Black Forest Cheesecake | Chocolate Cheesecake with Cherries & Whipped Cream
This decadent Black Forest cheesecake is made from a creamy chocolate cheesecake, Oreo crust, canned cherry pie filling, whipped cream, and shaved chocolate. It has all the nostalgic flavors of German Black Forest cake.
Equipment
- food processor
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowls
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large Spoon or Spatula
- large Dutch oven or roasting pan
- kettle
Ingredients
OREO CRUST
- 1½ cups ground Oreos (about 15 whole cookies) (no need to separate the cookies from the filling)
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted (4 Tbsp)
CHEESECAKE
- 32 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 8 ounces dark chocolate, melted
TOPPINGS
- 2 cups canned cherry pie filling
- homemade whipped cream (get the recipe here)
- shaved chocolate (optional)
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make sure an oven rack is in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Crush the whole Oreos in a food processor or in a sealed bag with something heavy like a rolling pin.In a large mixing bowl, mix the crushed Oreos, almond flour, salt, and melted butter together.
- Spread the crust mixture into the greased springform pan and press it down in an even layer.Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Once it’s done, reduce the oven heat to 325°F and let the crust cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
Make the Chocolate Cheesecake
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese for 4 to 6 minutes on a medium to high speed, until it is smooth and creamy. (If there are any lumps, you'll end up with a lumpy cheesecake. Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently during this process with a silicone spatula.)
- Add the granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt to the cream cheese, and mix for another 4 minutes. Stop the mixing and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl every minute to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- While mixing on low speed, add the whole eggs and then the egg yolks one at a time. Make sure each egg is fully mixed in before adding the next egg.
- Add the plain Greek yogurt and melted chocolate and continue to mix on a low speed until it's fully combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and give the mixture a few last stirs by hand, to ensure there are no pockets of ingredients that aren't fully mixed.
- Bring a full kettle of water to a boil. Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with at least two large layers of aluminum foil, so water doesn't get into the pan when it's submerged halfway in a water bath. Make sure the foil fully covers the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan, so water doesn't go inside the pan.
- Pour the cheesecake batter onto the cooled crumb crust in your springform pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Place the springform pan in the middle of a large Dutch oven or roasting pan with sides that are at least as tall as the springform pan.Add the boiling water so the water level comes between halfway and three-quarters up the sides of the aluminum foil-lined springform pan. (Now you have a water bath!)
- Carefully transfer the water bath into the oven. Bake for 1 hour, then begin checking the cheesecake to see if it's done. Give the pan a gentle jiggle. The cheesecake is done baking once only the center is jiggly, and the outer edge is set and doesn't move. If it's still jiggly around the edges, bake for another 10 minutes and check it again.
- Once the cheesecake is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the door open so the cheesecake can start cooling still in the water bath inside the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove the springform pan from the water bath and remove the aluminum foil from the pan. Let the cheesecake continue to cool to room temperature in the pan for 1 to 2 hours.
- Loosely cover the top of the springform pan with aluminum foil and chill the cheesecake in the fridge to fully set for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan to loosen it. Release the sides of the pan. Top with canned cherry pie filling, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings. Slice and enjoy!!
Notes
- Shaved chocolate: Use a vegetable peeler to shave a cold chocolate bar directly onto the cheesecake.
- Room temperature ingredients: All your ingredients for the cheesecake should be at room temperature before you start mixing the ingredients. Leave the cream cheese, eggs, and Greek yogurt on the counter for about 20 to 30 minutes to warm up.
- Water bath: Use extra large aluminum foil so the whole sheet of foil wraps around the bottom and up the sides of your pan. This will prevent water from getting into your springform pan once the cheesecake is in the water bath.
- Storing: Store your cheesecake in an airtight container for up to 7 days in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Make Ahead: If you’re planning to make your cheesecake ahead of time, I recommend freezing just the cheesecake. Allow it to defrost in the fridge. Then add the cherries, whipped cream, and shaved chocolate right before you’re ready to serve it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 507kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 10gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 342mgPotassium: 311mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 1009IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!