A rich and creamy no-fail New York Style Cherry Cheesecake with an easy three-ingredient graham cracker crust and a sweet cherry topping. This easy cheesecake has a touch of lemon for a little zippy flavor and a touch of sour cream to soften the texture and make it ultra smooth.
This tasty treat is a friend and family favorite, and it is so easy to make. Forget the cheesecake bath and add a dish full of hot water on the rack below it. This will keep the oven steamy and moist to prevent cracks in the cake. I like to use premium canned cherries, but if desired, you can make your own.
If you love cherries, try my cherry cobbler, cherry bars, cherry crisp, and cherry dump cake. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Graham cracker crumbs: store-bought or fresh. Crush graham crackers in a food processor for the crumbs. It is less expensive and tastes fresher.
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Cream cheese: full-fat
- Sour cream: also full-fat
- Vanilla extract: the real thing
- Lemons: for juice and zest
- Eggs: large ones, please
- Cherry pie filling: premium is best and worth the money. If you love to cook, try making homemade cherry pie filling.
How to make Cherry Cheesecake
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Start by making the crust. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Then press it into the bottom and up about an inch on the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Now bake for 10 minutes in a preheated oven. Let the crust fully cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
Preheat the oven and carefully add a casserole dish filled with hot water to the rack below the middle. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy while scraping down the bowl and the beaters several times. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, mixing until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl again.
Now turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the cooled crust. Bake the cheesecake for 70 minutes on the middle rack and then turn the oven off. Using a wooden spoon, prop open the oven door about 1 inch. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool down slowly for about an hour.
Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool. Once the cheesecake cools, cover the springform pan with wrap and refrigerate overnight. Now, using a sharp, thin knife, run the rim of the pan, loosening the cheesecake from the pan. Unbuckle the pan and carefully lift the ring up. Leaving the cheesecake in the bottom rim, gently spoon the cherry filling onto the cheesecake.
Preparation Tips
- Great cheesecake is not difficult to make; however, it does require planning and cooling time. The graham cracker crust must fully cool before adding the cheesecake batter, and the cheesecake must fully cool before covering and placing it in the refrigerator, but do not go longer than 2 hours. Then, it must chill for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
- Take the time to get the cream cheese and sugar smooth and creamy. This takes several minutes and requires scraping down the beater and sides of the bowl several times.
- It is very important not to overmix the batter with your electric mixer. You may incorporate air into the batter, causing it to rise and fall, leaving cracks behind.
- Don’t peek in the oven much, or better yet, not at all. Fluctuations in oven temperature can cause cracks. Minimize opening the oven as much as possible.
- When you turn the oven off, the cheesecake will still be slightly jiggly in the middle but set on the sides with very light brown edges.
- Serve the cake right on the base. Even the pros do, so don’t risk damaging or dropping your cheesecake.
Storage
You can store the cheesecake covered or wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to a month. See below for freezing directions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have made this gorgeous company-worth cheesecake, you must cut the pieces and plate them as carefully and cleanly as possible. Fill a tall glass with hot water and put a fairly long, thin, sharp knife into it. Make sure you have carefully eyed the center of the cheesecake. You can temporarily create a hole by clearing a cherry out of the way.
Dry the hot knife with a towel and make the first cut. Then rinse the knife in the hot water and dry again to make the second cut. Use a pie or cake server to move the cut slice to a serving plate gently. Repeat this procedure for every slice you cut, changing the glass of hot water when needed.
First, allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then cover the springform pan with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Now slice it if you are freezing individual portions. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place it in a zipper freezer bag.
If freezing the whole cake, keep it on the base and wrap it several times in plastic wrap, followed by heavy-duty aluminum foil. Don’t freeze for more than a month to avoid changes in flavor and texture. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
More Cherry Treats
Cherry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 32 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 21 ounce can of cherry pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Press it into the bottom and up about an inch on the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Let the crust fully cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Fill a large baking dish with hot water and place it on the rack below the middle rack.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or hand mixer on medium speed beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy while scraping down the bowl and the beaters with a rubber spatula several times. Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, mixing until incorporated, scraping down the bowl again.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust. Bake for 70 minutes, and then turn the oven off. Using a wooden spoon, prop open the oven door about 1- 1 1/2 inches. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool down slowly for 1 hour.
- Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to fully cool. Once the cheesecake cools, cover the springform pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours up to overnight. Using a sharp thin knife, run the rim of the pan, loosening the cheesecake from the pan. Unbuckle the pan and carefully lift the ring up. Leaving the cheesecake in the bottom rim, gently spoon the cherry filling onto the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Promptly refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
- Great cheesecake is not difficult to make; however, it does require planning and cooling time. The graham cracker crust must fully cool before adding the cheesecake batter, and the cheesecake must fully cool before covering and placing it in the refrigerator, but do not go longer than 2 hours. Then, it must chill for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
- Take the time to get the cream cheese and sugar smooth and creamy. This takes several minutes and requires scraping down the beater and sides of the bowl several times.
- It is very important not to overmix the batter with your electric mixer. You may incorporate air into the batter, causing it to rise and fall, leaving cracks behind.
- Don’t peek in the oven much, or better yet, not at all. Fluctuations in oven temperature can cause cracks. Minimize opening the oven as much as possible.
- When you turn the oven off, the cheesecake will still be slightly jiggly in the middle but set on the sides with very light brown edges.
- Serve the cake right on the base. Even the pros do, so don’t risk damaging or dropping your cheesecake.
Nutrition
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Mick
Best Cheesecake recipe I’ve ever had
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Mick! I am so glad that you liked it!
Nathanaelle Yoshimura
I used almond extract instead of vanilla. So delicious! Can’t wait to bake again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Nathanaelle! So glad that you liked it!
Nate
This is just the perfect cheesecake, the end result was creamy and the cherry topping gives it a nice burst of fruity flavor! I’ll definitely be making this again ASAP, thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Nate!
Shadi H
This was such a hit! The sour cream made it lighter and the cherry flavor was great. I’m already planning to make it again, thank you!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Shadi!
Ned
I’m a sucker for cherry cheesecake and this didn’t disappoint! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Elisa
Love this cherry cheesecake recipe. It was creamy, smooth, and just the way I like my cheesecake. I can’t wait to try it with a blueberry topping. I bet it will be just as good.
Ginger
This is the best cheesecake I have tasted so far. I don’t like store bought one so always try to make it at home. your recipe is is a winner and our favorite.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Ginger. I am so glad that you like it.
jmccollum
I made this and it was fantastic except for one thing, the crust was soggy. What did I do wrong?
Beth Pierce
Did you prebake the crust?
Sandra
Do you know if this would work in a 10″ springfirm psn?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can.
Emily
So good, the amount was perfect for two pies! Did anyone try the almond extract instead of vanilla? Thank you!! This will go in my recipe box ♥️
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Emily! I am so glad that you liked the cherry cheesecake!
Susan
I made this cheesecake and everyone loved it. I had to make it a little larger so I added a whole stick of butter and an extra block of cream cheese. In addition, I added walnuts to my pie crust mix. I made my own crust and it was great! Everyone loved it as well. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I will be making this one again!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Susan! So glad that everyone liked the cheesecake. I love walnuts. Delicious!
Jess
This is *the* perfect cheesecake recipe! Absolutely delicious, and it looked beautiful too thanks to the careful method you offer here – definitely worth the times it takes. This will be my go-to. Also if you have to make this gluten-free (one of my kids has Celiac and this was our Christmas dessert), highly recommend Schar brand graham crackers and Lucky Leaf cherry pie filling, which is naturally gluten free. There was no compromise at all with flavor/texture from using those 2 gf ingredients, and everyone raved about the cake. Thank you so much for posting this! 🙂
Beth Pierce
So glad that you enjoyed the cheesecake. Thanks for the tips on gluten-free. My readers always appreciate it.
Bo
What is the pan of water for?
Joe
It is a variation on a water bath. The “true” method involves wrapping the springform pan in foil and setting it in a large pan with hot water. This is complicated and most people are intimidated by the process. The easy way is the method described here. Without the moist heat created by the water, the cheesecake can turn out rubbery.
kushigalu
Drooling over this delicious cheesecake, looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
An Indian Traveler
This looks YUMMY! I LOVE Cheesecakes and cherries! This one is truly for me haha. Very well-detailed recipe. Will definitely give it a try!
Blair Villanueva
Definitely one of my favorite desserts and love pairing it with my favorite brewed coffee. Now I am craving this dessert!