Strawberry Cheesecake

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Strawberry Cheesecake

Yield: 8-inch cheesecake

Author: Sarah Truesdell

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 -  1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 4-6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar

For the Cheesecake

• 16 ounces cream cheese (2 bricks Philadelphia, do not use "organic" or other "natural" cream cheese)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups sour cream

For the topping

• 1 pint (200g) strawberries
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Make & prebake the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ with rack set to middle position.
2. In a mixing bowl,  combine 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs with 3 tablespoons of melted butter.  Stir to combine.  Mixture should resemble damp or wet sand and hold together when pressed up the side of the bowl. Increase the amount of graham cracker crumbs and melted butter to fit your pan size and get the right consistency.  
3. Press into the bottom of a parchment lined springform pan. Use enough to form an 1/8 inch crust that goes about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes until set and darkened a bit in color.  Let cool completely before adding filling.

Make the filling

1. Prepare pan by greasing sides of an 8-inch by 2 1/2 inch spring form pan.
2. Wrap outisde of pan with a double layer of heavy duty foil to create a water-tight situation for the pan. For wide foil that will cover bottom and up all sides with one piece, just cut out two squares of foil and lay on top of each other. Place cake pan on top and gather foil up the side. Think of the way a potted plant is wrapped by a florist. If you have standard width foil, cut out two rectangles and lay in a cross. Place pan in the center and gather up around. See the video for help with wrapping the pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, cream together cream cheese and sugar for three minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Beat in sour cream until blended completely (try not to whip air into the batter).
6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Set wrapped pan into a large pan that is at least 1 1/2 inches tall, such as a roasting pan. Pour in enough hot water into this outer pan to get about 1 inch of water.
7. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven and let cake cool in the oven for an additional hour.
8. Remove cake from oven and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
9. Run a thin spatula around sides of pan and under bottom to loosen. Remove outer ring. Place a plastic wrap lined board or plate on top of the cake and flip upside down. Remove the bottom carefully. Using a knife or thin spatula to separate the bottom from the parchment. Flip back over onto your serving platter.  

Make the topping

1. Place strawberries in a saucepan with sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
2. Divide the water into two - pour half with the fruit and combine the other half into the cornstarch to make a slurry.
3. Heat the fruit on low to medium until sugar is dissolved shaking the pan to cook evenly.
4. Add the well-mixed cornstarch mixture into the bubbling fruit. Continue to cook on low - the mixture will thicken and looks glossy. The color will change from an opaque light red to a translucent deep strawberry red color. Mixture must be cooked at a boil for a full 2 minutes or cornstarch may not fully set.)
5. When thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon or spatula it's ready. Check consistency.
6. Allow to cool completely before using.

Notes:

Topping cannot be reheating after it sets. Cheesecake freezes well and is best after it has had 24 hours in the fridge for the flavors to develop.

Did you make this recipe?

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