Viral Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Hello, friends! Welcome back to my YumsJunction blog.

These Cherry Cheesecake Bars are actually supposed to be a copycat of those Entenmann’s bars we all know. The original recipe comes from a blog called The Squeaky Mixer, but I’m switching things up a bit. Instead of the strawberry topping she used, I’m going with canned cherries and a milk chocolate drizzle.

Why You’ll Love This

1. No Water Bath Needed
Usually, I do my cheesecakes in a springform pan with a water bath, but this recipe is so much easier. You just bake it right in a square pan.

2. That “Entenmann’s” Vibe
Just cut a little “well” into the center of the bars to hold the fruit, just like the store-bought ones.

3. Simple Ingredients
It’s basically just cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and sour cream. As long as you have those components, it’s going to taste delicious.

4. Customizable
I used cherries and milk chocolate, but you could use strawberry, blueberry, or white chocolate like the original recipe.

Equipment, ingredients, and instructions

Special Equipment/Instruments:

• Food processor (for the crust, or you can crush crackers in a bag)
• Electric mixer (handheld or stand)
• 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Melon baller or a small spoon (to create the “well” in the cheesecake)

Ingredients:

The Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve/packet)
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

The Cheesecake Filling

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (must be room temperature!)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

The Topping

• 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
• Powdered sugar (for dusting)
• ¼ cup milk chocolate chips, melted (for drizzling)

instructions

1. Make the filling
In a mixer, combine one-half cup of sugar, two packages of softened cream cheese, a quarter cup of sour cream, and two teaspoons of vanilla paste. Mix that up until it’s nice and smooth.

2. Add the eggs
Mix in two eggs, one at a time. Make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl so everything is incorporated.

3. Heat the oven
Start preheating your oven to 350 degrees.

4. Blitz the crust
For the crust, take one packet of graham cracker crumbs and put them into a food processor. Pulse this until they’re all nice and chopped.

5. Add the butter
Add one stick of melted butter to the crumbs. Mix this thoroughly until it looks like wet sand.

6. Prepare the pan
The recipe calls for a 9×9 baking dish. Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. Tip: Spray the pan first so the paper sticks, then overlap the paper. Spray the sides where there is no parchment paper so nothing sticks.

7. Build the layers
Put the crust mixture into the pan and press it down flat. Then, spoon the cheesecake mixture on top and flatten it out.

8. Bake and cool
Stick the pan in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Once it’s done, let it cool for at least four hours.

9. Cut and carve
Once cooled, cut your bars. I do three going across and one going down the middle. Now, here is the trick: Make a well in the middle of each bar. Just cut straight down into the center, drag the knife along, and pull that little piece of cheesecake out.

10. Fill and decorate
To fill these, take a little spoon and place a couple of cherries from the can into the wells you just made.

11. The finishing touches
Put some powdered sugar on the parts that are dark (this helps hide any over-browning!). Then, take some nice melted chocolate and drizzle it over the top.

12. Final chill
Stick the bars back in the refrigerator so that chocolate drizzle gets nice and hard. Then they are ready to serve!

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Viral Cherry Cheesecake Bars (Entenmann’s Copycat)

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

9

Large Bars

Prep time

19

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

350

kcal

Chill Time

240

minutes

Total time

5

hours 

Rich and creamy cheesecake bars with a buttery graham cracker crust, filled with sweet cherries and drizzled with milk chocolate. No water bath required!

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• 8×8 or 9×9 Baking Pan

• Electric Mixer

• Food Processor

• Parchment Paper

• For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cups (150g) graham cracker crumbs

• ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted

• For the Filling:

• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

• ¼ cup (60g) sour cream

• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

• 2 large eggs

• For the Topping:

• 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

• 2 tbsp powdered sugar

• ¼ cup milk chocolate, melted

Directions

• Prep the Oven & Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)—make sure it is not on convection! Line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Pro tip: spray the pan with non-stick spray first to help the paper stick, then spray the paper.
• Make the Crust: In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.
• Bake the Crust: Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Make the Filling: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla paste until nice and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed just until incorporated. Do not overmix. (Tip: Crack your eggs into a separate small bowl first so you don’t get shells in the batter!)
• Bake: Pour the batter over the crust and smooth the top. Bake for 40–45 minutes. The center should still be slightly jiggly.
• Chill: Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to set.
• The “Well” Method: Once chilled, lift the bars out using the parchment paper. Slice into 9 squares. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, gently scoop a shallow “well” or trench down the center of each bar (or straight across the whole cake before cutting).
• Decorate: Spoon a few cherries from the pie filling into the wells. Dust the edges with powdered sugar (this helps hide any brown spots!). Drizzle melted milk chocolate over the top.
• Serve: Place back in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set, then enjoy!

Notes

• Room Temp is Key: You want everything at room temperature—especially the cream cheese and eggs—so you don’t get lumps.
• Vanilla Paste: I love using vanilla bean paste because you get those little black specks, but regular extract works fine too.
• Crust Sweetness: I didn’t add sugar to my crust because the filling is sweet, but if you like a sweeter crust, you can add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the graham crumbs.