Whenever I need to make a show stopping dessert, I always pull out this recipe for Ultimate Cherry Cheesecake. It is the perfect sweet for a dairy meal or fish meal, and makes a great addition to a holiday, party, or just a special at-home dinner.

I first learned how to make cheesecake from my Grandmum, who was the world’s best cook and hostess. While she preferred to make everything from scratch, I have simplified it by using pre-made crust and fruit topping, but I’ll share both sets of instructions so you can choose.

To make Ultimate Cherry Cheesecake, you will need:

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
one 9-inch graham cracker crust

Cake instructions: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into crust and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool. Chill for at least 4 hours or up to two days before serving. Top with canned or homemade topping. 

Topping: I normally use a can of cherry pie filling. If you’d prefer to make a homemade version, try this one:

3 cups pitted sour cherries
1 1/2 cups sugar
approximately 1/2 cup water
approximately 1-2 tbs cornstarch, for thickening

Combine fruit and sugar in a pan and stir together. If cherries are soft, you won’t need additional water, but if cherries are firm, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with some cold water, whisking to remove lumps. Slowly add the cornstarch to the cherries, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Some folks also like to top cheesecake with whipped cream, but I find it plenty sweet enough on its own. For those who don’t like cherries, strawberries or blueberries can be substituted.

A tip of cutting cheesecake: This used to drive me crazy! I’d have to cut one slice at a time, dip the knife in water, and so on. There is a much better method that’s also unexpected—dental floss. Try this 3-step method and you’ll be hooked.

1. Cut a long piece of dental floss. Too long is better than too
short. Wrap the ends around your fingers/hands to get a nice firm
grip. You should have an amount of floss between your hands that’s
equal to the diameter of your cheesecake, plus a few extra inches.

 
2. Holding the floss taut, cut the cheesecake first in half, then in
fourths, and continue until the desired number of slice is reached.

 
3. Use a knife or serving utensil to remove the cheesecake from the
pan to the serving plate (or to be wrapped and frozen for longer
storage).