Cherry Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (128g)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (172g)
• 4.5 tablespoons granulated sugar (63g, equals 4 tablespoons plus 1.5 teaspoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (~half to whole lemon, depending on the size)
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 8ounce packages of cream cheese (24 ounces total), room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (~ half to whole lemon, depending on the size)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1/4 cup milk

Topping

I like cherry pie filling from a can. So I often use that for the topping. Sometimes I make the topping from scratch with the following ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• dash of salt
• 4 cups cherries (fresh or frozen unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup water

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Attach the side of the pan. Trim off excess paper.
3. Cut butter into small cubes and chill.
4. Mix together flour, sugar, and lemon zest.
5. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly and all the butter is coated in flour. You are looking for pea size crumbs; a mixture with some larger crumbs is okay.
6. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla extract. The yolk can be a little difficult to distribute, but mix it the best you can. It is okay if there are some clumps of yolk.
7. Add 1/3 of the crust mixture to the bottom of the baking pan and press evenly over the parchment paper. You only want the crust on the bottom of the pan at this point and no crust on the pan sides.
8. Carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. Place the bottom of the pan with the crust mixture on a cookie sheet.
9. Bake crust for 7 minutes at 400°F.
10. Removed from oven. Let the crust cool completely.
11. Grease or butter the sides of the springform pan and reattach to the bottom part of the pan containing the cooked crust.
12. Press the remaining crust dough on the sides of the pan. You want the crust to go up the side of the pan approximately halfway.

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, and salt for the filling.
3. Beat softened cream cheese, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fluffy using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer. 
4. Gradually add the sugar mixture into the cream cheese. Mix until well combined.
5. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and add eggs and egg yolk all at once. Beat until just combined.
6. Add in milk until combined. Don’t overmix.
7. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Tap the pan gently a few times to help pop any air bubbles.

Bake

1. Place the ready to bake cheesecake on a cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. A cookie sheet with a rim is a good idea in case there is any leakage from the pan while baking. It is not uncommon for some of the butter from the crust to ooze out.
2. Bake in a 450°F oven for 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to 300°F and bake for 50-55 minutes longer until the edges appear cooked but the center jiggles just a little. A very slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake is okay as it will continue to cook as it cools. You can also test the doneness with a toothpick, but it may cause the cheesecake to crack. Do not overcook or the cheesecake will not have the desired creaminess.
4. Turn off the oven and open the door. Allow the cheesecake to cool gradually in the oven for 5-8 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and cool cheesecake completely at room temperature.

Wrap and Chill

1. Once the cheesecake is cooled, you can remove the side of the springform pan. Scrape the sides with a spatula, if needed, to release from the pan.
2. Do not remove the cheesecake from the bottom of the pan.
3. Place cheesecake (and pan bottom) on a plate. Cover cheesecake in plastic wrap and chill overnight (see more wrapping tips below)
4. The next day, you can now easily lift the chilled cheesecake and remove the parchment paper and the bottom of the pan. Transfer the cheesecake to your final serving plate. It is much easier to move when chilled and less likely to break when cold.

Cherry Topping

1. Use your favorite canned cherry pie filling or make the sauce from scratch.
2. To make it from scratch combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.
3. Stir in water and cherries.
4. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
5. Once bubbly, cook and stir for 2 minutes.
6. Pour cherry mixture into a bowl to cover and chill until used.
7. Cover the top of the cheesecake with cherry topping. Served best cold.
8. Slice and enjoy!

Makes 12 slices.