This 4-layer, no bake recipe is going to steal your heart and your tastebuds! Chocolate Cherry Lush dessert is full of classic flavors, including a chocolate cookie Oreo crust, a chocolate cheesecake layer that is rich and creamy, and easy cherry pie filling. Guests will go wild once they have the first taste!
One reason I love making desserts like this one is because they are super simple! It takes just 20 minutes to put the lush together and is absolute heaven on your taste buds. My Chocolate Lasagna is similar to this recipe, and everyone goes crazy over it.
While chocolate and cherries makes a great Valentine’s day dessert, no-bake recipes like this one are also great for the warmer months since it’s hot enough without turning the oven on! You can also prep chocolate cherry lush ahead of time and it freezes well!
Since you are going to be loading up on cherry pie filling, grab a few extra cans so you make these Cherry Pie Bars or another chocolate cherry classic, this German Black Forest Cake.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love Chocolate Cherry Lush:
- The most simple reason…Chocolate and Cherry are the best duo!
- Very easy dessert to make and it’s quick with canned cherry pie filling, Cool Whip, and packaged cookies for the crust.
- Since this is no bake- it’s perfect on a warm summer day. Refreshing and delicious.
🍒 Ingredients:
This chocolate cherry dessert contain a number of basic ingredients, and all of them are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- Oreos – for the Oreo cookie crust. Use any sandwich cookie, we’re crushing up the cookie and the creme filling.
- Salted butter – salted works great in contrast with the sweet cookies and the butter binds the crust together.
- Cream cheese – adds richness and serves as the main ingredient in the cheesecake layer.
- Powdered sugar – to sweeten the cheesecake layer.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder – to make the cheesecake layer chocolate!!
- Cool Whip – thawed for ease of spreading, you can also whip up some heavy whipping cream (add powdered sugar to sweeten it), but whipped cream doesn’t freeze as well as Cool Whip, so keep that in mind.
- Chocolate sprinkles and maraschino cherries for garnish – how you top off and decorate your dessert lush is up to you. Fresh cherries might also look gorgeous. Blot off any liquid before adding them to the whipped cream or it will run and “stain” the pretty white topping.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- This would also be quite yummy with a graham cracker crust instead.
- If you are not a cherry fan, you can double the chocolate cheesecake layer in this recipe OR switch things up by using strawberry filling instead of cherry.
- Garnish options: You can go wild on this and choose your favorites: oreo cookies, m&m’s, sprinkles, fresh pitted cherries, chocolate chips, graham crackers, graham cracker crumbs…
- For the swirls on top, we use cool whip. However, if you want a more detailed swirl, you can make a batch of whipped cream instead.
- For the cheesecake layer, if you don’t have half ‘n’ half, whole milk or whipping cream can be substituted.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter.
Step 1: Add the Oreos to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the Oreos are fine crumbs; then add the melted butter.
Step 2: Press the cookie crumbs firmly into the bottom of the dish and place it in the freezer while you make the next layer.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, with a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and cream until cream cheese mixture is smooth and fluffy.
Step 4: Gently spread the chocolate cheesecake layer over the chilled cookie crumb layer.
Pro Tip: If the cheesecake layer appears too soft, you can chill the dish in the freezer for 15 minutes or so between each layer to help firm up the surface.
Step 5: Spread the cherry filling over the cheesecake layer using a spatula. Be careful, the cheesecake layer is soft. You can chill layers between each addition to make it easier to spread the next layer on top of the previous.
Step 6: Top with a layer of Cool Whip. Reserve a cup of whipped topping if you are going to pipe swirls on top.
Step 7: Add the chocolate sprinkles.
Step 8: Use a #1M tip and piping bag to make 16 soft swirls on top. Let the lush chill for at least 2 hours so it firms up (in the refrigerator or the freezer.)
Step 9: Add cherries to each whipped topping swirl!
Step 10: Cut into 12 even pieces and serve!
Recipe Tips for Cherry Cheesecake Lush
- To make the chocolate layer sweeter, add more powdered sugar.
- Be sure to allow enough time for the cream cheese to soften. It’s easier to mix and it makes a smoother layer.
- Chill the lush between layers if you have trouble spreading each topping. The pie filling can be spooned all over the cheesecake layer and then spread smooth. If you dump it all in one spot, you will probably displace the chocolate cream cheese layer when you’re trying to spread it.
- This chocolate cherry dessert slices easiest and cleanest for serving when it is just slightly frozen.
Recipe FAQs
Refrigerate the lush in an airtight container for up to 5-6 days.
YES, you can freeze this chocolate cherry dessert for up to 3 months. I’d suggest covering it with plastic wrap and then seal in an airtight container. Allow it to thaw in the refrigerator before serving
MORE Cheesecake Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Cherry Lush Recipe or any other easy recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert Lush
Ingredients
Oreo Crust Ingredients:
- 1 – 14.3 oz. package of chocolate sandwich cookies approximately 36 cookies
- ⅓ cup salted butter melted (plus more for greasing the pan)
Chocolate Cheesecake Layer Ingredients:
- 16 ounces of cream cheese softened
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ cup half ‘n’ half ⅓ cup whole milk can be substituted
Other Ingredients:
- 2- 21 oz. cans cherry pie filling
- 16 oz. tub of frozen whipped topping Cool Whip, thawed
- Chocolate sprinkles optional
- 16 maraschino cherries optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish with butter and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulverize the Oreo cookies until small even crumbs form. Add the melted butter to the cookie crumbs and pulse until combined.
- Press the crust mixture into the prepared baking dish and place it in freezer to chill while preparing the next layer.
- With a hand mixer, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and the cream. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Spread the chocolate cheesecake layer over the chilled crust.
- Use a spatula to carefully spread the cherry pie filling evenly over the cheesecake layer (if the cheesecake layer appears too soft, you can chill the dish in the freezer for 15 minutes or so between each layer to help firm up the surface.
- Top with the Cool Whip, reserving about a cup to pipe swirls on top of the lush if you wish.
- Spread the Cool Whip smooth. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.
- Use a piping bag and tip #1M to pipe 16 soft swirls of Cool Whip on top of the lush.
- Place the lush in the freezer to firm up for at least 2 hours.
- Gently place a cherry on top of each piped swirl.
- Cut into pieces and serve.
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Notes
- To make the chocolate layer sweeter, add more powdered sugar.
- Be sure to allow enough time for the cream cheese to soften. It’s easier to mix and it makes a smoother layer.
- Chill the lush between layers if you have trouble spreading each topping. The pie filling can be spooned all over the cheesecake layer and then spread smooth. If you dump it all in one spot, you will probably displace the chocolate cream cheese layer when you’re trying to spread it.
- This chocolate cherry dessert slices easiest and cleanest for serving when it is just slightly frozen.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Lorraine says
absolutely love this recipe, I did a couple things different, I added and mixed in 1/2 teaspoon of pure almond extract to the canned cherries and I used chocolate covered cherry candies with red sugar sprinkles on top for garnish
Stefanie says
Oh, such a good idea. Almond extract is my weakness. Definitely going to try that!