Black Forest Chocolate Cheesecake

  • Ingredients
  • 2 cups sweet cherries (pitted dark)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsps corn starch
  • 11/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 9 1/2 cookie sheets)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter (or stick margarine, melted)
  • 1 large egg whites
  • cooking spray
  • 1 cup non-fat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (fat-free)
  • 8 ozs cream cheese, soften (1/3-less-fat)
  • 8 ozs cream cheese, soften (fat-free)
  • 11/4 cups sugar
  • 3 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsps vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate (minichips)
  • 36 sweet cherries (dark, pitted and halved)
  1. Instructions
  2. To prepare the cherry topping, place 2 cups cherries in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Combine the pureed cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour cherry topping into a bowl; cover and chill.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°.
  4. To prepare the crust, combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, and egg white in a bowl; toss with a fork until well-blended. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
  5. To prepare the filling, combine sour cream, milk, and cheeses in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Stir in minichips. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 300° for 50 minutes or until almost set (center will not be firm, but will set up as it chills). Turn oven off; cool cheesecake in closed oven 40 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack. Spread cherry topping over cheesecake. Top with cherry halves. Cover and chill 8 hours.