Luscious, creamy Cake Mix Cherry Cheesecake minimizes the work yet results in a gorgeous summer indulgence that will wow your guests!
Cool, mouthwatering, and oh-so-hard to resist, cheesecake is practically its own food group! I mean, entire restaurant chains are dedicated to this decadent dessert, and for a good reason! This rich Cake Mix Cherry Cheesecake gives you the same delicious goodness as a Cheesecake Factory slice, but with the help of boxed cake mix and cherry pie filling, this recipe is simple to make!
Cake Mix Cheesecake is not Complicated
You had me at Cheesecake. It’s one of my favorites! Still, cheesecake can be challenging to create. Traditional cherry cheesecake takes up to 9 hours to complete, uses 15 or more ingredients, needs special springform pans, and even requires a water bath while cooking. Sheesh – I’m exhausted just imagining it!
But this Cake Mix Cherry Cheesecake is easy. It gives you all the dreamy creaminess of a classic cheesecake with far fewer ingredients and just over an hour of cooking time! (Though it should be chilled before serving.) This is the best cherry cheesecake recipe for simple summer entertaining!
Other Recipes for Cheesecake Toppings
One of the beauties of cheesecake is the endless number of toppings you can use to change it up!
- Strawberry Salsa tastes fresh and fantastic on top of your cheesecake and is perfect for the finishing touch to a Mexican fiesta!
- Slice your cheesecake into bite-sized pieces and use this Chocolate Fondue for a decadent dipping sauce absolutely everyone adores!
Ingredients
Crust: Yellow cake mixes, eggs, vegetable oil
Cheesecake Filling: Cream cheese, sugar, eggs, milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract
Topping: Can of cherry pie filling
How to Make Cake Mix Cherry Cheesecake
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Then grease a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside one cup of cake mix for the filling. Pour the remaining cake mix, eggs, and oil into a large mixing bowl and combine until crumbly.
STEP TWO: Press the mixture into the bottom and 3/4 of the way up the baking dish’s sides to make the cheesecake’s crust. Set that aside for now.
STEP THREE: Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl until it’s fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Stir in the 1 cup of cake mix and beat for one minute on medium speed. Drop the mixer to low speed and mix the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until combined.
STEP FOUR: Pour the cheesecake filling over the cake crust in the pan. Bake for 65-75 minutes until the center is set and the crust is golden.
STEP FIVE: Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool in the dish on a wire rack until room temperature, about 2 hours.
STEP SIX: Top the cooled cheesecake with the cherry pie filling. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting it into squares and serving.
Tips for Success
- For a classic cheesecake look, make this recipe in two 8-inch round pans that can be sliced into pie wedges.
- To check if the cheesecake is done at the 65-minute cooking mark, don your oven mitts and gently jiggle the pan. If only the center jiggles slightly, it’s done. The center will continue to firm up as it cools. If it is still runny or jiggly at the edges, continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- To make this dessert gluten-free, use a gluten-free boxed cake mix instead of a regular one. Easy!
How long will cheesecake last?
Properly stored, cheesecake will last a week in the refrigerator. The best way to store a cheesecake is to cover in plastic wrap and seal it in a cake keeper or other closed container. When you remove the cheesecake to serve it, return it to the refrigerator promptly once it is plated. Never leave it out more than an hour before returning it to cold storage.
What’s the best way to slice a cheesecake?
So, how do you make neat cheesecake slices? First, always make sure the cheesecake is thoroughly chilled before serving. Then fill a bowl with boiling water and dip your cutting knife in the hot water before cutting the first slice. After each cut, wipe off the blade. Dip the knife into the hot water again before making each consecutive cut. This ensures smooth, pretty slices.
Other Cherry & Cheesecake Ideas:
- Cherry Cheesecake Pancakes
- No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
- Individual Cherry Cheesecake Desserts
- Cherry Cheesecake Salad
- Cherry Hand Pies
- Mini Cherry Pie Bites
*This post was originally posted on 04/08/2014.
Ingredients
Crust
- 30.5 ounces yellow cake mix (2 boxes)
- 2 large eggs
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 21 ounces canned cherry pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Remove 1 cup of cake mix and set it aside. Pour the remaining cake mix into a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and vegetable oil to the bowl and mix to combine. (It will be crumbly.)
- Press the cake mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and up the sides about 3/4 of the way. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- Add the reserved 1 cup of cake mix and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Lower the mixer speed and mix in the milk, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth and combined. Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake crust.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until the center is set and the crust is golden.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Then spread the cherry pie filling over the cheesecake.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Cut into 12 squares or large slices to your liking.
Candi says
This was DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe as written except doubled cherry pie filling and glad I did. I am not sure the 21oz can would have covered. I made this for a fish fry and everyone loved it.
MerlesGirl says
Kim, thanks for your comment! Now I will try this recipe with confidence.
Joan L. says
This sounds delicious, I loved both cheesecakes & cherries so it’s the best of 2 worlds. I bet swapping out a chocolate cake mix for the yellow cake would also be great. You then would have a chocolate cherry cheesecake.
Hannah says
I love, love, LOVE this cheesecake. It’s a nostalgic recipe for me as my great aunt used to make it every year for my birthday. Now that I’m older and started making it myself I’ve realized that it is definitely not enough cake mix for the crust. I usually buy and use a partial box of ‘Nilla wafers’ and put them in a food processor until they are crumbled. Then I usually add softened butter to the crust until it’s a crumbly texture. Hope this helps someone! 🙂
M Reaster says
This is the exact recipe that I grew up with for Holidays at my Grandmother’s house. It’s utterly decadent and delicious! It has become a true family tradition, especially for Christmas.
Kim says
I have made this recipe for decades, literally, always to rave reviews. Several years ago the results suddenly were not as great. I struggled each time for it to turn out but the crust always turned out mush rather than crumbly like before. I finally realized that the cake mix companies had reduced the size of the mix boxes!! This affects every recipe that calls for a cake mix, including the actual cakes made specifically from the box! I now add 1/4 c. all-purpose flour to every recipe and it has made all the difference. With this recipe I add the extra flour and whisk it to blend in before I remove the 1 cup reserve.
Julie says
I meant to give this 5 stars
Julie says
I made this for my 17 year old son’s birthday – he is a fan of cheesecake and loves anything made with cherries. He gave it a big thumbs up! My mom was here when I made it, and she was so impressed that she asked if I would save her some 🙂 I liked the texture of the cheesecake very much, but thought the crust came out a little dry. Do you have suggestions, or perhaps I overbaked it? Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making it again!
erinn says
My Nana used to make a recipe similar to this and she always made it the day before and left in the fridge. It makes the crust softer
Jan Carley says
For this cheesecake recipe, do you use a cake mix with pudding in the mix?
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hey Jan, this is just a regular yellow cake mix.
Laura Meyers says
This cake is in the oven baking now, so I’m writing this review without tasting it. I’m sure it will taste fine. My issue is with the crust. It was not easy to make. One cake mix was not enough to cover the whole 9 x 13 pan AND bring the crust 3/4 up on the sides. Thank goodness I was prepared by buying a second box just in case. After mixed, it was more sticky then crumbly. It was difficult to press in the pan because it kept pulling away on my hands, so I had to flour my hands. I still didn’t have enough to come as high up on the sides as instructed. I just looked at the cake baking and I can’t even see the crust sides; probably shouldn’t have used all the cake batter to fill it. It definitely won’t look like the picture. Hope everything else is good. This is for my dad’s birthday today. Hope it isn’t a bust.
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you for the feedback.
Deborah says
Thank you! my mom use to make this when I was a child…so good.. I had the old recipe but hard to read…50 years old…thanks for refreshing a good memory ?
Aubrey Cota says
That’s so great!! I’m glad you were able to find that here with us.