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Creamy New York Style Cheesecake with Cherry Topping

A melt in your mouth creamy traditional cheesecake with a homemade sweet cherry topping

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Cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake.. It got me totally hooked and is making me constantly dream about just one more little piece.. I am both excited to share this recipe with you and at the same time, I feel like I will be making you hooked and craving this like it did to me. But you know what? It is so worth it! So, setting that quilt feeling aside, and going to seduce you with this creamy cheesecake goodness :) Last week it was all about the lemony goodness and my Super Creamy Lemon Cheesecake with Meringue Cloud and this week it is all about the New York Style Creamy Cheesecake with a Homemade Cherry Topping :) YUM!

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There is a funny story to this cheesecake and how I got inspired to make it. I used to work for a company in Dubai and there I had my first Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. I must admit it was absolutely delicious, so creamy and soft and just aaaaah.. :) After that visit I was trying different recipes and different ingredients and the first time I achieved that kind of texture (in my opinion actually even creamier :)) was with my Super Creamy Lemon Cheesecake with Meringue Cloud and it happened by coincidence. I recetly fell in love with a new cream cheese (I think, it is new) from Philadelphia, the greek style cream cheese, it has less fat and so it has a much softer texture. Also I didn´t have creme fraiche that I usually use for cheesecakes and I decided to use smetana, that has 20% fat, instead. Somehow, this worked out to be the perfect combination and the result was the creamiest cheesecake I ever tried or made :) It was time for some happy dance and jumping around the kitchen! :)

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Oh, back to the story. I made my Finnish Cream Buns  Laskiaspulla and a friend of mine commented that they look delicious, but why cherries and not strawberries and his girlfriend laughed about it and said, because CHERRIES :D This reminded me of the time with both of them in Dubai at Cheesecake Factory, when the two of us girls loved the original cheesecake with cherries and the guy said no, it has to be strawberries :) That memory just came flying back and I realized I need to make a cheesecake in this style with cherries to celebrate our friendship and those great fun memories :) That is how this recipe was born :)

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Now if you are like my friend and you prefer strawberries, don´t worry, just swap the cherries in the recipe for the same amount of strawberries and you are sorted :) 

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As always, I will not try to convince you with the writing, just check the video linked below and see for yourself how super soft and creamy the cheesecake is :)

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Happy Baking darlings!​

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Step by Step Video

RECIPE

New York Cheesecake with Cherries

Melt in your mouth creamy traditional cheesecake with a homemade sweet cherry topping

​INGREDIENTS

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  • 320g digestive cookies (I use the whole wheat ones) or butter cookies

  • 120g butter

 

  • 4pkg (175g each) greek style philadelphia cream cheese or any other similar

       cream cheese

  • 150g sugar

  • 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks (or 3 eggs)

  • 200g smetana or sour cream (20% fat)

  • 60g flour

  • 1-2tsp vanilla paste

 

  • 250g frozen sour cherries

  • 100g jam sugar 3:1 ratio

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DIRECTIONS

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  1. Start by making the cherry topping. Add the cherries and the sugar to a small pot and heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the cherries have defrosted, mix once in a while to ensure nothing burns. Once the sugar has dissolved and the cherries have defrosted, allow to simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then remove from heat, allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later.

  2. Crush the cookies in a blender or put them into a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin. Make sure you don´t have any big cookie pieces left in your crumb.

  3. Melt the butter and allow it to cool.

  4. Add the cookie crumb to the cooled butter and mix well until you have a smooth paste like consistency. You can test whether the cookie crumb is ready by taking a little of it into your hand and squeezing it together, if it forms a ball that sticks together it is ready, if it crumbles and falls apart add some more melted butter. (See video)

  5. Cover a 20cm baking tin with parchment paper. Take about half of the cookie base and press it into the bottom of the baking tin so that you have a smooth base for the cheesecake. Then add the rest of the cookie crumb along the edges of the baking tin and press against the walls of the baking tin to form the sides of the cheesecake. (See video for detailed instructions)

  6. Refrigerate the base for the time you are preparing the filling.

  7. To make the filling make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla paste to a large bowl and whisk with a hand mixer for one minute.

  8. Separate egg yolks from egg whites of two of the eggs, if using 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks.

  9. Add eggs to the cream cheese filling one at a time, mixing for at least one minute in between additions. You can then add both of the egg yolks at the same time.

  10. Add the smetana/sour cream and mix for another minute.

  11. Sift in the flour and mix again for one minute.

  12. Take the base out of the refrigerator and pour the filling over the base. Smoothen the top and tap the cake tin onto the table a couple of times to release any air bubbles.

  13. Turn the oven to 180°C bottom top heat. Then lower the temperature to 160°C just before putting the cake in the oven. Boil about 1.5 liters of water, put an oven proof casserole dish in the oven and pour the hot water into it. Then add an oven rack on top of it and place the cheese cake there.

  14. Bake the cheesecake for 50-60 minutes, before turning off the oven check by shaking the cheesecake lightly, that the cheesecake has set from the sides. You want the sides to be set and not shaky at this point, but the middle to still be a little shaky. Then open the oven door just slightly (you can put two oven mittens in between the oven door) and allow the cheesecake to still be in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool completely before cooling it in the fridge. Preferably cool the cheesecake in the fridge over night before serving.

  15. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving, as then it will be at its creamiest.

  16. Before serving decorate the cheesecake with the cherry topping.

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