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–+ servings
Cherry cheesecake bars. Delicious shortbread, creamy eggless baked cheesecake and rich cherry pie filling topped with more shortbread crumbs. This is one cheesecake no one can turn down! Recipe by movers and bakers
5 from 1 vote

Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Shortbread, cheesecake and cherry come together perfectly in these cherry cheesecake bars!
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

For the cherry filling

  • 300 g (1 ¾ cups + 3 tbsp) cherries (I used frozen)
  • 75 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 0.125 tsp salt
  • 50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1.5 tbsp cornflour
  • 20 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) water

For the shortbread base and topping

  • 220 g (1 cup) unsalted butter
  • 340 g (2 ¼ cups + 3 tbsp) plain (all purpose) flour
  • 200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For the cheesecake filling

  • 230 g (1 cup) full fat cream cheese
  • 397 g (14oz) condensed milk
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla

Instructions

For the cherry filling

  • Tip the cherries, sugar, salt and 50ml water into a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 4-5 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, cornflour and 20ml water until smooth. Add this to the saucepan with the cherries.
  • Cook the cherry filling mixture for a few minutes until thickened and beautifully silky. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using.

For the shortbread base and topping

  • Line an 8" square loose bottomed tin with parchment paper and set it aside whilst preparing the cheesecake. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
  • Add all the ingredients for the shortbread into a mixing bowl. Rub it all together using your fingertips until there are no larger lumps of butter. You will have a mixture that resembles damp sand and holds together when squeezed.
  • Tip about ⅔ the shortbread mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Press it down into an even layer. Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes until golden.

For the cheesecake filling

  • While the base is baking, make the cheesecake filling. Place the cream cheese in a clean mixing bowl and beat to soften. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually beat the condensed milk into the cream cheese until smooth and totally combined.
  • Once the base has baked remove it from the oven. Immediately, pour the cheesecake mixture over the base, making sure it spreads into the corners. Place dollops of the cherry filling all over the top of the cheesecake in an even layer. Finally, sprinkle the leftover ⅓ of the shortbread mixture over the cherry filling.
  • Return the tin to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The topping will be golden and there will be the tiniest jiggle to the middle of the cheesecake. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the tin, then chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Once chilled and set, cut into bars and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Make the cherry filling before anything else as this needs to cool down before being used in the bake. I also use this cherry filling when making homemade cherry pie too, with my sweet shortcrust pastry recipe.
  • If you wish, you can substitute the homemade cherry filling for a shop bought version instead.
  • When making the cheesecake, it is really important to make sure the cheese has been softened before adding in the other ingredients. This will ensure the filling is smooth and not lumpy.
  • As you place the final top layer of shortbread crumble on the cherry filling, try squeezing some of it into clumps between your fingers before putting on top. This will give more texture to the topping as it bakes in the clumps.
  • Leave to cool completely, ideally chilling too, before attempting to cut this up. The bar is likely to still be soft in the middle once out of the oven, so cooling allows it to firm up and not fall apart when cut.
  • I cut my bars into rectangular shapes. But this could quite easily be cut into smaller squares too, if you prefer the smaller portion sizes.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 629kcal
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Buttery and Short Shortbread Crust, Cherry Cheesecake Bars with Shortbread Base, Easy Cherry Crumble Cheesecake, Homemade Cherry Filling Cheesecake Bars, The "Damp Sand" Shortbread Texture

    Nutrition

    Calories: 629kcal