Cherry Cheesecake

Homemade cherry topping drips down the side of creamy cheesecake with a golden brown crust.

5 from 1 ratings

This cherry cheesecake is a rich New York-style cheesecake baked on a classic graham cracker crust, topped with homemade cherry pie filling!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 40

Chill8

Total Time10 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Author: Chef Lindsey

Ingredients

Filling:

32 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese room temperature; 4, 8 oz boxes
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean pod seeds from one pod, save pod for later use
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 egg yolk
⅔ cup sour cream room temperature
½ cup heavy cream room temperature

Crust:

2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup unsalted butter melted

Topping:

2 cups whipped cream sweetened or unsweetened
2 cups cherry pie filling half batch of my cherry pie filling recipe

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the pan and crust:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Wrap a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil to create a water-tight seal.
Combine all ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Make the filling:

To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until silky, creamy, and smooth.
Add the sugar to the mixer bowl and beat until no granules are visible. This usually takes 3–5 minutes.
Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides and bottom between each addition.
Add the sour cream and heavy cream to the stand mixer bowl and beat just to combine. I recommend starting to mix on low so it doesn’t slosh around. You can gradually turn up the speed.
Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust and either shake gently or spread out with a small offset spatula.

Baking and Cooling:

Place the lined pan into a larger baking dish or roasting pan and place both in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it is halfway up the sides, being careful not to splash any into the cheesecake.
Bake for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes or until set but still wobbly. I like to start checking after an hour. When gently shaken, the cheesecake will move in one cohesive mass like Jell-O.
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place it on a wire cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature. Carefully remove the hot pan with the water from the oven and pour out the water.
Wrap cooled cheesecake and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Either spoon the cherry pie filling onto the center of the cheesecake before cutting or onto the top of each piece. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

Yield – 1, 9-inch cheesecake

Presentation –Let the cheesecake cool overnight before you slice it! Then, when slicing, use a knife dipped in hot water. The hot knife will give you the cleanest, most professional-looking slice of cheesecake!

Variations—You can swirl some of the cherry filling inside the cheesecake before baking for a marbled look, then top it with vanilla whipped cream and more cherry pie filling!

Storage—Cooled cheesecake can be stored well wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Cheesecake freezes very well, so the freezer is the best option for keeping it fresh. Store the cherry filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Nutrition