Black Currant Cheesecake

Having lived in the United States for over seven years I forgot what black currants taste like! Finding them at the local farmers market felt like Christmas! I immediately went into the mode of planning what I'm going to do with them. They taste like home to me.

This is a traditional Cheesecake recipe but topped with glazed black currants. If you don't have black currants, use any other berries such as blueberries or strawberries for the topping. You can omit adding berries to the cheese mixture altogether.

Crust

• 2 cups pulsed graham crackers
• pinch of salt
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp cold water

Filling

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 2 cups sour cream (do not use reduced fat)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup black currants 

Topping

• 1 cup red jelly (marmalade-like jam. Do not use regular jam)
• 1 cup fresh black currants, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl combine graham crackers crumbs, salt, and melted butter. Mix well until the mixture is even. Add cold water and mix again. Spray a 9-inch springform with cooking spray. Pour the crumbs into the pan. Using your hands or a spoon, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan forming a single layer without sides. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

2. Lightly beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until it becomes smooth. Add one egg at a time and continue beating. Add sugar and beat until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Do not overbeat as it may separate. Once the mixture looks smooth, stop. Fold in black currants taking care not to pop them.

3. Increase oven temperature to 410F. Pour the cheese mixture into the springform over the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 225F and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. When you turn the oven off, the cake should still jiggle a bit in the middle. That is okay. Leave the oven door open and leave the cake inside for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Cool completely.

4. To prepare the jelly topping, gently melt red jelly in a small saucepan frequently stirring. Mash 1/2 cup black currants in a small bowl until the juice comes out. Add black currants to the melted jelly and stir to combine. Gently stir the remaining 1/2 cup of black currants taking care not to pop them. Spread the mixture over the cake.

5. Important step! Refrigerate the cake for at least 4-6 hours (or better overnight!) for best results. When the cheesecake is still warm, it will look a little mushy. The cold will make it set properly.