Creamy Black Cherry Cheesecake Bars

When cherries are in season, there's only one thing to do with them... EAT THEM! But, there's only so many cherries a person can eat (I know this from experience... I once overdosed on cherries while cherry-picking one year -- it does funny things do your digestive system), so I always make these ultra creamy Cherry Cheesecake Bars!

When you have cherries in abundance, it is such a pleasure to bake with them!

I'm talking about sweet black cherries here... not the sour cherries which would require a whole lot more sugar to be palatable for this recipe.

A few things I love to bake with cherries: pie and cheesecake! I also make an insanely delicious Roasted Cherry Brown Sugar Brownie in Scientifically Sweet Cookbook -- SO GOOD!

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Make the base. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix to blend evenly and press out any lumps of brown sugar. Melt butter in a small bowl and in the microwave or over the stovetop in a small saucepan and add it to the bowl with the oat mixture. Stir together until evenly combined. Reserve about ⅓ cup of the mixture for topping and press the rest evenly into the pan.

• STEP 2). Bake the base for 12-14 minutes until it feels set and dry to the touch. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

• STEP 3). Make the filling. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and glossy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well incorporated. Mix in yogurt. Pour it over the base, scatter cherries on top and crumble over the reserved oat base mixture.

• STEP 4). Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden and the filling is just set in the centre. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

• STEP 5). Chill. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before dusting with icing sugar and slicing into squares.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

1. Start with room temperature ingredients. This is so important! Take the cream cheese out of the fridge for 2 hours prior to baking so it is soft.

2. Blend the cream cheese with sugar FIRST. You need to beat the cream cheese so it is smooth, then add the sugar. The sugar crystals will tear through the cheese and break it down so it is creamy. You'll notice that once it is well combined, it will turn glossy. This is a sign that the sugar has bound the moisture in the cream cheese.

3. Add the egg only AFTER the sugar is blended. If you add the egg before the sugar, it will most likely leave you with a lumpy batter. That's because eggs have a very high moisture content and it will be difficult to blend smoothly unless there is sugar present to bind the water.

4. Use a room temperature egg. A cold egg will not incorporate as smoothly

5. Do not over-beat. Over-mixing or mixing at a very high speed will incorporate too much air into the mixture which will create air pockets that can lead to cracking.

6. Gentle baking. To ensure the filling is extra silky smooth, it is important bake these gently at a slightly lower than moderate temperature.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHERRY CHEESECAKE BAR BASE:

The wonderful thing about these bars is that you don't need to rush out to buy biscuits or graham crackers to make the base! You can easily make a tasty crumb mixture from scratch using just a handful of regular pantry ingredients: flour, oats, sugar, butter and salt! EASY.

Just combine all ingredients in a bowl and press into your baking pan. Pre-bake it until golden before pouring over the filling.

RECIPE FAQ

DO YOU NEED TO PRE-BAKE CHEESECAKE CRUST?

Yes, it is important to bake the crust first for these cherry cheesecake bars. It only takes about 12 minutes, but it helps ensure the crust will be firm and dry since the cheesecake batter holds a lot of moisture and will inevitably make the crust soft after a while.

If you do not pre-bake it, then it will never cook properly since the wet cheesecake mixture will insulate it from receiving direct heat.

DO YOU NEED A WATER BATH FOR CHEESECAKE?

For a regular large cheesecake, I generally use a water bath, but for smaller cheesecake bars that use less batter for a thinner layer and just one block of cream cheese, it is not necessary.

Why? It's because this recipe requires less baking time due to the lower batter quantity. Less baking time means less time for the batter to dry out and drying out in the hot oven is the reason why most cheesecakes crack.

HOW TO PREVENT CHEESECAKE FROM CRACKING?

Since we are not using a water bath for this recipe, it is important to bake at a slightly lower temperature to cook the custard-based filling gently. This will prevent the eggs from puffing or "souffle-ing" too fast and also cooks them gently so that they do not curdle. The result will be a smooth and creamy filling. If eggs puff up too quickly, these air pockets will deflate on cooling and leave cracks on the surface.

Make sure to not over-bake. When the edges are set and the center has just the slightest wobble, pull the bars out of the oven. The filling will continue to cook with the residual heat.

DO YOU NEED TO REFRIGERATE CHEESECAKE?

Yes! Cheesecake always benefits from complete cooling and subsequent refrigeration. This helps to set the filling into a cool creamy consistency and also improves the flavour. It will make it easier to slice into neater pieces too. Place the cooled bars in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing them.

If you love cheesecake, check out my other cheesecake recipes:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

Creamy Burnt Basque Cheesecake

Outrageous Fudgy Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownie Cups

Black Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Christina Marsigliese

Ultra creamy cheesecake with juicy black cherries over a brown sugar oat crust.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Chill Time 2 hours hrs

Servings 9 squares

Ingredients

  

Base:

• 1 cup 90g quick-cooking oats
• ⅔ cup 95g all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoon 55g packed dark brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup 75g unsalted butter, softened

Filling:

• 1 block 250g cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup 65g granulated sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup 60ml plain yogurt
• 1 cup 100g fresh or frozen black cherries, halved

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang along each side.
• For the base, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix to blend evenly and press out any lumps of brown sugar. Melt butter in a small bowl and in the microwave or over the stovetop in a small saucepan and add it to the bowl with the oat mixture. Stir together until evenly combined. Reserve about ⅓ cup of the mixture for topping and press the rest evenly into the pan. Bake for 12-14 minutes until it feels set and dry to the touch. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• For the filling, combine cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and glossy. Beat in egg and vanilla until well incorporated. Mix in yogurt. Pour it over the base, scatter cherries on top and crumble over the reserved oat base mixture.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden and the filling is just set in the centre. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before dusting with icing sugar and slicing into squares.