Best Cherry Cheesecake

Cherry Cheesecake is a ridiculously decadent dessert with a layer of whipped cream filling atop a smooth and creamy cheesecake. It’s crowned with a topping that’s bursting with tart cherries. All of this rests on a buttery graham cracker crust. This made-from-scratch cherry cheesecake is a pure delight. 

Ingredients for this Cherry Cheesecake Recipe

• Graham Crackers – crushed to make the crust
• Granulated Sugar – is found in all layers of this cheesecake, the crust, the fillings, and the cherry topping.
• Melted Butter – this helps bind the graham cracker crumbs
• Softened Cream Cheese – use full fat for the best result
• Sour Cream – brought to room temperature
• Vanilla Extract – grab the pure vanilla extract over the imitation one
• Lemon Juice – I chose freshly squeezed lemon juice over the bottled kind. Either one will work in this recipe.
• Cornstarch – a secret ingredient to help a cheesecake not crack and it gives a creamier texture. It is also used in the cherry topping to thicken it.
• Eggs – use large eggs that have come to room temperature. Eggs help thicken the filling to give it structure
•  Frozen Whipped Topping – this is combined with softened cream cheese and sugar to create the whipped topping
•  Frozen Tart Cherries – you can use any type of frozen cherry. I chose tart to balance out the sweetness of the fillings.  
  
   

How to Make The Best Cherry Cheesecake

• Preparing the Graham Cracker Crust. Start with 12 full sheets of Graham Crackers which will be about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. You can either throw them in a heavy ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them or use a food processor to grind the crackers. Combine the graham crackers with melted butter and sugar together. It should be a coarse, sandy texture. 

• Press the graham crackers into a springform pan. Even if you have a non-stick springform pan, I encourage you to grease it anyway. You can use your fingers to pack down the crust but I have found the best way is to use a flat-bottomed metal measuring cup to pack down the crumbs on the bottom ad sides of the pan until they are tightly compacted.

• Mix the cheesecake batter. Beat room-temperature cream cheese only until it’s smooth and creamy. Add in the granulated sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and cornstarch while scraping down the sides of the bowl. Lastly, add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Stop beating as soon as the second egg is incorporated.

• Prepare a water bath. This is a pan of water under the springform pan that creates steam and generates slow and even baking. One way to achieve this is to sit the springform pan in a larger round pan (12×3 inches). Then sit the larger pan in a large roasting pan and add water halfway up the outside round pan. This creates a barrier for the water not to seep in. 

• The second way to prepare a water bath is to securely wrap the springform pan with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the pan on top of the foil, and wrap it up the sides to the top of the pan (see photo below). 

• Bake the Cherry Cheesecake. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until the cheesecake has a slight jiggle in the middle. Do not open the door until almost done.
• Cool the cheesecake. Tum the oven off, slightly crack the oven door and let it set in the oven for one hour. Remove the cheesecake carefully and place it on top of the oven (the warmest place in my kitchen) where it can continue to cool. 

• Chill in the refrigerator. When it is completely cooled, you can then move it to the refrigerator to chill for a least 4 hours or overnight. This is the greatest and most tempting test of the recipe. Oh, the willpower to not dive directly into it. 

• Prepare the whipped cream filling. Start with room-temperature cream cheese and beat until creamy and smooth. Add the granulated sugar and continue to beat. Fold in the thawed whipped cream and chill in the refrigerator. 

• Spread the whipped topping on the chilled cheesecake. Place it back into the refrigerator until ready to top with the cherry filling. 

• Thaw and drain the frozen cherries. Place the frozen tart cherries in a metal colander to drain and set them it in a bowl to hold the juice drippings. This can take a couple of hours for the cherries to both thaw and completely drain. You can defrost them in a microwave but make sure to drain the juice before preparing the filling. 
• Make a slurry. Make a cornstarch slurry from the cherry juice, four tablespoons of cornstarch to 1/3 cup of reserved cherry juice. Whisk both of these together in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use. 

• Make the cherry topping. Add the juice from the cherries, granulated sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry while quickly whisking it into the cherry juice mixture. Cook for a minute or two until the juice thickens. Let cool completely. 

• Layer the Cherry Cheesecake. Pull the Cherry Cheesecake out of the refrigerator. With a table knife, cut around the outer edge. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake and spread it all around. Next, spread the chilled cherry topping over the second layer. Unlatch the round side panel and remove it from the cheesecake. At this point, you can either leave it on the metal bottom springform pan or gently remove it to a cake platter. 

Pro Tips for making the Best Cherry Cheesecake Recipe

• Make sure the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream are at room temperature before mixing. When these ingredients are warmer, they are easily blended together. Cold ingredients will leave you with a lumpy cheesecake filling.
• Don’t overbeat the cheesecake filling. Overbeating can incorporate too much air causing the surface of the cheesecake to crack. Because this cheesecake has layers on top and covers up the actual cheesecake it is not as important. But it’s good to know for future cheesecakes. 
• Don’t skip the water bath process. Cheesecakes love a humid environment. It reduces the problem of cracking that is found in so many cheesecakes. It also slowly lifts the cheesecake while baking and helps prevent it from sinking back down as it cools. 
• Don’t Open the door and peek while it’s baking. Opening the door can cause your cheesecake to fall in the center or crack. It also lengthens the cooking time by letting heat escape.
• Cool the baked cheesecake in stages. A slow cool-down is essential when making this Cherry Cheesecake. Cheesecakes do not like sudden and drastic changes in temperature. You want to let it cool down as gradually as possible. 
• Be careful not to overbake. Check the cheesecake for doneness with the “jiggle” test. Open the oven door and jiggle the pan ever so slightly. If the cheesecake wobbles just a little, it’s ready If it ripples and is more of a sloshy jiggle, you need to leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Make sure and pull it out before it fully sets. 

Variations

Berry Toppings. You can use almost any frozen berry that you prefer for the topping. Strawberries, blueberries or blackberries are great. Raspberries will cook up too soft and mushy, so instead, I would probably top the cheesecake with raspberry jam and then add fresh raspberries. 

Chocolate crust with chocolate crumbles on top. For this, I would use oreo cookies for both the crust and the crumbles on top. 

Can you Freeze Cherry Cheesecake?

Cheesecake in general freezes great. My recommendation for this recipe is to place the springform pan with the baked cheesecake and the whipped filling in the freezer until completely frozen. Loosen and remove the sides and wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap and then foil. Wait to make and add the cherry topping until you are ready to serve it. Cheesecake will last for a month in the freezer. 

This is what I call blissful indulgence, a slice of heaven in your kitchen, and a sweet extravaganza. Can you tell I’m in love with this dessert? After one bite, I pretty much guarantee you will be too. 

Other Desserts to Try

Layered Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Lavender Infused Lemon Bars

Puff Pastry Apple Galette

Classic Creme Brulee

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