Cherry Cheesecake
This Cherry Cheesecake is luscious, creamy, full of cream-cheese and cherry flavor. On the outside, it’s a rich and decadent cheesecake, but take a bite and you’ll discover it’s filled with sweet cherry pie filling.

Ingredients
Serves 8
2 unbaked pastry shell, Homemade or Frozen
butter for the mold
For the Cherry Filling
100 ml water
100g powdered (icing) sugar
600g cherries, pitted
For the Cream Filling
300g cream cheese
200 ml whipping cream
2 Tbsp gelatin, powder
2 Tbsp lemon juice
100g powdered (icing) sugar, divided
2 pinch cinnamon
Method
Make the Cherry Filling
1. In a saucepan combine the water, sugar, and pitted cherries. Simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the cherries keeping the juice. Return the juice in the saucepan. Simmer to reduce the juice to half. Pour over the cherries. Set aside.
Bake the Crust
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Roll out 2 disk of pastry. Carefully, lay one disk inside a pie plate. Press the dough into the pan so it fits tightly. Flatten the sheet of baking paper and use it to line the pastry case. Fill the case with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Remove pastry from oven. Carefully lift the baking paper and been/weights out of the pastry case. Return the pastry to the lowest oven rack and bake for about 10 minutes, until a light golden colour. Place pan on a wire rack. Let cool.
4. Line with parchment paper a square baking pan. Lay the second pastry disk into a 23 cm (9 inch) cercle. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the Filling
5. In a bowl, beat whipping cream until it begins to thicken.
6. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the gelatine. Let stand for about 3 minutes, until spongy.
7. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with gelatine. Add sugar and cinnamon, and mix well. Gently, incorporate the cream.
8. Place the cherries over pastry shell. Spread a cream layer. Place on top the second pastry and finish with cream-cheese mixture. Serve garnished wit cherries, if desired.
Enjoy!

“Hunger of the heart is much stronger than hunger for food." ― Amanda Comer