chocolate cherry cheesecake

Meet the most delicious, fuss-free cheesecake you’ll ever make! It’s decadent, chocolatey, and utterly addicting – and no water baths or springform pans required. This recipe has been a staple in our family for as long as I can remember!

this recipe

Guys, this one is kind of a big deal. This is my All-Time Favorite Dessert In The History Of Everything. And yes, it is worthy of that long, exaggerated (except not actually) title. This is Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. Also known as:

• The best of all the family recipes
• The easiest, most fuss-free cheesecake you’ll ever make
• The BEST cheesecake you’ll ever taste
• An instant classic

If you’ve never made cheesecake before, this is best place to start. Only 8 ingredients, including the crust, and they’re all pantry staples (with the exception of the heavy whipping cream, perhaps). No water baths or springform pans required – and if the top cracks a bit, it will be completely hidden under a luscious layer of cherries!

This ages well in the refrigerator, too. Meaning that the leftovers (should you have any) will taste even better the next day. You won’t think it’s possible, but it is. I’ve been conducting my research for years ?

Speaking of years, that’s how long this cheesecake has been appearing in all our big life celebrations. Birthdays, Christmases, even anniversaries. Grant & I made this on our first anniversary and we made it again this year for our 6 month wedding anniversary. I’m pretty sure this recipe is what convinced him to marry me (kidding of course ? but I’m sure it didn’t hurt).

How to Make Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake:

This recipe is super basic! We’re mixing crushed graham crackers and melted butter to form our crust – a food processor is super handy for this!

Next, we’re pressing the crust mixture into a greased pan and baking it for a few minutes before adding the filling.

Then, we’re mixing up out batter and pouring it into the pre-baked crust.

This is the truly hard part – waiting for it to bake + cool so you can dig in! And, as you can see, mine did crack a bit as it cooled – this is NOT a big deal. I repeat, this is NOT a big deal. It doesn’t affect the taste, and the cherry topping hides any imperfections.

Top the cooled cheesecake with cherry pie filling just before serving!

See? Easy peasy! I hope this becomes your new go-to dessert for holidays and celebrations of all kinds, like it is for us!

And make sure to invite me over because this is one dessert I can never get enough of. Every time we make this, we immediately take fork to pan – it hardly ever makes it onto a plate. Happy Baking!

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Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

A simple and decadent chocolate cheesecake, with a graham cracker crust and a cherry topping. No water bath or springform pan required!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Dessert

Keyword: Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, Easy Holiday Desserts, Easy Christmas Desserts, Easy Cheesecake Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cheesecake Cooling: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 506kcal

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 25 graham cracker squares
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

For the Cheesecake:

• 11 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 TBS cocoa powder
• 2 eggs at room temp!
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 can cherry pie filling

Instructions

• Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 or 9 inch pie plate with nonstick spray and set aside. Take your eggs out now so they can come to room temp. 
• Make the crust: To make your graham cracker crumbs, pulse the graham cracker squares in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, and pulse a few times until just combined. Press mixture evenly into prepared dish and bake for 9 minutes, or until light brown. Set aside while you make the filling. 
• Make the cheesecake: Soften cream cheese in microwave for about 30 seconds. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, and mix well. Add cocoa and mix. Add room temp eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Add the whipping cream and mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour into prepared crust. 
• Bake: Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the center jiggles only slightly when you move the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out without wet batter on it, but may have a few moist crumbs. 
• Let the Cheesecake Cool: Let the cheesecake cool completely to room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator. Let the cheesecake cool in the fridge (cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap) for a few hours or overnight before serving. This is a great make ahead dessert!
• Serve + Store: Pour cherry pie filling on top before serving (don't do this before you chill the cheesecake). Cut into slices and serve! Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days (not that it will last that long!) 

Notes

NOTE: It's important that your eggs are at room temp, or they may cause the cream cheese to lump up and your cheesecake won't turn out quite right. 

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcal

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