Lightened Up Cherry Cheesecake

Cheesecake
January 6, 2020
Cheesecake
January 6, 2020

Lightened Up Cherry Cheesecake

  • Prep time: 1 hr
  • Cook time: 30 min
  • Total time: 1 hr 30 min

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Lightened Up Cherry Cheesecake

Creamy Cherry Cheesecake with a sweet cherry swirl and homemade graham cracker crust! You are going to love the flavor in this lightened up cheesecake that tastes totally decadent!

slice of healthy cherry cheesecake with big swirls of cherry jam and a graham cracker crust

Homemade Cherry Cheesecake

Is there any better way to ring in a new decade than with cheesecake? Me thinks not. Better yet, this cheesecake is…healthy-ish?! I know it doesn’t look it, and it sure doesn’t taste it, but the facts don’t lie.

healthy cherry cheesecake with slices taken out

You’d never know this cherry swirled cheesecake was lightened up. It’s creamy, tangy, slightly dense, and tastes exactly like the real deal thanks to greek yogurt and low-fat cream cheese.

overhead shot of cherry swirled lightened up cheesecake

It kind of makes you wonder why you would ever make normal cheesecake when this better for you version is equally delicious. So, basically it’s perfect for sticking to all those New Year’s resolutions without sacrificing any delicious treats.

slice of healthy cherry cheesecake with a fork

How to Make Lightened Up Cherry Cheesecake:

We made our better-for-you cheesecake by swapping out a few of the ingredients you’d use in a traditional cheesecake. A combo of nonfat yogurt and low fat cream cheese for full fat cream cheese, and honey in place of sugar. And we used Bonne Maman INTENSE Cherry Fruit Spread which is made with real ingredients you probably have at home: real cherries, sugar, lemon, and fruit pectin.

The result is a silky, smooth, dreamy cheesecake that’s just as delicious.

cherry swirled cheesecake with a slice taken out

Tips for the Best Healthy Cherry Cheesecake

  1. All ingredients MUST be at room temperature: This is a nonnegotiable for cheesecake. Leave your ingredients out for at least 3 hours to make sure you get a smooth cheesecake!
  2. Don’t over mix: This may seem counterintuitive because you want a light and fluffy lightened up cherry cheesecake, but over beating can cause the cheesecake to curdle.
  3. Grease and line your pan: The last thing you want is a beautiful cheesecake that won’t come out of the pan. We like to line the base of the springform pan with parchment paper and coat the sides with cooking spray!
  4. Strain the cheesecake: No one likes a lumpy cheesecake. Strain the cheesecake batter through a fine sieve as you pour it into the crust.

5 pieces of lightened up cherry cheesecake on parchment paper

How to Add a Swirl to Cheesecake:

Another way we kept this cheesecake lightened up? We swirled it with fat ribbons of Bonne Maman INTENSE Cherry Fruit Spread.

I’ve been a Bonne Maman fan for years. Even when I was a broke college student, I made sure to buy the good stuff instead of those random artificial-tasting raspberry preserves. Because Bonne Maman is consistently amazing. It truly tastes like preserves your grandmother made and packed up just. for. you. And nothing beats that.

jar of bonne maman cherry jam

So Bonne Maman recently came out with a new line of fruit spreads, called Bonne Maman INTENSE Fruit Spreads. They are made with 39% less sugar than regular preserves and use simple, natural ingredients. We love the chunks of real cherries in the Bonne Maman INTENSE Cherry Fruit Spread, and it made so much sense to swirl it into our healthier cherry cheesecake!

close up shot of cherry swirled cheesecake with three forks

Here’s to a new year! May yours be full of lightened up cherry cheesecake 🙂

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Lightened Up Cherry Cheesecake

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Creamy Cherry Cheesecake with a sweet cherry swirl and homemade graham cracker crust! You are going to love the flavor in this lightened up cheesecake that tastes totally decadent!

Creamy Cherry Cheesecake with a sweet cherry swirl and homemade graham cracker crust! You are going to love the flavor in this lightened up cheesecake that tastes totally decadent!

  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 16 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 16 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

for the crust:

  • 2 sleeves (about 2 cups), graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons honey

for the cheesecake

  • 16 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups (16 ounces) nonfat plain greek yogurt, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 8 ounce jar Bonne Maman INTENSE Cherry Fruit Spread

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 10 inch springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Grease the sides with cooking spray and set aside.
    2. Place the graham crackers in a food processor or high powered blender to make crumbs. Add the greek yogurt and honey and pulse until combined. The mixture will be slightly wet, but still crumbly. Press the crust into the prepared pan in an even layer, packing it down well. Set aside.
    3. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the softened cream cheese until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the greek yogurt and beat until homogenous. Don’t over beat. Scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
    4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the vanilla, lemon, powdered sugar, honey, and cornstarch and beat until combined.
    5. Pour the cheesecake batter through a fine sieve or strainer into the prepared crust. Drop spoonfuls of the cherry fruit spread a few inches apart on the cheesecake, and make big swirls with a knife.
    6. Carefully place in the oven and back 325°F for an hour and fifteen minutes or until the edges are light golden brown and the cheesecake is mostly set, but still jiggly. Don’t overbake, or the cheesecake can dry out!
    7. Turn off the oven and leave the door open for 20 minutes to allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature slowly. Remove from the oven and run a knife along the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. This will help the cheesecake not to crack. Let the cheesecake cool for another hour at room temperature before placing in the fridge overnight to set.
    8. Slice into 8 pieces for big pieces of cheesecake or 16 for smaller servings. Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Bonne Maman. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands who help make Broma possible!

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  1. Looks really delicious! Love Bonne Maman preserves. Haven’t seen this new fruit spread, but will be on the lookout for it.
    I have a 9” springform pan. Would that work by increasing the bake time by 10 minute? Also, do you have a calorie count for this cheesecake?
    Thank you

    • Hey Linda! Yes that should work perfectly in that 9 inch pan! We don’t usually calculate calories, but just dropping this into a recipe calculator one serving comes to 295 calories!