Indulge in the sweet and creamy flavors of this Cherry Cheesecake recipe! This delicious cheesecake features a smooth and rich cherry cream cheese filling, topped with fresh cherries.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and substitutions for Cherry Cheesecake
- Graham crackers: These the perfect base for these bars with their light and whole wheat flavor. If you are unable to obtain graham crackers, a great substitute in equal measure would be digestive biscuits.
- Sugar: The best sugar here is superfine or caster which helps dissolve into the cream cheese during whipping. You could half and half the sugar with light brown sugar or raw sugar alongside the caster sugar as I do not recommend completely substituting in another due to the flavor it would give the cheesecake instead of simply adding sweetness.
- Cream cheese: The core of our creamy cheesecake is room temperature full fat cream cheese, which results in giving us a light cheesecake that is easy to mix until smooth and full of that beloved cheesecake flavor.
- Heavy cream: Fluffy and lightly whipped heavy cream helps the no bake hold its shape. It also helps bind the cream cheese and compliment the cranberries.
- Cherries: Fresh or frozen cherries would work for the sauce in the cheesecake, though cooking might take longer if making the sauce from frozen.
- Chocolate: High quality dark chocolate is used here as it helps keep the flavors balanced, however, you could replace with milk chocolate.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Cherry Cheesecake:
Sit and blend: Toss the cherries and sugar into a blender and allow to sit for 10 minutes before blending until smooth.
Low heat: Pour into a saucepan and cook until reduced and thickened.
Base: Stir the crushed biscuits and melted butter together.
1
Pour: The melted chocolate over the base and smooth out evenly. Set aside.
Whip: Whip the cream cheese until smooth.
Add sugar: Add in half the sugar and beat until well combined and repeat.
2
Whipped cream: Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Fold: Fold the cream and cream cheese until smooth.
Flavors: Add all the cherry sauce into the creamy mixture and stir to combine.
3
Tin: Spoon the cream cheese filling over the biscuit base and smooth out.
Refrigerate: Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for several hours.
Remove and slice: Pull the cheesecake out of the tin and slice.
Serve it up: Serve, ideally with a cup of your favorite hot beverage!
FAQ's for the best Cherry Cheesecake
Absolutely! It's best prepared in advance, allowing it to chill and set in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
This no bake cheesecake was tested three times to get the exact light cheesecake texture without being too stiff or too soft. The first recipe had a lesser base which couldn't hold up the cheesecake when cut. It also didn't have enough cream to set the cake without gelatin. The second test had slightly too much of a base which offset the balance with the creamy filling and too much cream which also overpowered all other flavors in the filling and made the texture more cream heavy than a cheesecake should have. The third test recipe had a balance of crushed biscuit and butter and the cream was lowered to compliment the cherry for a perfect final test.
More cheesecakes you’ll love
Cherry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cherries
- 250 grams / 8.8 ounces cherries pitted
- 50 grams / ¼ cup superfine/caster sugar
Base
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces graham crackers, crushed
- 50 grams / 1.75 ounces butter melted
- 75 grams / 2.65 ounces chocolate melted
Cheesecake
- 100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 340 grams / 12 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 200 milliliters / ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To serve
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces fresh cherries
Instructions
- Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
Cherries
- Toss the cherries and sugar into a blender and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Blend until smooth and pour into a small saucepan and cook on low heat until reduced and thickened, approximately 20 minutes.
- Stirring intermittently to ensure the sauce doesn’t burn.
- Remove and allow to cool completely. The weight of the cooked sauce should be between 85-95 grams / 2.99 - 3.34 ounces.
Base
- Place the crushed graham crackers and butter into a bowl.
- Pour into the loaf tin and press firmly and evenly into the base of the tin.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the base and smooth out evenly. Set aside.
Cheesecake
- Place the cream cheese into a bowl and beat until smooth, approximately 2 minutes with a hand beater.
- Add in half the sugar and beat to until smooth and the sugar has dissolved, approximately 1 minute with a hand beater.
- In a separate bowl, pour the heavy cream and remaining sugar and beat until soft peaks form and fold through the cream cheese until well combined.
- Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Add all the cherry sauce into the creamy mixture and stir to combine.
- Spoon the cheesecake into the tin and smooth out. evenly.
- Place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
To serve
- Remove from the fridge and slice.
- Top with the remaining fresh cherries just before serving.
- Slice and serve.
- Dig in!
Notes
- Cherries: Fresh or frozen cherries would work for the sauce in the cheesecake, though cooking might take longer if making the sauce from frozen.
- Cream cheese: The core of our creamy cheesecake is room temperature full fat cream cheese, which results in giving us a light cheesecake that is easy to mix until smooth and full of that beloved cheesecake flavor.
- Chocolate: High quality dark chocolate is used here as it helps keep the flavors balanced, however, you could replace with milk chocolate.
- Loaf tin: The loaf tin used here fits 1 kilo or 2 pounds.
Nutrition
Subscribe to receive a free weekly newsletter using seasonal produce as well as exclusive content!
Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Leave a Reply