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Black Forest Cheesecake

Black forest cheesecake is inspired by the classic black forest cake. Featuring a rich chocolate cheesecake topped with cherry pie filling and whipped cream, this decadent cheesecake is perfect for sharing with friends or your special someone for Valentine’s Day.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cooling and Chilling Time 9 hours
Total Time 10 hours 35 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 20 Oreo cookies crushed in a food processor until they form fine crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the cheesecake:

  • 32 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the topping:

  • Homemade cherry pie filling
  • whipped cream
  • chocolate shavings
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Tightly wrap a 9 inch springform pan in heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step by placing the foil wrapped spring form pan inside an oven bag while baking, but this is optional (see recipe notes below for more info on this process). Lightly spray the springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Mix together the Oreo cookie crumbs and butter and press them into the bottom of your pan. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes and place on a wire rack to cool.
  • Begin to boil a pot or kettle of water for the water bath.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling. Place chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 3-4 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
  • Add in the chocolate mixture and beat until it is fully incorporated into the cheesecake filling. Add in the flour and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat again until the mixture is completely smooth.
  • Pour batter onto the prepared crust. Place prepared pan(s) into a larger pan – like a roasting pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. The edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have a slight jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, but leave the door cracked and allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
  • After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
  • Before serving, top with cherry pie filling, whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Notes

Don’t be intimidated by the water bath process. I have a post that walks you through baking a cheesecake in a water bath. You can skip the foil and oven bag for the water bath by placing your 9-inch springform pan into a 10-inch cake pan. Set this entire thing into the roasting pan, then add the boiling water into the roasting pan, outside of the 10-inch pan. This will still let the water bath do its job without the danger of any leaks.
Feel free to add 2-3 tablespoons of kirsch to the cheesecake filling or to the cherry pie filling if desired.