suggestions and Variations
- Bake in a water tub. Wrapping the pan and baking the cheesecake in a water tub is one of the simplest ways to make sure a cheesecake with out cracks. Don’t skip this step! I am going into this intimately within the recipe steps.
- Gradual cooling is vital. Sudden temperature modifications could cause the cheesecake to crack or sink. Cool the cheesecake contained in the oven with the door ajar, then at room temperature, and at last within the fridge in a single day.
- Change up the fruit within the topping. Nearly any fruit or pie filling will work instead of cherries on high of this cheesecake! Swap cherries for recent or frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or berry pie filling. You may also make a fall model topped with apple pie filling.
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For the cheesecake layer:
Make the crust:
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Prep your instruments. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a chunk of butter to grease a 9-inch springform baking pan. As an additional step, you can even line the underside and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper.
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Mix the butter and sugar. Mix the melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir till the sugar dissolves.
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Add the crackers. Pulse the crackers in a meals processor till you will have crumbs. Measure to be sure to have the correct quantity, then add the crumbs to the butter combination and stir till properly mixed.
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Form the crust. Add the crumb combination to your pan, spreading it throughout the underside. Utilizing a cup or tall glass, push the crust base towards the perimeters and a bit up the edges. Press down firmly to compress the crust into the underside and edges.
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Bake the crust. Bake your crust within the heated oven for 8-10 minutes. Take away the crust and put aside. Then, scale back the oven temperature to 320ºF.
Put together the filling:
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Begin making your base. Mix the cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar in a big stand mixer bowl. Utilizing the paddle attachment (or a hand-held mixer), beat the components till {smooth} and properly mixed.
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Add the eggs. Steadily add the eggs, one after the other, beating properly after every addition.
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End the filling. Add lemon juice, vanilla extract, and flour. Beat briefly till mixed.
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Add to your crust. Pour the filling into the crust. Gently {smooth} the floor with the again of a spoon or a spatula.
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Put together the water tub. Wrap your pan with a number of layers of industrial quality, large aluminum foil, masking the underside and sides. Use a crisscross sample. Place the wrapped pan into a bigger roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with 1-inch sizzling water. (see my notes beneath for extra data)
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Bake. Fastidiously transfer the cheesecake to the oven and bake the cake for 1 hour and half-hour at 320ºF.
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Cool. Flip off the oven and crack the door open just a few inches. You’ll be able to prop it open with a wood spoon or a folded kitchen towel to let the cheesecake cool slowly and stop cracking. Cool the cheesecake for about 1 hour whereas within the oven. Then take away it from the oven and permit it to chill on the counter to room temperature.
Put together the cherry topping:
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Cook dinner the cherries. In the meantime, add the cherries, water, and sugar to a medium sauce pot and produce to a simmer.
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Make the slurry. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the two tablespoons of water and the lemon juice till fully {smooth}.
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End the topping. Add the cornstarch slurry to the cherries and cook dinner at a simmer for 3-4 minutes or till thickened. Put aside to chill.
End the cheesecake:
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Add the topping. Spoon the cherry filling excessive of the cool cheesecake.
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Chill. Place the cheesecake within the fridge for 8 hours or in a single day.
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Dig in! Slice and serve.
- Water tub: When baking a cheesecake in a water tub, be certain to seal the underside of the springform pan rather well so nothing leaks in. I take advantage of large, heavy-duty foil and wrap it in just a few layers, crisscrossed over the underside and up the edges. It’s not fancy, nevertheless it retains every part good and dry.
- Cooling the cheesecake within the oven: Cracking the oven door after baking helps the cheesecake cool regularly, which prevents cracks on high. A wood spoon or a folded kitchen towel works nice to maintain it propped simply sufficient with out letting an excessive amount of warmth escape all of sudden.
Serving: 1slice | Energy: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 9g | Fats: 35g | Saturated Fats: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 9g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 344mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 1292IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might differ based on the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
The right way to Make Cherry Cheesecake From Scratch
First issues first, comply with these steps to organize a traditional New York-style cheesecake, which is the bottom for this do-it-yourself cherry cheesecake recipe.
- Combine the crust. Whereas the oven preheats to 350ºF, grease a 9-inch springform pan. In the meantime, dissolve the sugar with melted butter, and stir within the Graham cracker crumbs.
- Form the crust. Press the crust firmly into the underside and up the edges of the ready pan.
- Bake the crust. Subsequent, parbake the Graham cracker crust at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes, then set it apart to chill. Decrease the oven temperature to 320ºF when you put together the cheesecake batter.
- Make the cheesecake filling. Beat cream cheese with the yogurt and sugar. Then, combine within the eggs, one after the other, adopted by the lemon juice and vanilla. Lastly, add the flour and blend till {smooth}.
- Fill the crust. Pour the filling into your baked and cooled cheesecake crust. Unfold it with a spatula so the highest is {smooth} and even.
Bake the Cheesecake in a Water Bathtub
To bake your cheesecake in a water tub, you’ll have to seal the underside of the pan to forestall water from seeping in.
When wrapping the springform pan on this recipe, I take advantage of heavy-duty, large aluminum foil. My trick is to make use of a number of layers of foil to wrap the pan in a criss-cross sample.
- Put together a water tub. Wrap the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil so it’s watertight. Place the wrapped cheesecake inside a bigger roasting pan. Fill the pan with about 1 inch of sizzling water (you are able to do this earlier than or after putting the pan within the oven).
- Bake. Bake the cheesecake at 320ºF for 1 ½ hours. This decrease temperature, mixed with an extended cooking time, permits the cheesecake to bake slowly and evenly.
- Cool the cheesecake regularly. Afterward, swap off the oven and crack the door. Depart the cheesecake to chill contained in the still-warm oven for 1 hour. Then, transfer the cheesecake to the counter to chill fully.
Why a Water Bathtub?
The explanations for baking a cheesecake in a water tub (bain-marie) are fairly easy. The water tub makes use of oblique warmth, so the cheesecake bakes evenly. Mixed with the steam because the water evaporated, this helps forestall cracks. The result’s a super-smooth, creamy baked cheesecake!
Add the Cherry Topping
Whereas the cheesecake cools, collect your cherry topping components. You may also put together this cherry filling as much as 2 days prematurely and maintain it refrigerated till you’re able to high the cheesecake.
- Cook dinner the cherries. In a saucepan, carry recent or frozen cherries to a simmer with sugar and water. Individually, whisk cornstarch with water and lemon juice to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the cherries and cook dinner for 3-4 minutes. Set the cherry topping apart to chill.
- End the cheesecake. As soon as cooled, spoon the cherries on high of the cheesecake. Afterward, cowl the cherry cheesecake and refrigerate it in a single day.
The right way to Retailer
- Refrigerate. Hold the cherry cheesecake lined within the fridge for as much as 4 days. You’ll be able to retailer it with or with out the cherry topping.
- Freeze. I like to recommend freezing the cheesecake earlier than including the topping. Make sure that to sit back the cheesecake fully within the fridge, after which double-wrap the pan with plastic wrap. Freeze for as much as 2 months. Thaw the cheesecake within the fridge earlier than serving with the cherries on high!