Air fryer oven cheesecake topped with fresh cherries
Whether you’re an air fryer beginner or a long-time convert, this cheesecake recipe with cherry compote is easy to make and fail-proof.
An air fryer might not be the first thing you consider when you crave cheesecake. Yet you may feel surprised by how it creates a soft centre and a crisp edge, delivering the same indulgence you’d expect from a standard oven. Add a layer of cherries on top, and you get a dessert that satisfies your sweet tooth without the hassle of a water bath or complicated steps.
Good to know: Some cheesecakes flop because of changes in temperature, overmixing, or incorrect baking methods. Sudden shifts in heat cause cracks or soggy centres. Overmixing incorporates extra air, which may lead to collapse after cooling. Mistakes in timing or oven settings create dryness, uneven textures, and dreaded undercooked pockets inside and major heartbreak. This recipe, compliments of InstantPot, is fail-proof if you follow the ingredients and method.
Ingredients
- 2 x 500g philadelphia cream cheese
- 1 x 250g sour cream
- 60ml (30g) all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 250ml castor sugar (220g)
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 packet biscuits (crushed)
- 80-90g melted butter
Topping:
- 60ml sour cream
- 2 tsp icing sugar
- Combine and top the cheesecake with this mixture.
Cherry compote:
- 350g pitted cherries
- 60ml water
- 1 heaped tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp lemon/lime juice (squeeze half lemon/lime)
- 50g sugar
Method
- Mix your butter with the crushed biscuits until fully coated and sticky. Press into a lined and greased 22cm spring form tin. Preheat your air fryer oven to 165 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes only. Remove and let cool completely.
- Add the rest of your ingredients to a blender starting with the eggs and ending with the flour. Blend well, use a spatula to push down any ingredients that cling to the sides and blend again. Pour your blender mixture into the cooled springform tin.
- Switch on your air fryer oven on the bake function and preheat to 160°C for 50 minutes. Add water into the bottom shelf of the air fryer oven to create steam while baking. Bake for 35 minutes, then reduce heat to 140°C. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight to set.
- To make the topping and cherry compote, add all the ingredients to your Instant Pot pressure cooker and mix well. Cook on sauté until thick. Let it cool completely before using it as a topping.
