1. Wash, dry, and pit the cherries. Place them in a bowl, add the cornstarch and mix until the cherries are evenly coated with the starch. Set aside.

2. Add the cream cheese and xylitol (or sugar) to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt and mix well. Sift the flour into the bowl and stir in just briefly. Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes so the flour can absorb some of the liquid.

3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Line a 9 inches (23cm) springform tin with baking parchment and grease lightly. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the baking tin and place the cherries evenly spaced out on top. If some of the cherries don’t want to sink you can press them down with your fingers. Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 55-60 minutes. The edges of the cheesecake should be firm, but the center should still jiggle a bit if you move the baking tin. Remove from the oven, loosen the cake from the pan with a knife, and let cool in the pan for at least 4 hours.