Waldo State Bank Blog

Not a fan of cherries? Cheesecake variations are included at the end of the recipe. This is a super easy recipe and the results are a sure winner every time!

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 c Graham Crackers - crumbled
• 3 T Sugar
• 6 T Butter - melted

Cheesecake

• 5 8-ounce Cream Cheese - room temp
• 1 c Sugar
• 3 T Flour
• 1 T Vanilla
• 3 Eggs
• 1 c Sour Cream
• Whipped Topping for serving

Cherry Compote

• 3 c Sweet Cherries - halved
• 1/3 c Sugar
• 2 T Orange Juice - fresh squeezed
• 1 T Orange Zest
• 1 t Vanilla
• 1 1/2 T Corn Starch
• 1 1/2 T Water

To Prepare Cheesecake

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Combine Crust ingredients and press into bottom of springform pan
• Whip Cream Cheese, Sugar, Flour, Vanilla until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add in eggs, 1 at a time and fully incorporating after each. Fold in Sour Cream
• Pour into crust
• Bake 15 minutes at 375 and reduce heat to 325 and continue baking for 70 minutes
• Cool completely, then refrigerate until well chilled prior to serving

To Prepare Cherry Compote

• While the cheesecake is baking, in a medium pan - combine the cherries, sugar, orange juice, and zest
• Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, give it a stir a couple times
• Combine the cornstarch and water until dissolved
• After 15 minutes, add vanilla and stir
• Stir the cornstarch water to ensure combined and slowly add to the cherry mixture, stirring constantly and cook another minute
• Remove from heat and transfer to a container
• Chill completely before serving

Cheesecake Variations

• Hot Fudge or Caramel - Prior to baking, swirl in 1 cup of either topping into the cheesecake batter. I use a higher quality topping such as Mrs. Richardson or equivalent. Drizzle over before serving
• Turtle - Swirl in 1/2 cup of each Hot Fudge and Caramel and 1 cup of chopped pecans
• Fruit - Multiple fruit toppings can be used in place of the Cherry, be creative!

Enjoy!