Tag: cherry

Categories
Dessert

Creating a decadent cheesecake isn’t ‘cherry’ difficult

Making chocolate cherry cheesecake is a whole lot of hurry up and wait, as the components need to come up to room temperature between steps, but the final dessert is a deliciously decadent dessert that is worth all the time it takes to create.
Making chocolate cherry cheesecake is a whole lot of hurry up and wait, as the components need to come up to room temperature between steps, but the final dessert is a deliciously decadent dessert that is worth all the time it takes to create.

“We’re in! What can I bring?” I texted my mom about Easter lunch.

“A dessert of some kind,” she wrote back. “Make something easy!!!!”

“Since when do I make complicated desserts?” I responded, punctuating it with a laughing emoji.

So, in other words, here’s a slightly complicated (but amazingly decadent) dessert I made for Easter lunch with my family.

This comes from “The First Year” blog. You can find the original post at https://thefirstyearblog.com/chocolate-cherry-cheesecake/. I added extra vanilla in my version and changed up the topping, as I’ll explain later.

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Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Making chocolate cherry cheesecake is a whole lot of hurry up and wait, as the components need to come up to room temperature between steps, but the final dessert is a deliciously decadent dessert that is worth all the time it takes to create.
Course Dessert
Keyword cherry, chocolate, chocolate ganache, chocolate graham crackers, cream cheese, fresh cherries, graham cracker crust, Italian creamer, semisweet chocolate chips, vanilla

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 tablespoons butter melted

Cheesecake Ingredients

  • 3 8- ounce packages cream cheese use the full fat
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Italian cream flavored coffee creamer use the full fat
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup cherries chopped (use fresh or thawed and drained frozen fruit)

Ganache Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips I used semi-sweet

Topping Ingredients

  • about 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • about 1 cup fresh cherries

Instructions

Crust Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare an eight-inch springform pan by wrapping the bottom piece in aluminum foil and then assembling the pan. Wrap the outside in three more layers of foil, making sure it goes up along the outsides of the pan. Set it aside.
  • Find a nine-by-13-inch pan or something similar that your springform will fit into so you can use it to make a water bath. (I ended up using a large bowl.) You’ll need this later.
  • Make sure the graham crackers are crushed finely, and pour them into a bowl along with the melted butter, mixing well to coat all the crackers with the butter.
  • Press the crumbs into the bottom of your prepared pan, using a glass or measuring cup to compact them firmly.
  • Bake for eight to 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly toasted.
  • Set the pan aside and let it come up to room temperature.
  • Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Cheesecake Directions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese on high speed for two to three minutes, making sure it is smooth and creamy.
  • Beat in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Next, beat in the creamer, and finally, beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the mixture is completely smooth in between additions.
  • Finally, beat on high for one more minute, and then fold in the cherries.
  • Once the springform pan is cooled to room temperature, pour the cheesecake mixture into it.
  • Place the springform pan into your nine-by-13 pan and fill the nine-by-13 with water until it’s about one inch below the top of the tin foil on the springform pan.
  • Carefully transfer the whole contraption to your 325-degree oven and bake for one hour or until just the middle of the cheesecake wobbles when you gently shake the pan, but the edges are firm.
  • When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and crack the oven door. Leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for about an hour to an hour and one-half. Once it is at room temperature, remove it from the oven and water bath (you can toss the foil layers at this point) and put in the refrigerator for six hours or overnight to completely chill.

Ganache Directions

  • Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator, run a knife around the outside to loosen the edges from the springform, and remove the cheesecake from the pan.
  • Move it to your serving plate.
  • Add the chocolate chips to a heat safe bowl.
  • In a small pot, bring the heavy cream to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly to keep it from scalding. As soon as it boils, pour it over the chocolate chips. Stir to incorporate the chocolate and cream, and then let it sit for about five minutes to cool.
  • Using a spatula, spread the ganache over the top and sides of your cheesecake, trying to form an even layer. (It will harden as you go, so work quickly.)
  • Add chocolate chips and fresh cherries to the top for decoration. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

This got rave reviews from everyone. It was creamy and fruity and chocolatey and fabulous. I ended up creating a homemade cherry pie filling that I put on top instead of fresh cherries, since I was using up fruit from my freezer, and that was fabulous, too.

And, in my defense, it was really only complicated because of all the waiting time between steps for this recipe. Overall, it actually wasn’t too bad.

See, Mom? I can totally do simple.

This piece first appeared in print on April 4, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

It’s time to revisit your ‘pie’orities

This cherry pie uses tart cherries packed in water, so it has a fuller flavor than traditional cherry pie filling does.
This cherry pie uses tart cherries packed in water, so it has a fuller flavor than traditional cherry pie filling does.

There were quite a number of years when I was younger that I wouldn’t eat cherry pie, despite always having loved it.

My last piece before my break with the dessert was while sitting at my grandparents’ dining room table.

“You know,” my cousins told me. “Those aren’t cherries. Those are baby animal hearts.”

I immediately dismissed them as liars, and they argued with me a bit before running off to whatever little boys do, and I stared at my half-eaten piece of pie, knowing they were lying but also not being 100 percent sure I should keep eating.

I love my cousins dearly, but I feel like I should get some kind of restitution for avoiding Grandma’s cherry pies for a few years. I suppose the restitution can come now that I’m tattling in newsprint almost 30 years after the fact. (You are reading this, right Grandma?)

Despite my early run in with cherry pie, I’m now back on the wagon and tried a new recipe for a family get together—no baby animal hearts included.

I liked this recipe, because it uses cherries packed in water instead of corn syrup, so they don’t taste quite as candied as they sometimes do. (Although it was still plenty sweet.)

I found this on the blog “Artful Parent” by Jean Van’t Hul. Jean claims this is the best cherry pie ever. I can’t vouch for this statement, but I did really like it. You can find the original at https://artfulparent.com/best-cherry-pie-recipe-ever/. I doubled the almond extract in mine.

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Cherry Pie

This cherry pie uses tart cherries packed in water, so it has a fuller flavor than traditional cherry pie filling does.
Course Dessert
Keyword cherry pie

Ingredients

  • 3 14.5- ounce cans pitted dark cherries in water
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 9- inch pie crusts refrigerated

Instructions

  • Combine the undrained cans of cherries along with the cornstarch, sugar, salt and almond extract in a large saucepan.
  • Bring the mixture to a slow simmer over medium-low heat and stir regularly for about 10 minutes until the liquid is thick.
  • Set aside.
  • Once the mixture is cooled down, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Roll out the bottom crust and place into a pie pan, making sure it hangs over the sides a bit for crimping.
  • Pour in the cherry mixture and roll out your top crust. Place it on top and either cut some vent holes or weave a lattice.
  • Trim and fold under the edges of the crust and crimp to seal them.
  • Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat in the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cherries are bubbling. (The author suggests putting a foil-lined baking sheet underneath in case it drips into your oven, which is a great idea.)
  • Let the pie cool for a few hours so the cherries can thicken up before you cut into it.
  • Store in an airtight container.

We cleaned up this pie pretty quickly, and I noticed my cousins didn’t shy away from grabbing a piece, too, so maybe they got over their fears of what’s actually in cherry pie.

Of course, my abilities will never compare to my grandma’s pie baking skills. There’s always something better about hers. It’s definitely not some sort of animal parts, but I do think she puts a lot of heart—and love—into each one she makes.

This piece first appeared in print on June 7, 2018.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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