It's easy to create the perfect chocolate cherry cheesecake with our step-by-step guide. This seasonal show-stopper is the ideal dessert to serve at a summer party or celebration. Don't forget to screenshot the ingredients list at the bottom ready for shopping in store.
For the cherry curd, put 500g fresh or frozen pitted cherries and the juice of 2 lemons in a pan over a low heat. Cook until the cherries have broken down and softened. Tip the fruit into a sieve over a bowl and crush with a wooden spoon to release the juice; discard the skins. You need about 300ml cherry juice.
Add 75g caster sugar to the cherry juice. Return the mixture to the pan and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks with 2 tbsp cornflour. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, over a low heat until thickened. Pour into a clean bowl and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, melt 75g unsalted butter in a clean, small pan. In a blender, whizz 300g dark chocolate digestive biscuits to fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted butter, until sandy. Press into the base of a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin and chill for 20 mins.
Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. In a mixing bowl, beat 560g full fat soft cheese and 200ml soured cream until combined and fluffy. Add 125g caster sugar and beat for another min, then fold in the zest of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp cornflour. In a small bowl mix together 3 whole eggs plus 2 extra yolks, then beat into the cheese mixture until smooth.
Spoon a layer of cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base in the tin, followed by a swirl of cherry curd. Keep layering the cheesecake mixture and cherry curd until both are used up. Finish with a swirl of cherry curd and use a skewer to make a pretty ripple pattern.
Put the tin on a baking tray. Bake for 50 mins, or until set but with a little wobble in the middle. Run a knife round the cooked cheesecake, then return it to the turned-off oven to cool. Once cool, remove from the tin and transfer to a cake stand or serving platter. Decorate with fresh cherries to serve.
Calories 517 (26%), sugar 31.8g (35%), fat 33.6g (48%), saturates 18.6g (93%), salt 0.8g (13%), based on 12 servings.
We've prepared a simple shopping list so you can easily get all you need to make this crowd-pleasing cheesecake. Be sure to note down the ingredients or take a screenshot before heading to the shops.
75g unsalted butter 300g dark chocolate digestives 560g full fat soft cheese 200ml soured cream 125g caster sugar 1 lemon, zested 2 tbsp cornflour 3 eggs and 2 yolks fresh cherries, to serve
For the cherry curd500g fresh or frozen cherries, pitted2 lemons, juiced75g caster sugar3 egg yolks2 tbsp cornflour
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