Chocolate Wafer Crust
1 1/4 cups finely crushed chocolate wafers
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
In a small bowl stir together crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter or margarine. Stir til well combined. Press crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
Black forest filling
24 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
5 teaspoons cornstarch
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup cherry schnapps
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup bing cherries, pitted, copped and drained
In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate, cherry schnapps and vanilla extract. Stir in cherries. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Turn the oven off; return the cake to the oven for an additional hour. Chill, uncovered, overnight.
Chocolate Cherry Topping
1 cup cherry preserves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Chocolate Ice Cream Topping
In a small saucepan stir together cherry preserves, lemon juice and cornstarch. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Pour over cheesecake. Drizzle with chocolate ice cream topping. Chill till serving time. Makes 12 to 18 slices.
