Baked Cherry Cheesecake

Serves 12
Category:

Ingredients

Base

  • 200g Nice biscuits
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 80g butter, melted

Filling:

  • 750g cream cheese, at room temperature, chopped
  • ¾ cup caster sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • 300g carton sour cream
  • 2 tbs plain flour
  • 300g Creative Gourmet frozen Pitted Cherries + extra to serve if liked
  • Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 22cm spring-form cake pan and line the base and side with baking paper.
  2. To make the base, break the biscuits and place in a food processor. Process until finely crushed. Add cinnamon and melted butter. Process until well combined. Evenly press mixture into the base of pan. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
  3. To make the filling, using electric beaters, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add lemon juice, zest and sour cream and sift over the flour. Mix on low speed until smooth. Swirl through frozen cherries. Pour mixture over biscuit base. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes until just firm but the centre trembles slightly when the side of the pan is gently tapped. Turn oven off and cool in oven with the door ajar until cool. Remove from oven, leave to completely cool in pan, then refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight) until chilled.
  4. To serve, remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving. Remove from pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar and top with extra just-defrosted cherries if using.

Tip:

  • Avoid overbeating the filling mixture otherwise the cheesecake will rise and crack and become too brown.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally during beating to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  • If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a strong sealed plastic bag and crush well with a rolling pin, combine crumbs and cinnamon, add butter and mix well until crumbs are well coated.
  • Don’t use a fan forced oven.
  • Healthier option: Use extra light cream cheese, extra light sour cream and exchange butter with 40% reduced fat spread (Per serve: 1350kJ, protein 10.3g, total fat 13.3g (sat.fat 6.2g), cholesterol 106.5mg, carbs 36.5g, fibre 0.8g, sodium 303.6mg. GI estimate: medium).

Per Serve:

  • 2246kJ, protein 9.6g, total fat 40.5g (sat. fat 25.2g), cholesterol 175.4mg, carbs  35.3g, fibre 0.8g, sodium 388.4mg. GI estimate: medium