Chocolate Cherry-Filled Cheesecake

I was VERY excited about this recipe as it sounded delicious.  It had some differences from the normal ways that I cook cheesecake and I was soon to discover why that way.  Due to these differences I decided to follow the recipe almost to the letter....  I was sorely disappointed.  There is NO I mean ABSOLUTELY NO possible way that the cheesecake in the picture was made following the directions from this recipe.  Due to those difficulties the recipe that I am providing you will show the fixes I would make if I were to make this cheesecake the way that it SHOULD be made!  There are some serious KEY parts that needed to be change to get closer to the effect in the photo. 

Ingredients:

Crust: 
2 Cups Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
3 Tbsp Butter (Melted)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:
4 packages Cream Cheese (8 oz, softened)
3 Eggs

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Almond Extract

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Can (21 oz) Cherry pie filling

Glaze:

1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips (6 oz)

Directions:

Heat oven to 325°F.  In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well. Press in bottom and 1 inch up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan.
In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sugar and almond extract until smooth. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream; blend well.
Spoon 3 cups cream cheese mixture into crust-lined pan, spreading evenly. Carefully spoon 1 cup pie filling evenly over cream cheese layer (reserve remaining pie filling for topping).  Bake for 15 minutes.
Spoon remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over pie filling. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until center is set. Cool in fridge for 2 hours. 
In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 cup whipping cream to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. 
Line cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread glaze over cooled cheesecake, allowing some to flow down the side. Refrigerate at least 2 more hours or overnight. Serve topped with remaining pie filling and whipped topping if you would like.  

 

Mix the cookie crumbs, butter & vanilla

Press crust down into the spring form pan

Blend the cream cheese

Blend in the eggs, sugar, almond

Pour 3 Cups of the cream cheese mixture on top of the crust

Add the cherry pie filling

Top with remaining cream cheese mixture (changed to baking the first part to set it)

Remove from oven and allow to cool in fridge for 2 hours (otherwise you get the collapse as shown here)

Combine glaze ingredients and melt the chocolate

remove sides of pan and place on covered cookie sheet (2 hours of chilling would have prevented this collapse)

Drizzle glaze over the top, allowing to spill over the sides (the collapse caused the chocolate to spread unevenly)

Finish chilling and serve with cherries and whipped topping (still delicious even if not quite as pretty)

     

Here is the Betty Crocker Recipe I used, and the picture that went with the directions...  Like I said without extra setting of the layers and extra chilling before removal of the side, there is NO way that they got this with the directions that were provided.    

  Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake