Have you tried Classic Cherry Cheesecake French Macarons yet? You definitely need to right away!
It was just my birthday a few days ago, Yay! And I always make my own cake. But lately I’ve wanted a second treat on my birthday as well. So, I whipped up a batch of Classic Cherry Cheesecake French Macarons!
I know so many struggle with making macarons. But once you get the technique down, it’s all uphill from there!
For these I made a delicious cherry lime curd from fresh cherries. I dolloped it in the center of a macaron half, piped creamy cream cheese frosting around it, and topped it with another macaron half.
This was definitely a new flavor for me. It was my first time using cherries in a macaron recipe. I’m so glad that I did. They were so good, and perfect to celebrate my birthday!
I also started weighing out my powdered sugar and almond flour. It made for a more consistent macaron. When I was still measuring, my macarons were not always coming out right. So, definitely get a food scale and start weighing!
Cherry Cheesecake French Macarons
Ingredients
Macarons
- 200 grams powdered sugar
- 100 grams almond flour
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- pinch of salt
- Burgundy and Pink food gel
Cherry Puree
- 1 cup cherries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp water
Cherry Curd
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup cherry puree
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lime zest
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 8oz bar cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Cheesecake Filling
- Mix together and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cherry Puree
- Add cherries, and sugar in a saucepan and cook until slightly softened. Puree and strain. Cool completely.
Cherry Curd
- In a medium heatproof bowl, place eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, cherry puree, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (bain-marie). Cook on moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture becomes thick, about 10-15 minutes. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your finger through it. The curd will thicken more once cooled.Remove from heat and immediately strain mixture through a sieve. Add butter, and whisk until completely melted and incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
Macarons
- Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together, discarding any bits of almond flour that are too large to pass through the strainer.In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on high speed until foamy, then with the mixer running, slowly add the sugar. When the mixture reaches soft peaks, add vanilla and color. Continue whipping just until mixture forms stiff peaks. Gently pour the almond mixture over the whipped egg whites so they don’t deflate. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the mixture holds a 10 count, meaning when batter falls from the spatula to the bowl it takes about 10 seconds until it fully blends into the rest of the bowl in the batter. This way, the almond mixture is fully hydrated but egg whites still retain some air. The mixture is thick enough to pipe without running everywhere, but the peak at the top of each piped cookie will fall on its own, making a perfectly smooth cookie. This takes about 45 turns.In a decorating pastry bag with a 1A tip, use a toothpick dipped into the Burgundy food gel to draw a line onto one side of the bag. Transfer to batter to the bag. Pipe 1 inch rounds of batter onto the parchment lined pans, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Tap the pans hard on the counter top 4-5 times to release trapped air, and then let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until the unbaked macarons form a skin and do not stick to your finger when touched. Allowing the macaron to crust over is what leads to their signature “feet,” the holey ring that arises during baking at the base of each cookie. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 14 minutes on a shelf in the center of the oven, one pan at a time. When under baked, the centers can be wet. When over baked, they start to brown slightly and become very crunchy instead of crisp on the top with a softer interior.Cool the macaron completely on a cooling grid. Pipe a ring of the cream cheese on one half of the Macaron. Pipe a dollop of the Cherry curd filling in the center. Sandwich with another Macaron. Makes 36 to 48 sandwiched cookies
