Black Forest Cheesecake Tart

By kdet

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury Plus Fudge Marble or Fudge Swirl Cake Mix
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 (8 ounces each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
• Cherry pie filling
• 2 teaspoons brandy (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray cooking spray on a 10 inch tart pan or a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Reserve 1 cup of the dry cake mix and swirl pouch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining cake mix, oil and 1 egg at low speed until the dough forms.

Press the dough in the bottom of the baking pan and up the sides (go up 1 inch if using the 9 x 13 pan). If you are making the tart, then make the thickness the same as a pie shell would be. You may have some extra dough to discard.

Bake the dough at 350 degrees F. for 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

Add the remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Beat well after each egg.

With the mixer on low speed, add the reserved cake mix and mix well.

Add the sugar, sour cream and heavy cream.

Beat mixture for 3 minutes at medium speed until creamy.

Reserve 2 cups of the cheesecake mixture and set aside.

Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the crust…. If making the tart… only fill the tart 2/3 full… use the extra cheesecake mixture to make mini cheesecakes.

Mix the reserved swirl pouch (chocolate) into the reserved 2 cups of cheesecake batter. Mix well.

Spread the chocolate mixture over the cheesecake batter. Fill to just below the top of the crust…. If making the tart you may have a little left…use the extra batter to make mini chocolate cheesecakes.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes until edges are set and the center is almost set.

**DO NOT OVERBAKE**

If making this in the 9 x 13 baking pan, run a knife around the sides of the pan.

If making the tart, carefully run a knife around the sides as the cake pulls away from the sides…. because the tart pan doesn’t have a flat side…. Slip your knife in the curves and remove the knife and repeat all around the tart.

Cool to room temperature on a rack.

If making the tart, remove the sides.

If using the brandy in the topping:

In a medium bowl combine the pie filling and brandy, stir well.

Spoon pie filling over the top of the cake.

Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

TIP: Do not skip the refrigeration step…. This will help make slicing the cake cleaner and easier. I also found that setting the cake out for about 10 minutes made cutting through the crust easier.