The Best Cherry Cheesecake Recipe
A HOMEMADE CHERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE YOU CAN’T RESIST
I promise that if you love cheesecake, this will be the last homemade cheesecake recipe you will ever search for.
It’s the ultimate creamy cherry cheesecake that everyone will be talking about at your next dinner party.
Don’t let the decadent cheesecake scare you away from making homemade because it didn’t scare me.
I watch the food network, family members in the kitchen, read recipes and make mistakes, and that’s how I learn to cook and bake.
You only fear what you think you can’t do, so try it.
Making a cheesecake is very simple to do, but like anything takes time, and by trial and error, you will find what works best for you, as I have over the years.
Cheesecake has long been a favourite in many homes around the world, and if you don’t make homemade cheesecake, you know that if you were to go to a bakery, you would be paying quite a bit of money for a simple cheesecake.
Store-bought Cheesecake vs. Homemade Cheesecake
I believe the last cherry cheesecake that I purchased was with my best friend since he’s a big fan of cherry cheesecake (nope, he’s not just a fan he’s a fanatic) cost $15.99 for a tiny homemade in-store cherry cheesecake (which he ate almost the entire cake).
I let him go for it because there’s nothing better than seeing someone enjoy food as much as the expressions on their faces.
I lost count of how many times I heard him say, mmm. Probably another reason why I enjoy cooking and baking so much just for that reaction.
Mind you, and the cake was very decadent as it was bought at a high-end store in town that only uses the best ingredients and always has decadent treats on hand.
Was it worth the money?
Sure, at the moment when we wanted the cherry cheesecake, but I knew I could make an even better cherry cheesecake for him, so today, this is what I’ve done.
I’ve created this cheesecake using ingredients that I thought would beat the traditional cherry cheesecake in the creaminess department with the available products we have today.
Cheesecake Topping Ideas
The best part about this simple cheesecake recipe is that you don’t need to use cherries if you are not a fan of cherries.
If you fancy blueberries, make a blueberry cheesecake or strawberry cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake or a peach cheesecake, whatever floats your boat.
The base of this cheesecake is plain with a hint of citrus and the crust, so the toppings are endless.
You could quickly leave no topping on the cheesecake and have a buffet of toppings for your guests to choose from, which might even make this dessert much more fun to eat.
You can easily make your cherry sauce for cheesecake if you have cherries readily available like I did back in the summertime when I made my cherry ricotta turnovers.
The process to make the cherry sauce is so simple you won’t be buying it in the can in the off-season if you tend to use it quite a bit, or maybe you can look into canning cherry sauce so you always have it in your pantry.
We don’t use cherry sauce enough to warrant canning it, but it may be an option for you.
I was going to opt-in and make a simple no-bake cherry cheesecake, but then I wasn’t sure if it would have all of the same flavours that I was used to growing up.
I’ll be honest and say that cherry cheesecake is not one of my favourite treats, although my wife loves cheesecake like my best friend.
Her memories of cherry cheesecake date back into the early 80’s when her mother used to make cherry cheesecake quite often in their house as an easy after-dinner treat.
She vividly remembers the cherry cheesecake not being made in a springform pan like I am doing today instead of in a rectangular glass dish.
Digging a spoon in the dish when no one was looking and shoving that piece of cherry heaven in her mouth was something she’d never forget.
Other times her mother would make it in a pie dish that resembled a cherry cheesecake pie.
The taste of the Philadelphia cream cheese was so tangy in her mouth mixed with the cheesecake crumb crust and cherries it was challenging to stop eating.
How to make a Cherry Cheesecake crust
One of the essential parts of the cherry cheesecake, she says, is the crust.
She didn’t want to skimp out on the crust, so it must be thick and flavourful, which was more than accomplished with this recipe today.
“There’s something about having a thick crust with the cheesecake filling and the hint of cherry flavour that brings the cheesecake all together in your mouth,” she says.
I will have to agree with her because this would have tasted more like a slice of cheesecake filling without the thicker graham cracker cheesecake crust.
Some people may enjoy that, but for this cheesecake, I made sure that the crust is on the bottom of the cherry cheesecake and all around the sides of the cheesecake.
What is a Springform pan?
Our cheesecake is made in a 10-inch springform pan, so with only the two of us here, it took us a while to get through the cheesecake.
A springform pan comes with a lever to remove the pan from around the cake. From there, you can remove the bottom easily for setting on a decorative plate.
We have three springform pans in our baking pantry that we use for other size cheesecakes.
We didn’t waste any time slicing into the cheesecake after it was cooled but noticed that it’s even better if you let the cheesecake rest for a couple of days.
You can easily make this a couple of days in advance if you have a gathering to go to or want to serve it at your dinner party.
I suggest you make it in advance to get the best tasting cherry cheesecake you will ever put in your mouth.
The flavours in this cheesecake are so delicate and creamy you will be shocked to find out I used ricotta and Greek Yogurt in the mix.
How to make Cherry Cheesecake
- Crust
- 4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons melted butter
- Cheesecake filling
- 2 pkg cream cheese
- 1 450g container of ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
- 2 cups of granulated sugar
- zest of one lemon or lime (whichever you prefer)
- 5 eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup of evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tablespoons of vanilla extract
- Cherry Topping: See link for homemade cherry pie filling at end of this post. You will need 2-3 cups of filling depending on how much you’d like. You can also add any other topping you’d like if you aren’t a fan of cherries.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- In a bowl add all of the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and mix until combined. You should have a wet crumb that you can easily press into your sprayed 10-inch springform pan evenly at the bottom and all around the sides. If the crumbs are not wet enough they will not stick so you may need to add a bit more butter.
- Once you have the crumbs pressed into the springform pan bake the crust for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Don’t over bake your crust, set a timer.
- Set the crust aside to cool while you are making the cheesecake filling.
- Making the cheesecake filling
- In your mixer add your sugar, cream cheese, ricotta, and Greek yogurt and mix until blended.
- Add in your vanilla extract and your eggs one by one and mix until combined
- Add in your lemon zest and evaporated milk and flour and mix until combined
- Pour the mixed batter into the cooled graham cracker crust that you prepared earlier
- Place the springform pan into the preheated oven and bake for about one hour or until the cheesecake is firm but still a bit wobbly. I test the center by putting in a toothpick to see if it comes out clean but also set a timer.
- Once out of the oven let the cheesecake cool then add your topping over the top of the cheesecake.
- Serve at room temperature but making it a day or two in advance will help all of the flavours come together.
- Keep refrigerated for up to one week.
Cherry Topping: If you want to make the homemade cherry topping as I did, here is my recipe for Cherry Pie Filling or use a can of Cherry Pie Filling from your local grocery store.
I hope you enjoy this cherry cheesecake as much as we do.
Discussion: What is your favourite type of cheesecake?
Leave me a comment below, and if you have tried my recipe and love it, comment. 🙂
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