Cherry cheesecake

Cheesecake topped with homemade cherry preserves

Cheesecake topped with cherries, on a coffee table with tea set

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!

Cheesecake topped with homemade cherry preserves, on a linen tablecloth, set on a hand-blown glass cake stand

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.

Pouring cheesecake batter into springform pan

Adding cherry topping on cooked cheesecake

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!