YUMMY STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
Deliciously creamy and fruity cheesecake with a luscious sweet-tangy strawberry sauce that brings this dessert over the top. Best way to welcome Spring!
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake
- 2 cups graham crackers or digestive biscuit crumbs
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 3 [8 oz} blocks of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Sauce
- 1 pint plus ½ cup strawberries, rinsed and top removed then coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1 lemon, zested plus juice half of the lemon for the sauce
Instructions
For the Cheesecake
- To make the crust, combine the graham cracker or digestive biscuit crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture into a greased 9-inch springform pan using the smooth bottom of a glass and spread on the bottom and sides. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until soft, creamy and smooth (no lumps). Add the sugar slowly and continue to beat. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract with the last egg. Occasionally scrape the sides of the mixing bowl to ensure that there are no lumps remaining on the side or at the bottom.
- Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prepared springform pan. Make a water bath. Wrap the springform pan in heavy foil going up at least an inch above the edge of the pan. Place the springform pan in a bigger pan and fill the latter with hot water up to the middle of the springform pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until fully set though it may still be slightlyt soft in the middle.
- When done, transfer the cake to a rack and cool completely. Refrigerate. The cake can be done two days ahead. Once it’s completely cool, prepare the strawberry sauce.
For the Strawberry Sauce or Topping
- To make the sauce, in a small saucepan combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the fruits begin to break down and release their juices at the same time mashing a few berries to help in the process. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens roughly 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool before spreading on the cheesecake. You may also opt to just add the sauce per individual slice instead of the entire cake. Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Enjoy!
Notes
NOTE:
The water bath is optional. This is to ensure the cake remains flat on top and avoid cracks. Do this if you prefer that.
If you don't use the water bath, the cheesecake may brown on the edges and may even crack in the middle but that’s perfectly fine. I don’t worry much about the cracks as the cheesecake would be covered on top with the sauce anyway. Besides, the sinking or cracking creates a space on top of the cake where you could add the sauce. It also won’t affect the cheesecake’s taste one bit. It’s all up to you.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!