Fresh Cherry Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 1/4 cups butter cookie crumbs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup small curd cottage cheese, drained if necessary
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 10 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 12 cherries

Recipe

• 1 crust-in a bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter; press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan; freeze.
• 2 filling-in a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream and flour on med-high speed for 3 minutes.
• 3 mix in sweetened condensed milk.
• 4 add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• 5 add lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract.
• 6 fold in cherries.
• 7 pour batter over frozen crust.
• 8 bake in a preheated 350° oven for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it.
• 9 cool for 2 hours.
• 10 cover and refrigerate for 6 hours before decorating and serving.
• 11 topping-in a well-chilled bowl, whip cream on med-high speed until soft peaks form.
• 12 with the mixer still running, sprinkle sugar into cream and continue whipping until firm peaks form.
• 13 add almond extract and stir to incorporate.
• 14 ice top of cake or pipe rosettes around top of cake, if desired.
• 15 top with cherries.