Name: Cherry Cheesecake Baked Until the Center Springs Back
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 10 h
Yield: 12 slices
Ingredients: 32 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese room temperature; 4, 8 oz boxes; 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 vanilla bean pod seeds from one pod, save pod for later use; 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar; 3 large eggs room temperature; 1 egg yolk; ⅔ cup sour cream room temperature; ½ cup heavy cream room temperature; 2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; ⅔ cup unsalted butter melted; 2 cups whipped cream sweetened or unsweetened; 2 cups cherry pie filling half batch of my cherry pie filling recipe

For Cherry Cheesecake Baked Until the Center Springs Back, the counter starts with full-fat brick-style cream cheese room temperature; 4, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean pod seeds from one pod. Portion it for 12 slices.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 1 hour of cooking, 8 hours of resting, about 10 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

Filling

32 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese room temperature; 4, 8 oz boxes
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean pod seeds from one pod, save pod for later use
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temperature
1 egg yolk
⅔ cup sour cream room temperature
½ cup heavy cream room temperature

Crust

2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅔ cup unsalted butter melted

Topping

2 cups whipped cream sweetened or unsweetened
2 cups cherry pie filling half batch of my cherry pie filling recipe

How the cooking goes

Prepare the pan and crust

Heat the oven to 325°F. Wrap a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil to create a water-tight seal.
Combine all ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Oven-bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Make the filling

To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and seeds in the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until silky, creamy, and smooth.
Put the sugar to the mixer bowl and beat until no granules are visible. This usually takes 3–5 minutes.
Put the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides and bottom between each addition.
Put the sour cream and heavy cream to the electric mixer bowl and beat just to combine. You recommend starting to mix on low so it doesn’t slosh around. You can gradually turn up the speed.
Tip the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust and either shake gently or spread out with a small offset spatula.

Baking and Cooling

Place the lined pan into a larger baking dish or roasting pan and place both in the oven. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it is halfway up the sides, being careful not to splash any into the cheesecake.
Bake for approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes or until set but still wobbly. it helps to start checking after an hour. When gently shaken, the cheesecake will move in one cohesive mass like Jell-O.
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place it on a wire cooling rack to cool until it is no longer warm at ambient temperature. Carefully remove the hot pan with the water from the oven and pour out the water.
Wrap cooled cheesecake and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Either spoon the cherry pie filling onto the center of the cheesecake before cutting or onto the top of each piece. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.