Brownie Bottom Cherry Swirl Cheesecake

It's that time of the year again. The time when I celebrate my birthday (tomorrow) and my lifelong love of cheesecake. And yes, I am one of those people who makes my own birthday cake because I take my cheesecake very seriously.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great cheesecakes out there. I'm a sucker for the classic steakhouse New York style strawberry topped version. You can usually count on a steakhouse for a cookie crust instead of graham crackers and that is what I prefer. But there's room in my heart for all sorts of cheesecake love.

Each year I make a different version and this is my first brownie bottom one. The trick is to bake the brownie layer just enough to set it but not enough to dry it out during the long cheesecake bake. But I'm happy to report that it actually works perfectly. And since I love the combo of chocolate and cherries, this cake got a cherry swirl. It's pretty seriously great but, don't worry, I'm sharing. Enjoy!

Yield: 10 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Brownie Bottom Cherry Swirl Cheesecake

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 1 H & 40 MTotal time: 2 Hour

Recipe for cheesecake with a brownie base and cherry preserves swirl.

Ingredients:

For the Brownie Layer:

• One box of your favorite brownie mix or use my homemade recipe here.

For the Cheesecake Layer:

• 16 oz. Cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz. Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 Cups sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup cherry preserves

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees and line a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the brownie mix and pour into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly but leave the oven on. Note that the brownie mixture will be lightly set but not cooked through yet.
3. Make the cheesecake filling by combining the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until smooth and pour over the cooled brownie base.
4. Using a spoon, dollop the cherry preserves all over the top of the batter. Using a butter knife, gently swirl it into the batter. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 75 - 80 minutes or until the top is set. It's fine if the top still has a tiny wiggle. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.

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