Cherry Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust
This delicious and impressive Cherry Cheesecake has a fudgy brownie batter crust and a tangy, light and fluffy cream cheese filling—perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Making your cheesecake in a pressure cooker is a great way to ensure it sets up nicely and has the ideal fluffy, creamy texture, without a water bath. This version is topped with a bright and fruity cherry compote that adds a delicious layer of elegance.
We’ve been making perfect cheesecakes in the Instant Pot pressure cooker for years, and we’ve nailed the formula!
This cherry-topped cheesecake is a stunning dessert for a celebration!
The Instant Pot is one of the best ways to make light and airy cheesecakes, and this is one of our favorites. If you’re a cheesecake fan like us, be sure to check out our post all about How to Make Instant Pot Cheesecakes.
Note: This cheesecake was originally made for my cherry-loving kids, who asked for a Black Forest Chocolate Cake in cheesecake form. However, that name led some readers to expect a chocolate cheesecake base, so we’ve updated the name and post to help you make this cheesecake for all the cherry lovers in your life.
Ingredients for Cherry Cheesecake
Here’s what you need for the best Instant Pot cherry cheesecake:
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so you have the best control over the flavor of your cheesecake.
- Sugar: Regular granulated white sugar works well.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Egg: Let your egg come to room temperature for even mixing.
- Flour: You can use regular all-purpose flour to help bind your cheesecake filling.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using regular full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Cocoa: Choose unsweetened cocoa powder.
How to Make Cherry Cheesecake in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This cheesecake starts with a simple, homemade brownie mix that you “bake” in your pressure cooker.
Start by preparing your springform pan with nonstick spray. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Then add the egg and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Add the dry ingredient mixture and stir until your brownie batter is just combined.
Pour the chocolate crust batter into the prepared pan. Then add a cup of water to your pressure cooking pot and place the trivet in the pot as well. Using a sling, lower the pan with the crust batter onto the trivet.
Cook the crust at high pressure for 7 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and finish with a quick pressure release.
While the brownie crust is cooking, make the cheesecake filling. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar for the cheesecake filling. Then add the flour, vanilla, and eggs and combine until the mixture just comes together.
When the brownie crust is done cooking, pour the cream cheese filling over the crust in the springform pan.
Cook the cheesecake at high pressure for 25 minutes, then let it release naturally for 10 minutes and finish with a quick pressure release.
Carefully remove the cake using the sling and let it cool fully on a wire rack. Once it comes to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight). When you’re ready to serve, add your cherry compote and enjoy!
Important Tips for Making Cheesecake
If this is one of your first times making cheesecake in the Instant Pot, I strongly recommend starting with our detailed post about how to make perfect pressure cooker cheesecake. The post includes exactly how to know when your cake is done and ready to be removed, how to avoid cracks, and the exact right cooking times to use.
For this cheesecake, you can use the recipe to make the fudgy chocolate curst as described. It’s delicious with the cherry compote. Or, if you’re short on time, you can make a simple no-cook graham cracker or Oreo crust with melted butter.
When mixing the cheesecake filling, it’s very important not to overbeat the mixture after adding the flour. Otherwise, your cake can come out dense and tough.
You’ll also want to use room-temperature eggs and cream cheese to blend the filling. Using cold ingredients can cause lumpiness in your cake.
And don’t forget the chilling and cooling steps! Cheesecake needs time to set up and firm up completely. But if you put your cheesecake into the fridge while it’s still warm, you may end up with cracks on top, so let it come fully to room temperature first.
For best results, make your cake the day before you plan to serve it.
Useful Products for Making Instant Pot Cheesecake
There are a few products that will make this cherry cheesecake recipe easier. Here’s what we always use:
- You’ll need to use a pan that fits inside your pressure cooker. We always use this 7-inch springform pan, which fits perfectly into a 6-quart pressure cooker.
- You’ll also need to use a sling to lower and remove the cake from the pressure cooker. You can make one with aluminum foil using these instructions or buy a reusable sling.
- The cake will steam on top of a trivet. You can use the low trivet that comes with many Instant Pots, or try this one.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cherry Cheesecake
Yes, you can use this recipe in a larger pressure cooker. If you like, you can use a slightly larger 8-inch springform pan.
Yes! Ideally, you’ll make this cheesecake the day before you want to serve it.
If you don’t want to make the chocolate brownie crust for this recipe, you can make a simpler two-ingredient crust. Simply follow the instructions for a graham cracker or oreo cookie crust and then proceed with the “Prepare the .
This black forest cheesecake gets topped with homemade cherry compote. But you can easily use a different kind of compote if you like, such as our Fresh Berry Compote or Blueberry Compote.
More Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipes
Recipes you can make with this or other recipes you might like:
- Easy Raspberry Cheesecake is covered in a dense and rich chocolate ganache that makes a stunning centerpiece.
- Triple Chocolate Layered Cheesecake has something for everyone: dark, milk, and white chocolate, all in one dessert!
- Robin Eggs Mini Cheesecakes are adorable individually-sized treats perfect for Easter.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Cherry Cheesecake (aka Black Forest Cheesecake)
This Instant Pot Cherry Cheesecake recipe is a crowd-pleaser for anyone who loves chocolate and sweet cherries, complete with a fudgy brownie crust.
Ingredients
Brownie Cheesecake Crust
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- Cherry cheesecake topping, for serving
- Dark chocolate bar, shaved, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
"Bake" the Brownie Crust
- Prepare a 7-inch springform pan by coating it with a nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with a parchment paper round, if desired.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- Whisk together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooking pot, and place the trivet in the bottom. Carefully center the filled pan on a foil sling** and lower it into the pressure cooking pot. Fold the foil sling down so that it doesn’t interfere with closing the lid.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 7 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker. use a natural pressure release for 5 minutes, and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure.
Prepare the Cheesecake Batter
- In a large bowl, use electric beaters to combine the cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. (Do not overbeat!) Add flour, vanilla and eggs and mix just until blended; don’t over mix.
- Pour batter on top of the brownie in the springform pan. (No need to remove the springform pan from the pressure cooker to add the batter.)
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 25 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker. use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid. If necessary, use the corner of a paper towel to soak up any water on top of the cheesecake.
- Remove the springform pan to a wire rack to cool. When cheesecake is cooled, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Serve topped with cherry compote. Garnish with grated chocolate, if desired.
Notes
Note: Make a sling with a 20 inch piece of aluminum foil, folded three times length wise or use one of these gadgets.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 394Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 0gSugar: 27gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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I’m planning on making this for a woodland-themed baby shower, and wondered if you tried the Chocolate Cheesecake for the Black Forest recipe, and if so, did you prefer it to the vanilla cheesecake??
Hi Paula – I haven’t made this cheesecake with chocolate yet but you can use this recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-triple-chocolate-layered-cheesecake/ as a guide if you do want to make a chocolate version. Sounds like a fun theme. I’d love to see pictures – tag me on Instagram.
Hi!
My hubby picked-this recipe out for his birthday and I would like to get it right with our new IP!
I bought the IP Official Non-Stick Springform Pan which is 7.5” (the inside measurement looks more like 7 ¼”…). Would the cooking time remain the same for that extra ½” (1/4”???), or is it less? what would you recommend?
Also, do you think Kirschwasser would taste good replacing the vanilla in this recipe (& the almond extract in the cherry topping)?
This looks so delicious! We’re both excited! Black Forest Cake is my husband’s favourite (maybe mine too), & we both love cheesecake. This IP recipe looks manageable for my baking limited skills! It will be my 1st cheesecake & IP dessert!
Hi Willa – this is my kind of birthday cake. The cook time should be the same. Since it’s your first cheesecake, my tips on making perfect cheesecake https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/making-perfect-pressure-cooker-cheesecake/ I would use vanilla in the cheesecake and add 1 tablespoon of the Kirschwasser to the cherry topping – increase the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of Kirschwasser and heat sauce until it thickens. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!
Your recipe turned out beautiful & delicious!
It was a successful & happy birthday thanks to you! ❤️
That’s awesome! Thanks so much <3
do you cover the brownie base while it cooks and after adding the cheesecake mixture as well so water doesnt get into the mix?
Hi Kathy – no need to cover the brownie with foil. Foil slows down the cooking process and the brownie isn’t bothered by a little bit of moisture.
Could this be adjusted for an 8inch cheesecake pan?
Yes! I haven’t tried it with this cheesecake recipe, but I have with others. With the others, if you keep the volume of ingredients the same, just reduce the cook time by around 1/3rd. So I’d try 16 minutes? You’ll know it’s done if you test the cheesecake and the middle hits 140 to 150°F. If you do 1.5 times the ingredients, the cook time should stay the same. Hope this helps!
Made this yesterday. The good, the cheesecake does not crack. The bad, so incredibly dense. Too dense. I’m thinking I may have to back off the time. Anyone else have issues? I am cooking at altitude. Maybe that had an impact?
Hi Lois – cooking at altitude you may have to increase cook times, so I don’t think it would affect this recipe. It’s a very traditional cheesecake recipe, however, if you like a creamier cheesecake, you could reduce the cook time. Or, you may prefer this cheesecake with a shorter cook time and the addition of sour cream.
what would the amount of sour cream be and what would the new cooking time be?
You can try 1/4 cup sour cream and 20 minutes cook time.
What are the directions for making the Cherry Compote and what chocolate for the shavings would be best?
Hi David – here’s a link to the cherry compote https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-cherry-compote/ If you can find a high quality chocolate bar in the baking aisle, Ghiradelli https://www.ghirardelli.com/baking-bars#facet:&productBeginIndex:0&facetLimit:&orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSize:& or Scharffenberger https://shop.scharffenberger.com/baking-chocolate/c/scharffenberger@chocolate@baking, that would be idea but most chocolate bars will work.
Good afternoon, Barbara…..I have the 6 qt Instant Pot and also the 3 qt…..I purchased the smaller 6 inch springform pan to fit inside the 3 qt for making a cheesecake. My question is can I use your recipe for your cheesecake that fits in the 6 qt using the 6 inch pan instead….if so, I don’t know how long to cook it in the 3 qt Instant Pot. My cheesecakes comes out bakery quality in the 6 qt….fantastic!
Thanks for any advice you have to offer…..Diana (the pink rice lady!)
Hi again Diana (the pink rice lady) – thanks for the reminder 🙂 Often people use the 6 inch pan in the 6 quart without making any changes in cook time. If after the initial time, you can just pressure cook it a little longer if needed. If it fits in the 3 quart with room for steam around it, then the time should be the same as well.
Made one today. It is really good.
In the directions for mixing the cheese cake batter, you forgot to put to add the flour into that mixture.
Thanks for the heads up Sara – I’ve updated the recipe.
Hi, I couldn’t find a 7″ pan so I have been using a tall 6″ one. In the past, I haven’t needed to adjust any cooking times when I made other PC cheesecakes (that also specify 7″ pans) –there is an instant pot recipe for a salted caramel one that it amazing–but I had a few issues with yours. The brownie base was still pretty liquid after cooking, so when I poured in the cheese cake, the brownie base ran up the sides of the pan (kind of like a regular crust so I didn’t t mind that). After cooking the cheesecake though, the base was still underdone, kind of gooey, as was the cheesecake in the centre (even though it didn’t giggle after cooking/cooling for an hour). I am using an electric PC (Salton) and I had the cheesecake on a silicone trivet above water level. Any suggestions for troubleshooting? (I am guessing maybe increase brownie cooking time by 50%, say 10 minutes and letting it release pressure naturally for 10′ instead of 5? Appreciate your thoughts.
(PS. It was gooey in the middle but the cheesecake tasted so good it is def worth tweaking as I will be making it again).
what size pressure cooker is needed to accommodate the pan? I want to buy one and the choice is between 6 and 8 quart.
I generally use a 6 quart pressure cooker to test the recipes on Pressure Cooking Today. If you’re feeding a big family, some prefer the 8 quart, but it’s a bit more expensive. For most a 6 quart works well. The 7 inch pan I used to make this cheesecake fits fine in a 6 quart.
I am 54 and have never used a pressure cooker because I seen one as a child blow up, so I’m not sure if I can do this, but it looks great.
Hi Leisha – sure you can 🙂 The new electric pressure cookers are super safe and super easy.
Do you recommend adding more water once you add the batter to the cooked brownie bottom? When I opened the pressure cooker when it was done it was bone dry.
Hi Kelly – if a lot of water has evaporated when cooking the brownie bottom, then it is important to add more water. Definitely a good idea to check. Thanks for the reminder.
question…do you have a you tube video channel. would love to see all recepies on on video?
Hi Claudia – I do have a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKczRRMaTL1_16Jp3VGujYg. I don’t have many yet, but plan to add more soon.
I just got a recipe for my son’s upcoming birthday! This cheesecake looks so delicious already, I hope it turns out just like it is in the picture. Thank you, Barbara.
Thanks Jason – I’m sure it will make a great birthday cake. Enjoy!
This cheesecake would make my daughter VERY happy (when she’s not on a diet that is). Black forest cake was always her birthday cake request. This would give her all her favorites….chocolate in the crust, cheesecake and cherries. I’ll be saving this for July-what a treat! Thank you, Barbara. 🙂
Looks like Easter Dessert to me!!
Pressure cooked cheesecake is the best for sure. They started ordering cheesecake for our dining facilities overseas and the texture is much lighter with a pressure cooker cheesecake. My friends tell me they want mine instead. I’ll need to order cherries for the top like this but all of my cooking is a gift since I can’t really charge for making them. But I’m being told I should sell mine. Would be nice to at least cover my costs.
Hi Wayne – so fun that your friends love your pressure cooker cheesecake. Thanks for sharing!
I have ordered a new pressure cooker and when it arrives, this is the first thing I’m going to try! OMG gorgeous.
Thanks Maureen! You’re going to love pressure cooker cheesecake 🙂
This looks wonderful, Barbara! Can’t wait to try it. I think it’s perfectly chocolately the way it is! Yummy! I’m wondering about the Kahlua Coffee Brownie Cheesecake, is your pressure cooker conversion available for it?
Thanks Marsha – here’s my advice to Eileen: I would divide the ingredients in half and reduce the cooktime to 1/3 of the times listed in the recipe.
Thanks so much! You’re always so kind and helpful!
i absolutely love cheesecake, but have never made in a pressure cooker. I might just have to buy one. This cheesecake looks absolutely decadent.
Thanks Analida! You’re going to love pressure cooker cheesecake.