The Ultimate Black Forest Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1/3 cup butter or 1/3 cup margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cocoa, sifted
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherry, well drained and finely chopped
• 1 (19 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 2 cups frozen light whipped dessert topping or 2 cups whipped cream

Recipe

• 1 for the crust: combine ingredients and press into an ungreased 10 inch springform pan.
• 2 chill.
• 3 for the filling: beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl for 5 minutes.
• 4 mix in cocoa.
• 5 beat in eggs one at a time.
• 6 beat for 5 minutes more.
• 7 slowly add whipping cream and vanilla and beat again until well blended.
• 8 fold in cherries.
• 9 pour over cooled crust.
• 10 bake in 325°f oven for 75 minutes or until center is almost set.
• 11 run paring knife around edges to allow cake to settle without cracking.
• 12 cool completely.
• 13 for the topping: spread cherry pie filling on top of cooled cake.
• 14 spoon or pipe topping around edges as desired.
• 15 chill.