Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars
These creamy cherry cheesecake bars are made with FRESH cherries to celebrate cherry season! They’re made with a layer of creamy cheesecake baked with fresh sweet cherries on top. To round out the flavors and textures, it’s topped with a crunchy almond crumble. The combination of fresh sweet cherries and light almond is what makes these bars extra special.
Baking with Fresh Cherries
Traditional cherry cheesecake is baked with canned cherries which have a bright red color and a surprisingly different taste. I actually love cherries, but am personally not a fan of canned!
That’s why I brought together these delicious cherry cheesecake bars using FRESH cherries. Cherry season is May through July, so it’s rather short which means summer is the perfect time to make these bars.
As opposed to jarred cherries, you will find that fresh cherries have better texture and flavor. Jarred cherries tend to be very soft and almost mushy, whereas fresh cherries have a delicious bite to them. They also have a much more true cherry flavor. I find that jarred cherries can sometimes taste artificial or overly sweet.
Once baked into these cheesecake bars, the cherries turn tender but toothsome. Each bite is met with creamy cheesecake, snappy cherry, and crunchy almond crumble. You’ll basically never want to bake with jarred cherries again!
Cherry Cheesecake Bar Baking Tips
- Cream Cheese – For the cheescake layer, be sure to use room temperature cream cheese as this will prevent lumps. I also highly recommend Philadelphia full fat cream cheese because it provides the best texture and flavor.
- Cherries – Slice and pit the cherries either by hand or with a cherry pitter. Then, scatter the cherries over the cheesecake batter. Try not to drop them all in one spot as they could sink too far into the cheesecake.
- Crumble – Work the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers. Stop once the mixture feels evenly hydrated but with a few small lumps of butter throughout. This consistency will lead to the most perfect golden topping!
How to Pick Good Sweet Cherries
When picking up some fresh cherries from the grocery store, there are a few things to look out for in order to pick the best batch.
First, look for cherries that have a rich deep color. The darker the cherry, the sweeter they’ll be.
Next, go for the cherries that appear to be the most plump. If the cherries have been sitting out too long, they can loose some of their moisture. So grabbing the plumpest in the bunch will leave you with sweet and juicy cherries.
Cherry Cheesecake Bars FAQs
Yes! Simply use gluten free graham crackers for the crust and gluten free baking flour in the crumble. Also make sure your oats are certified gluten free.
This recipe is specifically tested to use fresh cherries, so I don’t recommend using jarred. Although if you prefer jarred, then it’s worth the try!
Sure! These should work perfectly fine in this recipe.
Since there’s so much to slice through in these bars, I suggest freezing the bars for about an hour before slicing. The firm frozen bars are much easier to slice into perfect squares. Then, return them to the refrigerator to thaw and soften before serving.
Yes, simply omit the almond extract and leave out the almonds in the crumble.
Store these bars in the refrigerator and they will keep fresh for about a week!
For more fruity cheesecake recipes, check out my:
Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Roasted Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Bars
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make these fresh cherry cheesecake bars. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make these fresh cherry cheesecake bars:
Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 9-16 Slices
Description
These cherry cheesecake bars are so rich and creamy with a layer of fresh cherries baked on top! The sweet flavor of the cherries paired with almond flavored cheesecake and an almond crumble take these to the next level. It’s the perfect way to celebrate cherry season!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/4 cups (135g) ground graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cherry Cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Almond Crumble
- 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (52g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (25g) old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup (25g) sliced almonds
- 4 tbsp butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the ingredients and press into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
Cherry Cheesecake
- While that bakes, make the filling.
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Scrape down the bowl and mix again, just until smooth.
- Now mix in the extracts and sour cream. Once combined, scrape down the bowl and mix again.
- Lastly, mix in the eggs until smooth. Scrape down the bowl to make sure there are no lumps.
- Set aside. Prep the cherries at this time if you haven’t already.
Almond Crumble
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Drop in the cubes of butter and use your fingers to work it into the crumble mixture.
- Stop when the ingredients appear evenly moistened with some pea-sized lumps of butter throughout.
Assemble
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust and spread even.
- Drop the cherries on top in an even layer, covering as much of the cheesecake as possible.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake for 35-40 minutes. It’s done when the crumble is golden and there’s a slight wobble in the center of the cheesecake.
- Then shut off the oven, crack open the door, and leave the cheesecake inside for another 10 minutes.
- Then remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a couple hours or until completely set.
- This is optional, but I suggest freezing the bars for about an hour before slicing as this helps create cleaner cuts.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
These were absolutely delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
Wow, just wow! Another home run, Jenna! Followed the recipe to a “T” and it is a flavor bomb! The hint of almond in combination with the cherry, the buttery crunchy crust with the silky cheesecake is just top notch! Highly recommend giving this one a try!
I have made this twice now in the span of two weeks. WOW. So so so so delicious. Recipe is not hard to follow. The crunch from the crust, to the creaminess of the cheesecake to the sweetness of the cherries and the perfect crumble on top. Thanks so much!
Loved this dessert! Directions were easy to follow and such a summer treat!
These are so, so delicious! I made a batch and shared with co-workers—they started fighting over who’d get the last piece! I even had someone willing to pay for a whole tray for a loved one’s birthday, they enjoyed it so much! I’m usually pretty scared to try cheesecake recipes, I’ve never had good luck with it. These were incredibly easy to make, came together quickly, but still felt “elevated”, despite. Wasn’t too sweet and the fresh cherries made for a refreshing bite each time! Will definitely make these again. Thank you, Jenna for another amazing recipe : )
Made these the other day and my family loved them. Delicious!
Simple to follow and make. Taste is good. I omitted the almond extract and almonds due to allergies. The only thing I’d change is doing something extra with the cherries. Cherries don’t shine in the bars. Just there.
There are absolutely ridiculous! I made them gluten free and you would never know. Go and make these right now. I sliced them without freezing and they turned out great. I will make these again as soon as possible. Thanks for another great recipe!
Followed the recipe to a “t” and its wonderful! Another hit from Jenna!
Made this with some tweaks. Used an 8″ springform pan and made a shortbread crust, instead of graham cracker crust. Worked out well. It’s so yummy, creamy, and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.