Skip to main content

Cherry cheesecake

It's a fun challenge trying to find ideas to bake with cherries, our cherry tree being plentiful this year, and the cherries were particularly sweet and juicy.  So after the clafoutis, and after the Black Forest, we mustn't forget a classic cherry cheesecake!


 I've tried different cheesecake recipes, no-bake, gluten-free, chocolate... but this time, I'm going to stick to a delicious, tried and true creamy New York style cheesecake, which has served me well with very few mishaps.  The thing about cheesecakes is... they can be really easy to start off as the ingredients are basic : cream cheese (make sure you get the brand name, the generic types are more watery), sugar, eggs ... but what gets tricky is cooking times and texture, and it's all about understanding these two things and keeping an eye on the baking time as each oven varies.

Here's the recipe I often fall back on :

Cookie crust : 150 g or 1 cup mix of butter cookies, 30 g sugar, 50 g butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse or grind cookies in blender until you get a fine loose powder.  Add softened butter, sugar and salt and mix together well. With this mixture, create the crust lining the bottom of a pan and at least 1/2" up along the side walls of the pan - I used a 7-8 inch springform. Bake for 10 minutes in a 350° / 180° C.  Allow to cool and refrigerate about 15 minutes.
For the batter : 

400 g cream cheese (about 2 x 8 oz blocks of cream cheese)
120 g sour cream or crème fraiche
150 g granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping : 4 cups pitted cherries, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch.  Simmer in low heat for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° / 180° C. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, cornstarch.  Add lemon juice, vanilla, salt.  The batter should have a smooth texture but not too watery. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle has almost risen and is slightly jiggly (shake it slightly to see that the edges are hardened but the the center should still be soft but not liquid).  Turn the oven off and with leave the cheesecake in the oven another 15 minutes with the door ajar, this should continue to bake the center without overbaking it.

Allow to cool at least an hour or overnight.  I have to admit that removing the cheesecake from the pan is not my favorite task!  That's why a springform pan is the best bet. Since the center is often creamy and soft with this recipe, it's a challenge removing it from the bottom of the pan, so use a knife to loosen the sides from the pan and with one or two large knives (slightly wet) detach and lift from the bottom, then slide the cheesecake off (if you have extra hands or help, that would great!).  Once you are ready to serve, spoon the cherries on top of cheesecake.  I added a macaron for the crunchiness factor and flowers for good measure and color !

Enjoy, everyone!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fluffiest cinnamon rolls, with yogurt cream frosting

I must say this is the most wonderful cinnamon rolls dough I've discovered to date. Light, fluffy, delicious, what more could you ask for?  I filled half the dough with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, while the other half was filled with some homemade strawberry jam. Here is the recipe for the dough, inspired by Foodess.com, which has the best explanation for the dough, go to the website for more info.  I will always use this dough to make these buns from now on. 240 ml warm milk 2 large eggs 570 g all-purpose flour 100 g sugar 2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 115 g unsalted butter (softened) Cinnamon filling 200 g brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 115 g softened butter 1/2 cup nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds...) Strawberry jam 12-15 strawberries 50 g sugar (or more if you like it sweeter) 1 tablespoon of cornstarch Cut strawberries in 1/4 or 1/8ths and simmer with the sugar until softened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add a spoonful of this in a cup with the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cotton sponge cake with strawberries and cream cheese frosting

My kids had a birthday to celebrate so I made the cakes and they decorated. I used to do this when my children were small, set up a table for them to decorate cookies or gingerbread houses, even had parties like this, and to this day, they like assembling treats and are good cooks. Here's the batter recipe I often use which you can find in my other recipes (mocha sponge, apple cider cake...) : Cotton sponge cake recipe : 4 eggs, separated 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar 1-1/4 cup (180 g) cake flour 3/4 cup (150 g) confectioner's sugar 1/4 cup cider (60 g) (French kind, or 4.5% alcohol) or beer or carbonated water 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream (or thick cream) 1/4 cup (60 g) milk (as needed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 180° F / 350° C.  Line pan with parchment paper.  I used a 7" spring-form pan and a small fluted brioche mold. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add granulated sugar a little at a time and continue...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matcha tiramisu with chocolate espresso cream (gluten-free)

Here is another recipe for which I've had requests, a matcha tiramisu that I had initially intended as a Swiss roll (that didn't turn out as I expected, haha, accidents happen, the cake wouldn't roll). So I took some nice bowls, cut circles out of the sheet cake, added 2 delicious creams, a matcha cream and chocolate espresso cream, inserted a surprise raspberry in between, and voilà, a new dessert! Here is the gluten-free layer cake recipe (if you don't want to make this, you can use ladyfingers for the cake layer) 4 large eggs, separated 100 sugar 90 g gluten-free flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon xathan gum 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350° F / 180° C.  Line a 39 x 24 cm baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate eggs into two bowls, then whip egg whites until you get stiff peaks.  Mix in sugar, and continue to mix until the sugar has dissolved (you won't get a grainy feel to the touch).  Add yolks, folding in gently with a spatula, then ...
Post a Comment
Read more