I used this dessert to win a baking contest. This dish is highly rich, tasty, and time-consuming to prepare.
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 6 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 9 hrs |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ (16 ounce) jar maraschino cherries – drained, chopped, and juices reserved
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ (16 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, halved
- 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a roasting pan filled halfway with water on the bottom rack of the oven. Grease a 10-inch pie pan.
- Heat 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter in a microwave in a microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute. Stir to combine. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, water, and cinnamon. Press the cracker mix into the bottom and about 1 in h up the sides of the prepared pie pan. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the cream cheese mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla with the last egg. Reserve 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture in a bowl. Pour the remaining 2/3 batter into the prepared crust.
- Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch. Stir in the reserved cream cheese batter. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan over the white filling. Run a knife through the filling decoratively to create a marble look. Sprinkle the chopped maraschino cherries on top. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.
- Bake on the top rack of the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Continue baking until the edges of the cheesecake have nicely puffed and the surface of the cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven with the door closed for 1 1/2 hours. Run the tip of a paring knife around the edges of the pan, set the pan on a wire rack, and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before placing into the refrigerator, and cooling 3 hours.
- Heat the cornstarch and reserved maraschino cherry juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Pour the cooked sauce over the cheesecake. Sprinkle the halved cherries on top. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons chocolate chip in a microwave-safe bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting. Drizzle chocolate over the cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 2 more hours before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 815 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 68 g |
| Cholesterol | 229 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 35 g |
| Sodium | 483 mg |
| Sugars | 46 g |
| Fat | 57 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This is very good, rave reviews from the friends I served this to. Couple things to note, this makes a lot of cheesecake so a 10-in pan is a must. The chocolate graham crust was delicious, but I had trouble getting it to stay up the sides as well. I used a pie plate and refrigerated it before baking to get the butter firm and set, but nonetheless, it started to ooze up the sides somewhat during baking from the weight of the cream cheese filling. If you use a springform, I don’t think you will have any issues as it did bake nicely for me on the bottom. I used a canned cherry pie filling but I placed it on top after baking and refrigeration. The only critique came from one friend who could taste the canned fruit flavor. This is heavy, rich, and decadent, and I will be revisiting it again in the future – with the added effort of a scratch-made cherry topping since this is a proven recipe for me now.
I combined two recipes. I used fresh tart cherries and add chocolate chips to the batter. It was super delicious and definitely worth making again.
Bought Chocolate graham crust and cherry pie filling.
The cheesecake was good, and the crust was delicious. I did have some trouble building up the edge, but letting it sit for a bit seemed to help. I think maybe a little less butter would make it easier. I used a spring form pan, which didn’t seem to cause any problems, or need too much additional baking time. I found the cherry sauce to be a bit mild, though. I would suggest maybe making a cherry sauce using fresh or frozen cherries with some sugar and thickener, as you would a pie filling. The sauce heated well (I used flour instead of cornstarch to thicken), but with the final product it was just over-powered by the cheesecake itself.
I enjoyed the idea of this cheesecake. I made it in a 10″ springform pan instead of a pie plate. I found that the crust was too runny to create sides to the cheesecake (not really an issue). The next time I make this, I will be making a couple of modifications – Oreo cookie crumb crust, cherry pie pilling instead of maraschinos. As is, this is pretty tasty. With these changes, possibly divine.