Mmm.... Cheesecake

I made cheesecake for the very first time today *sees everyone running for cover*. It tastes alright, but it's very mushy in the middle of the cake, probably from the sour cream (?) that the recipe called for. I specifically looked for a cherry cheesecake recipe since we've got a whole batch full of fresh cherries. It's really a cherry cheesecake with chocolate almond crust, but I just used plain graham crackers instead. My graham crust wasn't moist enough so it got really crumbly. I think for the next time I'll try the Philly recipes and just add cherries in it.

Continue reading for recipe...

Cherry Cheesecake with Chocolate Almond Crust

For chocolate-almond crust
3/4 cup blanched whole almonds, toasted lightly
20 thin chocolate wafer cookies
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For cherry topping
3/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
3 cups pitted picked-over fresh tart cherries (about 2 pints)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For cheese filling
two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
an 8-ounce container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup cherry juice reserved from making topping

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Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a food processor pulse almonds until ground. Add chocolate wafer cookies and grind fine. Add butter, sugar, almond extract, and salt and pulse until combined well. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side. Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool. Crust may be made 3 days ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

Make topping:

In a very small bowl sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. In a heavy saucepan bring cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil, stirring. Remove pan from heat and reserve 1/2 cup juice for filling. To mixture remaining in pan add gelatin mixture and almond extract and stir until gelatin is dissolved.

Make filling:

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Beat in flour and add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in sour cream, vanilla, and reserved cherry juice until combined well.

Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 50 minutes. (Cake will not be set in center but will set as it cools.) Transfer cake in pan to a rack to cool completely. Chill cake, loosely covered, 1 hour. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Spread topping evenly over cake. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Makes 1 Cake.