Description
Black forest cheesecake elegantly combines rich chocolate, luscious cherries, and creamy layers into a delightful dessert. Chocolate graham cracker crust and silky cream cheese filling promise a luxurious experience you’ll savor with each decadent bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 24 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Components:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
Cherry Components:
- 2 cups fresh cherries
- 1/3 cup cherry liqueur
- 1/4 cup cherry jam
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries (for garnish)
Instructions
- Crush graham crackers into fine, uniform crumbs, ensuring no large chunks remain.
- Melt butter and blend thoroughly with cracker crumbs until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, creating an even, compact base.
- Chill prepared crust in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set.
- Whip cream cheese until smooth and creamy, eliminating any potential lumps.
- Gradually incorporate powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until fully integrated.
- Melt dark chocolate chips using double boiler method, stirring until completely smooth.
- Fold melted chocolate and cocoa powder into cream cheese mixture, creating a rich, dark chocolate base.
- Gently fold whipped heavy cream into chocolate cream cheese mixture, maintaining a light, airy texture.
- Pour chocolate cheesecake filling over chilled graham cracker crust, smoothing top with a spatula.
- Macerate fresh cherries in cherry liqueur for enhanced flavor depth.
- Swirl cherry jam through cheesecake surface, creating decorative marbled pattern.
- Refrigerate cheesecake for minimum 4 hours or overnight until completely set and firm.
- Before serving, garnish with maraschino cherries and optional chocolate shavings.
- Slice and serve chilled for optimal texture and flavor experience.
Notes
- Use room temperature cream cheese to achieve a smoother, lump-free mixture without overbeating.
- Select high-quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content for intense, rich chocolate flavor.
- Drain maraschino cherries thoroughly to prevent excess liquid from making the cheesecake watery.
- Consider using gluten-free graham crackers for a celiac-friendly version of this decadent dessert.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Chilling
- Cuisine: German
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 530
- Sugar: 37 g
- Sodium: 290 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg