Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cheesecake #SundaySupper

My mom has always adored dark chocolate, cherries and cheesecake - particularly in that order. Given the choice, she'd happily sit down to a relatively spartan slice of New York style cheesecake with cherry and chocolate sauce before a towering sponge cake, so this year for her birthday I figured I would combine her three sweet favourites. This Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cheesecake was born out of a 3AM brainstorm (the best ideas always come out of insomnia!) where I thought "why not make a cookie (rather than cookie crumb) base packed with dried cherries and cocoa, topped with a silky, dense, slightly tangy chocolate-laden cheese filling with a cherry swirl?". A quick consult with the birthday girl later, I found myself in the kitchen whipping together this intensely rich, but incredibly easy one bowl / one food processor cheesecake.

To make things easier on myself (and to ensure the base was completely cool and set) I baked the "cookie" the day before, letting it hang out in its springform home at room temperature overnight. The cheese mixture featured not only silky couverture chocolate and sour cream, but my favourite "secret ingredient" - silken tofu - as well. The tofu, unlike eggs, doesn't hold air when beaten, making the cheesecake incredibly creamy and dense with a far smaller chance of cracking - even without a water bath! Coupled with the extra step of partially cooling the baked cake in the oven, this dessert was as gorgeous as it was delicious.

The name of this dessert is no lie, either. Each bite of this cake feels almost exactly like eating a dark chocolate Lindor, with the occasional break of chewy cherry tang. It's so intense that a small piece is more than satisfying, and that's probably a good thing given the incredible decadence of the ingredients! According to Mom, the cake freezes well too - she just pulled the last piece out for dessert this week!

While my mom's birthday was over a month ago, Mother’s Day on May 8th is another perfect excuse to indulge in all things mom-worthy! This #SundaySupper we're sharing our favourite recipes Mom made throughout the years as well as the recipes they love to eat. Our hosts this week are Christie Campbell of A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures and Wendy Leep Hammond of Wholistic Woman.

Starters (Appetizers, Beverages, Breakfast):

• Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal by Cooking With Carlee
• Frozen Pina Colada by The Redhead Baker
• Goats Cheese Rolls with Honey and Thyme by Manu’s Menu
• Mom’s Banana Bread by Family Around the Table
• Mom’s Famous Poppy Seed Bread With A Citrus Glaze by And She Cooks
• Mom’s Wine Spritzer by Momma’s Meals

Salads, Side Dishes, and Sauces:

• Asiago Bruschetta Roasted Asparagus by Flavor Mosaic
• Italian Country Salad by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Mom’s Cucumbers in Vinegar by Simple And Savory
• Mom’s Homemade Perogies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mom’s Potato Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Polish Haluski (Pan Fried Noodles & Sauerkraut) by The Crumby Cupcake
• Spinach Salad with Simple Vinaigrette by Cooking Chat
• Zippy Barbecue Sauce by Amee’s Savory Dish

Main Dishes:

• Chicken and Egg Salad Sandwich by The Freshman Cook
• Grilled Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce by Casa de Crews
• Fried Smelt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Granny Smith’s Meatloaf by Get the Good Stuff!
• Jean’s Best Vegetable Soup by Food Lust People Love
• Lemon & Garlic Herbed Roasted Chicken by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Mama’s Favorite Southern Fried Chicken by The Chef Next Door
• Mom’s Cheese & Onion Enchiladas by The TipToe Fairy
• Mom’s Lentil Toastadas by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Mom’s Moussaka by My Life Cookbook
• Shirley’s Potato Soup by Our Good Life
• Mom’s Spare Ribs To Go by An Italian in my Kitchen
• Mom’s Sukiyaki: Japanese Beef and Vegetables Hot Pot by Asian In America
• Myra’s Super Supper by Tramplingrose
• Pizza Meatloaf by A Mind Full Mom
• Slow Cooker Cabbage Rolls by Cookin’ Mimi

Desserts:

• Apple Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Apple Crisp by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Baklava by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Brown Sugar Pudding by Un Assaggio of Food, Wine & Marriage
• Butter Balls by Feeding and More
• Carrot Cream Cheese Coffee Cake by Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cheesecake by What Smells So Good?
• Crustless Pecan Pie Rice Pudding by Desserts Required
• Double Layer Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Chocolate Buttercream by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Easy Classic Date Squares by She Loves Biscotti
• Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Cake by What The Fork Food Blog
• Homemade Chocolate Cherry Candies by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Hungarian Crepes: Palacsinta by My Gourmet Connection
• Lemon Cookies with White Chocolate and Mint by The Finer Cookie
• Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze and Roasted Strawberries by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Mom’s Apple Pie by Wholistic Woman
• Mom’s Famous White Icing by Monica’s Table
• Moms Mayonnaise Cake by My World Simplified
• Pavlova with Raspberries and Cream by Caroline’s Cooking
• Rocky Road Brownie Sundae for Mom by The Weekend Gourmet
• Rose Shortbread Cookies by Baking Sense
• Sour Cream Cheesecake by Magnolia Days

Plus What Mom Really Wants for Mother’s Day plus Mom’s Favorite from Sunday Supper Movement recipes.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.  

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cheesecake
Serves 20

Crust:
¼ cup dried cherries
¼ cup port wine (or cherry juice)
⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup shortening
½ tsp Kosher salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
1 ¼ cups barley or whole wheat pastry flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder

Filling:
14 oz chopped best-quality bittersweet chocolate (I used couverture wafers)
4 oz chopped unsweetened chocolate
1 (10 oz / 300 mL) can sweetened condensed milk
24 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
4 oz silken tofu
½ tsp salt
¼ cup cherry pie filling, pureed until smooth

chocolate wafers and / or chocolate covered cherries, for decoration

Crust:

1. Combine cherries and port in a small bowl. Let stand at least 30 minutes (do not drain).
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, salt, egg, vanilla and sugar until fluffy.
3. Sift in flour and cocoa, mixing until incorporated.
4. Fold in cherries and liquid. The dough should resemble a chocolate chip cookie.
5. Spread dough into the bottom of a greased and parchment-lined 10” spring-form pan and freeze 1 hour.
6. Bake at 400 °F for 20 minutes or until just firm. Set aside to cool.

Filling:

1. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and wrap the outside of the spring-form pan with foil.
2. Melt together the chocolates and condensed milk. Cool slightly.
3. In a food processor, puree cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, tofu and salt until smooth. Add chocolate and beat until combined.
4. Pour mixture onto prepared crust.
5. Spoon dollops of pureed pie filling onto the cheese mixture and swirl lightly with a knife.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or until filling is set.
7. Turn off the oven and let cool inside for 30 minutes, then remove and cool to room temperature.
8. Refrigerate in the pan, covered, at least 8 hours or overnight.
9. Unmould and decorate with chocolate wafers and / or chocolate covered cherries, if desired 

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 449.0
Total Fat: 31.4 g
Cholesterol: 79.9 mg
Sodium: 181.3 mg
Total Carbs: 37.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
Protein: 8.3 g