There is some dispute as to when National Cherry Cheesecake Day falls, with some calendars designating Apr. 23, while others claim the date is July 30. Since Apr. 23 comes sooner — tomorrow, in fact — we say why wait?
When it comes to celebrating the day, finding this particular variation on New York-style cheesecake is easier said then done. One venue that still serves a variant in the form of cherry crumb cheesecake is Junior’s in Brooklyn (386 Flatbush Avenue Extension, 718-852-5257). A whole cake sells for $42.95, which sounds steep but is worth it, as one bite will convince you.
A less pricey option is to make your own cherry cheesecake, toward which end we provide the following recipe, which is — without exaggeration — easy as pie. The beauty of the recipe is that it is no-bake, and while purists may grumble over using canned cherry pie filling, suffice it say that we tried concocting our own cherry topping from scratch, using freshIn cherries, cornstarch, sugar, fresh lemon juice, and a hint of cinnamon, and the end-result wasn’t notably superior.
Easy Cherry Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
- 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Store-bought prepared graham cracker crust
- 21-oz can cherry pie filling
Directions
- Place cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and well-combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or until the cheese mixture is firm enough to support another layer.
- Spread cherry pie filling on top, making sure it comes to the edges of the pie. Refrigerate for another hour.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
