Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until well nuts are broken up and crumbly. Add the dried cherries, salt and cinnamon and pulse some more until the cherries are broken up and well incorporated into the mix. It should stick together when you compress the mixture into your hand.
Press the crust mixture into a 8"-9" spring form pan* and press down firmly to make sure the crust if firmly in place. Set aside until ready to add the filling.
*I used a 6" pan for the photograph, but the recipe makes a 8"-9" cake perfectly, which serves 12-16.
For the filling
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.
Refrigerate for 48 hours until cheesecake is set up.
For the chocolate sauce:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl, adding water as needed to make it easy to pour.
Drizzle over the cheesecake after it has set up. Place in the refrigerator again to allow the sauce to set up again.
NOTE: This cake freezes nicely!
Recipe by Plant Craft at https://www.rachelcarr.com/cherry-chocolate-cheesecake/