Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

¾ cup dried, pitted cherries
1 Chocolate cookie crust, baked in 9-inch springform pan, cooled
2 lbs. Cream cheese, softened 3-4 hours at room temperature
1 ¼ cup plus 2 TB sugar
2 TB unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
1 TB fresh lemon juice
2 TB whipping cream
6 oz. Semisweet chocolate, chopped into approx. ½ -inch pieces

Put the cherries in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them, just to cover the cherries. Let the cherries sit in the hot water for 30 minutes. Drain the cherries and pat dry with paper towels.
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside of the springform pan with curst with a large piece of heavy aluminum foil and place it in a large baking pan with sides at least 2 inches high.
Put the cream cheese in a large bowl. Mix on low speed until the cream cheese is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour. Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing the batter smooth after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during this mixing. Mix in the vanilla, almond extract, and the lemon juice. Mix in the whipping cream. Stir in the soaked and drained cherries and chopped chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Put the cheesecake in the oven and pour hot water into the large baking pan to reach 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake 1 hour, or until when you give the cheesecake a gentle shake, the top looks firm. (see note at bottom)
Cool the cheesecake, covered loosely with paper towels, in the water bath for 1 hour on a wire rack. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the paper towels and cool 1 hour more. The cheesecake should feel cool to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Rachel's note: I didn't bother with the crust when I made this. Also, after the cheesecake baked for one hour, instead of taking it out of the oven and cooling it on a rack, I left the oven door closed and just turned off the oven. I let it sit there for another hour before taking it out of the oven to cool for another hour on the counter. This cheesecake is so thick it really needs the extra "baking" time.