Dark Sweet Cherry Cheesecake

One of my all time, most-requested recipes has to be this cheesecake. Well, maybe not this exact cheesecake, but the one that I used as a base recipe. It's good. So, so good. I usually top this with regular old cherry pie filling, but this time I had a secret ingredient up my sleeve. You may remember how much I love  Lucky Leaf and their products. While I was out visiting them we got to taste test a ton of fillings that I hadn't tried yet.

This, my dear friends, is one of the fillings that I fell in love with. Fell. In. Love. I'm not really a cherry kind of gal, but this....

This is pure heaven.

I not only topped my cheesecake with these dark little gems, I also plopped some of their goodness *inside* as well. Swirling it around made the cheesecake turn the most delicious shade of purple. Simply gorgeous!

Creamy Baked Cheesecake
recipe slightly adapted from: The Great American Brand Name Cookbook


1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
3 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Set aside. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk and beat until completely incorporated. Add lemon juice; mix. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour into the waiting crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool; chill. Remove sides from pan before serving.

*To make the Dark Cherry version~ before pouring the cheesecake filling into the crust, scoop out 1 cup into a bowl, set aside. Pour remaining cheesecake into pan and set aside. Mix 1/2 cup cherry pie filling into the reserved cheesecake filling. Stir well. Drop by tablespoons onto the top of the plain batter and swirl with a butter knife. Bake as directed. When the cheesecake is completely cool, spread the remaining pie filling over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Plain, dressed up with fresh fruit or pie filling on the top, this is a winner. I call it my never fail cheesecake because it turns out every time. I give the recipe to my friends and it always turns out. Now I'm giving it to you because I'm positive that it will work for you too!

Recipe is linked up at:
Little House Living's Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange