Black Forest Cheesecake Recipe

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and gently spray the sides with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Step 2

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together. Set aside.

Step 3

In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, butter, vegetable oil, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the eggs. Add in the buttermilk, sour cream, espresso powder, and vanilla extract and whisk to incorporate. Mix in the flour mixture just until combined. Mix in the hboiling water until fully incorporated. The batter will be runny at this point.

Step 4

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and place into the oven to bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs.

Step 5

Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 6

To make the cheesecake batter, add the cream cheese and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat together on high-speed for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add in the heavy cream, melted chocolate chips, and yogurt, and mix until fully incorporated.

Step 7

Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat together for 30 seconds. Lastly, add in the cocoa powder and salt and mix until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the baked cake layer.

Step 8

Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent any water from seeping in. Place the springform pan into a larger baking pan and fill with enough water to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan to form a water bath.

Step 9

Place both pans into the preheated oven to bake for 1½ hours. Once baked, turn the heat off and leave the cheesecake in the oven to set for 1 hour with the door closed.

Step 10

Once the cheesecake has set, remove from the oven, unwrap the aluminum foil and, place the cheesecake pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 11

Once the cheesecake has cooled, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours.

Step 12

After the cheesecake has chilled, make the whipped cream topping. Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until a fluffy whipped cream has formed. Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with an open star tip.

Step 13

Run a butter knife along the inside edge of the springform pan to release the cheesecake from the sides of the pan. Release the springform pan and remove the sides from the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake onto a serving platter or a cake stand.

Step 14

Spoon the cherry filling onto the center of the cheesecake (try to spoon the cherries without the sauce - leave as much sauce as possible in the can). Pipe whipped cream swirls around the edge of the cake to form a barrier for the cherry filling.

Step 15

Slice the cheesecake and serve.