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This Cherry Crumble Cheesecake combines rich, creamy baked cheesecake with sweet cherries and a buttery crumble topping for the ultimate dessert. The smooth cheesecake filling pairs perfectly with the juicy cherry layer and crisp crumble, creating the perfect balance of creamy, fruity and crunchy textures.
Despite its bakery-style appearance this cheesecake is surprisingly simple to make and perfect dessert for holidays, celebrations, or anytime you want an impressive homemade dessert.
What makes this cherry crumble cheesecake special is the contrast of textures and flavor. The creamy cheesecake filling, sweet cherry topping, and crisp buttery crumble baked together into a desset that tastes like a cross between classic cheesecake and a cherry crumble pie.
For more cheesecake recipes, try Apple Crumble Cheesecake, Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake and Tiramisu Cheesecake.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Cherries: This cheesecake is topped with lots of delicious cherries.
- Crunchy crumble: The crumble topping is the cherry on top of this cheesecake, giving crunch and delicious flavor.
- Creamy cheesecake filling: The creamy and smooth cheesecake filling ties together this delicious cheesecake.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Digestive biscuits: We don't have graham crackers in Danmark, so I therefore use Digestive cookies. But if you can buy graham crackers then you can definitely use those instead if you want to make graham cracker crust.
- Cream cheese: It's important that it's full-fat cream cheese and it's at room temperature when using it. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Sour cream: Measure and let the sour cream come to room temperature 1-2 hours before baking.
- Eggs: Take the eggs out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking.
- Cherries: For this recipe I recommend using fresh cherries for this recipe, instead of frozen, as they have less liquid in them since they haven't been frozen.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CRUST
Here is how to make and bake this Cherry Crumble Cheesecake. This recipe needs a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, and a 23 cm/9 in spring pan lined with baking paper.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting, preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 23 cm/9 inch springform pan lined with parchment paper in the bottom.
STEP 1: In a food processor, add the cookies and granulated sugar and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter and add the it to the food processor and blend it together.
STEP 2: Add the cookie crumbs to the springform and press the cookie crumbs down with the bottom of a glass, and up agains the side of the pan, so it’s packed together and flattened out. Bake it for 10 minutes. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - BLUEBERRY AND CRUMBLE
STEP 1: While the crust bakes, prepare the cherries and the crumble. In a small bowl mix together the halved pitted cherries, granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. Then add the lemon juice and mix it all together until there is no dry flour left. Set it aside.
STEP 2: For the crumble, add all-purpose flour and brown sugar to another bowl and mix it together. Add the butter and with a fork mix it together until it forms a crumbled structure and there is no dry flour left. Set aside both toppings while making the cheesecake filling.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CHEESECAKE
STEP 1: With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 minute on low speed. Then add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and let it mix for 1 minute on low speed.
STEP 2: In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and corn starch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the vanilla extract and let it mix until combined. Then add two eggs at a time and mix until combined.
STEP 3: Pour the cheesecake batter into the spring pan. Gently divide the cherries first on top of cheesecake, followed by the crumble. Bake for 1 hour and 25-30 minutes.
STEP 4: Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a small wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour. Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Give the cheesecake pan a small shake, it's only slightly jiggling in the center of the cheesecake then it's done.
Yes, you can replace it 1:1 for full-fat greek yogurt.
Yes, you can switch out the cherries for blueberry or raspberry!
WHY BAKE THE CHEESECAKE IN A WATER BATH
Why is baking a cheesecake in a water bath so important? What the water bath does, is that it makes the cheesecake bake more gentle. When baking a cheesecake without a water bath, it is more likely for it to over-bake, which will give a curdled texture, a cracked and lopsided top. The hot water protects your cheesecake while it's baking in the oven. It makes sure your cheesecake comes out smooth and creamy.
HOW TO STORE
Store the cherry crumble cheesecake in the refrigerator covered by plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It's best enjoyed within 5 days.
Other Cheesecake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Cherry Crumble Cheesecake
Equipment
- 30 cm /12 inch cake pan optional for the water bath
Ingredients
COOKIE CRUST
- 250 g digestive or graham crackers
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 75 g butter
CHERRIES
- 300 g fresh pitted cherries about 350 g with pits
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
CRUMBLE
- 110 g all-purpose flour
- 80 g dark brown sugar
- 70 g butter room temperature
CHEESECAKE
- 800 g cream cheese, full fat room temperature
- 250 g granulated sugar
- 200 g sour cream 14-18% room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
COOKIE CRUST
- Before starting, preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 325ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 23 cm/9-inch springform tin lined with parchment paper in the bottom.
- In a food processor, add the cookies and granulated sugar and blend it all together until a fine sand-like texture. Melt the butter and add it to the food processor and blend it together.250 g digestive or graham crackers, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 75 g butter
- Add the cookie crumbs to the springform and press the cookie crumbs down with the bottom of a glass, and up against the side of the pan, so it’s packed together and flattened out.
- Bake it for 10 minutes. Then let it cool down so that it’s cool to touch. Keep the oven turned on.
CHERRIES AND CRUMBLE
- While the crust bakes, prepare the cherries and the crumble.
- Start by cutting the cherries in half and removing the pits. Then in a small bowl mix together the cherries, granulated sugar and all-purpose flour. Then add the lemon juice and mix it all together until there is no dry flour left. Set it aside.300 g fresh pitted cherries, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- For the crumble, add all-purpose flour and brown sugar to another bowl and mix it together. Add the butter and with a fork mix it together until it forms a crumbled structure and there is no dry flour left. Set aside both toppings while making the cheesecake filling.110 g all-purpose flour, 80 g dark brown sugar, 70 g butter
CHEESECAKE
- With a hand mixer or in a stand mix using the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese for 1 minute on low speed. Then add the granulated sugar. Once all the granulated sugar is mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and let it mix for 1 minute on low speed.800 g cream cheese, full fat, 250 g granulated sugar
- In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and cornstarch until smooth. Add it to the cream cheese with the almond extract and vanilla extract and let it mix on low speed until combined.200 g sour cream 14-18%, 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Then add two eggs at a time and let it mix on low speed until combined. Once all the eggs have mixed in, scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it a final mix to make sure all the ingredients have incorporated.4 large eggs
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the spring pan. Gently divide the cherries first on top of cheesecake, followed by the crumble.
- Boil water in a kettle. Place the springform pan in a 25 cm/10 inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in another baking pan or roasting pan and fill it with hot water ⅔ up the side of the pan. This method will prevent water from getting into the crust.
- Alternatively, add a triple layer of aluminium foil around the cake pan to safely seal it from the water before placing it in a water bath. There might be a possibility of water leaking in, so make sure it's covered well if choosing this method.
- Bake for 1 hour and 25-35 minutes.
- Once the time has passed, give the tray a very gentle shake. The cheesecake should still be a slight wobbly in the middle. Turn off the oven and have the oven door slightly open and let the cheesecake cool down in the oven for 1 hour.
- Then take it out of the oven and remove it from the water bath. Take off the aluminium foil, if added, and place the cheesecake on a cooling rack. Let it cool down fully for about 1 hour to room temperature.
- Finally, once at room temperature, place it in the fridge and let it set for at least 6 hours, preferable overnight before eating.
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