I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, guys because this cheesecake speaks for itself. This no-bake chocolate cheesecake filled with dark chocolate, mascarpone, roasted cherries and a splash of bourbon speaks loud and clear! Can you hear it? It’s saying go grab a spoon!
So you already know I’m completely cherry obsessed and as I was thinking about what dessert to make with all those roasted cherries, chocolate cheesecake popped in my head and would not go away. When I finally gave into this chocolate cheesecake, I thought no-bake would be the way to go. Something light, yet completely satisfying. Something that would anchor the roasted cherries, yet let them shine. Something that involved a little bourbon – oh, how I love bourbon.
Once you whip up the chocolate cheesecake, start layering it with those delightful vanilla bean roasted cherries. Just remember to drain the cherries first – you don’t want too much liquid in there.
I added a little mascarpone to the cheesecake, which adds a wonderful lightness and silkiness to it. The dark chocolate along with a little cocoa powder gives it that depth and pairs so beautifully with all those roasted cherries.
Layering the roasted cherries also balances the cheesecake and adds that pop. I mention below that you will need 1-2 batches of the roasted cherries for these. Truth be told, I think 1 will do, but since I tend to go with the whole more is more thing, I used almost 2 – minus all the ones I ate along the way…
Obviously, these need to be topped with whipped cream, because why stop now? A little bittersweet chocolate grated over the top and you’ll think you’re in heaven.
Pile on those cherries because they totally seal the deal, and that crunch from the Oreo crust – icing on the cake.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be right here with a spoon. Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 1-2 batches Vanilla Bean Roasted Cherries - 1 batch is enough to fill the cheesecakes, but if you want a lot of cherries for the topping as well, you'll need 2.
- 1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs (about 15 Oreos)
- 3 Tbsp. (1.5 ounces) Unsalted butter, melted
- 12 ounces cream cheese, leave it out for about 5-10 minutes
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 6 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate
- 4 ounces mascarpone
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. bourbon
Instructions
- Melt butter and mix with cookie crumbs.
- Press 2 Tbsp. crumb mixture in the bottom of parfait glasses and refrigerate.
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler and set aside.
- Cream cream cheese, powdered sugar and cocoa powder on medium speed till smooth. I used a hand mixer for this.
- Add in melted chocolate and continue to mix till combined. Please note you want the chocolate to be fluid, not hot when you add it to the mixture.
- Stir in mascarpone till combined.
- In separate bowl, whip heavy cream, vanilla extract, bourbon and remaining powdered sugar till stiff.
- Stir about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture to lighten it.
- Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream till everything is combined.
- Fill parfait glasses halfway with cheesecake, top with drained roasted cherries, and then top with more cheesecake.
- Before serving, top cheesecakes with fresh whipped cream and more roasted cherries.
Notes
This recipe filled 4 (8 ounce) glasses. It could easily serve 6, just divide evenly. This is a great recipe for mini desserts in shot glasses.
You can substitute cream cheese for the mascarpone, but I highly suggest the mascarpone. It adds a lightness to the cheesecake that it needs.
Sandra says
You’re making it so hard for me to just say no. These pictures are over the top!!!
bblondie says
Thanks girl!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
yum.. these look delicious. definitely craving one right now!
bblondie says
Thanks, Thalia!
Liz says
All I can say is WOW!!!
Terra says
I seriously love the idea of roasted cherries, YUM! AND all the elements of this lovely recipe sound amazing together! So beautiful! Hugs, Terra
bblondie says
Thanks so much, Terra!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Spoon grabbed. Pass me the cheesecake!
bblondie says
You got it! 🙂