The base of this cheesecake is my mother in law's recipe and a longstanding family favorite from before I was even married. I've boosted the vanilla with vanilla bean paste, but otherwise stayed with the batter recipe because it really just can't be beat.
Dark Cherry Cheesecake
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 12 ounces gingersnaps, processed into fine crumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- For the cheesecake batter:
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- For the cherry compote:
- 2 cups whole dark cherries (frozen or fresh both work)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- For the sour cream topping:
- 1 cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, stir together gingersnap crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan, and press on bottom and up the sides of the pan to form the crust. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes then remove and let cool. Leave oven on to bake the cheesecake in the next steps.
- For the cheesecake:
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until well combined. Add eggs and beat until combined and mixture is smooth and creamy. Add lemon juice and vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Top will look cooked but center will still be quite jiggly and and set as it cools. Allow cheesecake to cool, then place in refrigerator to chill at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- For the cherry compote:
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add cherries, sugar, water, and lemon juice. Cook until cherries are softened a bit and juices are starting to simmer. Add corn starch and stir until well combined. Continue to cook until the juices are thickened and syrupy. Remove from heat and add vanilla and almond extracts stirring to combine. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- For the sour cream topping:
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved and mixture is well combined.
- For assembly:
- Spread sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake in an even layer. Spoon cherry mixture over the top. Slice and serve.
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