Black Forest Cheesecake Tart

This black forest cheesecake tart is a luxurious no-bake dessert, perfect for any occasion.  It has a biscuit base with added cocoa, light and creamy chocolate cheesecake filling and a topping consisting of sweet-and-tangy cherry puree. Simple to make and absolutely delicious!

See also no-bake blueberry cheesecake!

This black forest cheesecake tart is a delicious make ahead dessert perfect for chocolate as well as cheesecake fans. It's made using dark chocolate, isn't overly sweet and, a little unusually for a cheesecake, contains a moderate amount of fat.

Black forest cheesecake ingredients

The base

The base in this cheesecake tart is made using digestive biscuits, cocoa powder for added flavour, melted butter and a bit of maple syrup to help bind the mixture.  

The filling

To make the filling I used a combination of ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt and a small amount of double cream (heavy cream) for an extra smooth, creamy finish.  Ricotta is naturally low in fat (only 6% per 100g) and has the added advantage of having a mild, slightly sweet flavour, perfect to offset the tartness of the yogurt.  

I also added melted dark chocolate for richness of flavour as well as a little cocoa powder.  I sweetened the cheesecake filling mixture with icing sugar/powdered sugar.

The cherry puree topping

This is made using frozen cherries and a little honey.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.To make the base process the biscuits until they form a crumb then add the cocoa powder, maple syrup and melted butter and stir until thoroughly mixed. 

2. Pour the mixture into a 9.5'' (23 cm) loose bottom non-stick tart pan and press firmly into the base and sides. Freeze for 30 minutes.

After 20 minutes melt the chocolate - not quite fully - then stir to melt completely (this will ensure that it's not too warm). You can do this in a microwave.

3. After placing the base in the freezer make the cherry puree. Cook the cherries with the honey in a small shallow pan (squashing with a fork) for 7-8 minutes until the juice is reduced by about half and becomes syrupy.  Puree the entire mixture and set aside to cool completely. 

4. About 5 minutes before removing the base from the freezer prepare the cheesecake filling. Beat together the ricotta, yogurt, cocoa powder and icing sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually beat in the cream.

5. Gradually pour in the melted chocolate beating all the time until fully incorporated.

6. Remove the tart base from the freezer and fill with the cheesecake mixture.

7. Drop spoonfuls of the cherry puree over the top and make swirls using a knife or spoon.  Decorate your black forest cheesecake tart with chocolate shavings (I used a vegetable peeler to make the shavings) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  

Substitutions

• Use either cocoa or cacao powder. Just keep in mind that cocoa is a little darker than cacao and this will affect the colour of your cheesecake filling (I used cocoa).
• Graham crackers make a good substitute for digestive biscuits.
• Use either frozen or fresh cherries.
• You can add 1.5 tablespoons of runny honey into the base mixture instead of the maple syrup.

Can I use cream cheese instead of the ricotta

I don't recommend it.  Even though cream cheese works in most cheesecake recipes in this particular recipe it simply doesn't.  It will make your cheesecake filling dense rather than light (I tried using it and the result really wasn't great).  Secondly, it will make this cheesecake too tangy (remember there is already quite a bit of yogurt in the filling, and the cherry topping is quite tart).

Top tips

• I recommend using good quality dark chocolate (65-70% cocoa solids).
• Melt the chocolate almost completely then stir until fully melted (this is to make sure it's not hot before adding into the mixture).  If it's still too warm set aside for a few minutes until it cools.
• Use either a food processor to crush the biscuits (quicker) or place the biscuits in a food grade plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until they form a crumb.
• Use full fat Greek yogurt.
• The crust: I considered going down the reduced fat route but in the end decided against it.  Turns out the reduced fat digestive biscuits contain marginally less fat but more sugar than the classic biscuits!
• There is no need to freeze this black forest cheesecake tart once you've added the filling. You can top the tart with the cherry mixture as soon as it's cooled.
• I used an ordinary vegetable peeler to make the chocolate shavings but a box grater will work too.
• Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

You might also like

• Chocolate Ricotta Cheesecake (Healthy, Baked)
• Kahlua Cheesecake Pots (No Bake)
• Avocado Lime Cheesecake Pie
• 5-Ingredient Blueberry Cream Cheese Dessert
• Stracciatella Cheesecake Cups (Gluten Free)

Keep in touch!

If you make this black forest cheesecake tart I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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