Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Sat, 7 June 2025

Cherry Cheesecake Bars

15 bars (9 x 11” tray)

These bars are as beautiful as they are tasty. I buy cherry juice from Eastern European shops, and they often have cherries in jars, too. You can substitute cherries for pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice and the recipe will work just as well.

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 110g Rich Tea biscuits
• 110g Digestive biscuits
• 115g butter, melted
• 50g caster sugar
• A pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 225g cream cheese (room temperature)
• 100g caster sugar
• 225g full fat Greek yogourt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 240g double cream

For the topping:

• 20g cornstarch
• 240g cherry juice
• 200g pitted cherries (fresh or tinned will work. if using tinned, drain the cherries),
• cut in half, plus extra for garnish
• 50g caster sugar

Method:

Make the base:

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C.

2. Line the rectangular baking tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides to easily lift out the bars later.

3. Place the biscuits in a strong, sealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Use a rolling pin to bash and roll over the biscuits until they are crushed into fine crumbs.

4. Pour the melted butter over the crushed biscuit crumbs in a bowl.

5. Mix until all the biscuit crumbs are evenly coated and are the texture of wet sand.

6. Tip the buttered biscuit crumbs into your prepared tin.

7. Using the back of a spoon or the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass, firmly press the mixture evenly over the base of the tin. Press down really well to ensure it’s compact and firm.

8. Bake the biscuit base for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Let it cool completely in the tin on a wire rack before adding your filling.

For the filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, with no lumps.

2. Add the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until just combined.

3. Gradually pour in the double cream while continuing to beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Using a whisk, whip up the mixture for a few minutes to get some air in there.

4. Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked biscuit base in the tin. Gently spread it out evenly.

5. Chill overnight.

For the topping:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the 20g cornstarch with a small splash (about 2 tablespoons) of the cherry juice. Whisk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and no lumps

2. remain.

3. Add the remaining cherry juice , cherries and caster sugar to the saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil and the cherries are very soft.

4. Strain through a mesh sieve. Allow this mix to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools, so make sure the mixture is still pourable when you proceed to the next step)

5. Pour the topping over the chilled cheesecake base, coating evenly. Decorate with some cherry halves.

6. Chill again until firm (about 1 hour)

7. Carefully remove the bars from the pan and cut into portions, cleaning your knife after each slice.

8. Keep chilled until ready to serve (up to 2 days)