Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

This is not your average cheesecake. It’s a soft, luscious and silky smooth chocolate cherry cheesecake that is full of sweet cherry flavour that pairs perfectly with the rich, buttery chocolate biscuit base. This no-bake cheesecake is perfect for a warm summer evening to celebrate the glorious December cherry season.

Every year I patiently wait for December to come and the delicious Australian cherries to appear at the supermarket. They are quite possibly my favourite fruit and aside from just eating them in bulk, I also love to bake desserts with them.

Because chocolate and cherry are the ultimate in dessert flavour combinations. You can find it in this epic chocolate and cherry cake, as well as this flourless chocolate cake already on my site celebrating this pairing.

I’ve always resisted no-bake cheesecakes as every single recipe I find tends to have gelatin added. Not wanting to do that, I found you can make a no-bake cheesecake that will still set without it by using a combination of block cream cheese and condensed milk. The trick is all in the method.

The result here is a super lush, creamy cheesecake that definitely has a different texture than once with gelatin but one that is so decadent that you just want to keep going back for another bite.

Ingredients for chocolate cherry cheesecake

This dessert is based on my favourite no-bake cheesecake recipe which uses everyday ingredients and no gelatin.

• Chocolate biscuits – I use Arnott’s chocolate ripple biscuits as they are the classic, rich, chocolatey biscuit but you can use any you love. Oreo’s would definitely work instead.
• Vegan butter – a little melted vegan butter is going to make the base deliciously buttery but also help hold it all together. If you don’t mind using dairy you can use regular butter here instead.
• Cream cheese – while I don’t usually eat dairy, I do make an exception for block cream cheese as this is essential for making this cheesecake set. I haven’t tried a spreadable non dairy alternative but I don’t think it would work the same. Instead, I buy the lactose free Philadelphia block cream cheese to make sure my tummy is able to handle it and I get a perfect cheesecake every time.
• Sweetened condensed milk – to reduce the amount of dairy in this cheesecake I like to use the new plant-based version which is made from rice and oat. I also find it’s not quite as sweet as the original which is perfect for my tastes but either plant based or original will work in this recipe.
• Vanilla – always vanilla for that little extra flavour boost.
• Cherries – as the name suggests, we can’t have a cherry cheesecake without cherries!
• Sugar – combined with the cherries, the sugar is going to make our cherry puree to add to the cheesecake.

How to make this no bake chocolate cherry cheesecake

To make this cheesecake you will need a couple of tools that are going to make this recipe so much easier. This is a food processor and a stand mixer.

If you don’t have these you can still try this recipe, but it’s going to be a bit harder to get the desired consistency which is essential for this recipe to ensure the cheesecake sets.

As with all my cheesecake recipes, it is essential that you read the recipe in full before starting to ensure the best results.

Start by making the cherry puree. To do this, pit the cherries and add to a small saucepan with the sugar and place over medium heat. The cherries will start to soften and the liquid will start to boil. Gently boil them until the cherries are completely soft.

Add the cherries to a blender or use a stick blender to puree the cherries. This works best if the cherries have cooled a little bit first otherwise things can get a bit messy. Once pureed you should have about 1 cup or 250ml of liquid.

Add the pureed cherries back into the saucepan and bring to the boil. You want to reduce the mixture down to about 150mls so that it’s nice and thick, almost jamy. Once done, set aside to cool in the fridge.

Next, make the base by adding the chocolate biscuits to the food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add in the melted butter and mix until you get the consistency of wet sand and it sticks together when you squeeze it.

Place the biscuit mixture into a round springform pan that’s been lined with baking paper and press down firmly with the bottom of a glass until it’s evenly covering the base. Set aside in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

For the filling you want to make sure your ingredients are at room temperature – this is an important factor to ensuring the perfect texture when set. To do this easily with the cream cheese just cut it into cubes and let sit on a plate. It will come to room temp much quicker than if you just leave it in the solid block.

Place the cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted and begin mixing, slowly before turning up to medium. You want to whip the cream cheese for AT LEAST 5 minutes or until it’s looking really really creamy.

Stop the mixer and add in the vanilla. Continue to whip for another 5 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the mixture is beating evenly.

Once this mixture is combined and really soft and creamy, with the mixer running on medium low, slowly drizzle in the sweetened condensed milk a little at a time. Continue mixing until all of the condensed milk has been added.

This slow process of combining the condensed milk with the cream cheese after the cream cheese has been beaten extremely well is what is going to make the cheesecake set and ensure you don’t end up with cheesecake soup.

Finally, add in about a ¼ of a cup of the cherry puree and beat until completely smooth and combined.

Pour half of the filling mixture into the pan and then dollop on a few spoonfuls of the cherry puree. Use your spoon or a skewer to marble the cherry puree through the cheesecake. Repeat with the remaining filling and cherry puree.

Place the cheesecake in the fridge to set for a minimum of 24 hours before slicing and serving.

To serve, top the cheesecake with fresh cherries and dark chocolate. Serve the cheesecake straight from the fridge. On a warm day (like the humid Brisbane day I was trying to photograph this cheesecake in) be sure to place any uneaten cheesecake back in the fridge straight away so that it doesn’t melt.

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Please share any creations on Instagram using the tag #eightforestlane as we would love to see what you’re making!

More Christmas Desserts:

Chocolate Pavlova
Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Gingerbread House
Upside Down Christmas Fruit Cake