Cherry Cheesecake

A scrumptious no water-bath Cherry Cheesecake with a sweet graham cracker crust and light lemon accents all topped with premium tart cherry filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake cherry, cheesecake recipe cherry, recipe for cherry cheesecake

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 9 45

Servings servings

Calories 502kcal

Author Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons butter melted

Cheesecake Filling

32 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
1 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
4 eggs room temperature
1 21 ounce can of cherry pie filling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Press it into the bottom and up about an inch on the sides of the pan.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let the crust fully cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Fill a large baking dish with hot water and place it on the rack below the middle rack.
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer on medium speed beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy while scraping down the bowl and the beaters with a rubber spatula several times. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, mixing until incorporated, scraping down the bowl again.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust. Bake for 70 minutes, and then turn the oven off. Using a wooden spoon, prop open the oven door about 1- 1 1/2 inches. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool down slowly for 1 hour.
Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to fully cool. Once the cheesecake cools, cover the springform pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours up to overnight. Using a sharp thin knife, run the rim of the pan, loosening the cheesecake from the pan. Unbuckle the pan and carefully lift the ring up. Leaving the cheesecake in the bottom rim, gently spoon the cherry filling onto the cheesecake.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Promptly refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

Use a food processor and crush your own graham crackers for the crumbs. It is less expensive, and they taste fresher.

Great cheesecake is not difficult to make; however, it does require planning and cooling time. The graham cracker crust must fully cool before adding the cheesecake batter, and the cheesecake must fully cool before covering and placing it in the refrigerator but do not go longer than 2 hours. Then it must chill for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Soften the cream cheese and bring the sour cream and eggs to room temperature.

Take the time to get the cream cheese and sugar smooth and creamy. This takes several minutes and requires scraping down the beater and sides of the bowl several times.

It is very important not to overmix the batter with your electric mixer as you may incorporate air into the batter, causing it to rise and fall, leaving cracks behind.

If time permits and you love to cook, try making homemade cherry pie filling.

Don't peek in the oven much, or better yet, not at all. Fluctuations in oven temperature can cause cracks. Minimize opening the oven as much as possible.

The cheesecake will still be slightly jiggly in the middle but set on the sides with very light brown edges when you turn the oven off.

Serve the cake right on the base. Even the pros do, so don't risk damaging or dropping your cheesecake.

Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator until serving, and store leftovers covered in an airtight container in the fridge.

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