Bright, beautiful, and luscious Strawberry Cheesecake will be the talk of the season. This silky smooth cheesecake has a layer of easy homemade strawberry spread on the bottom and then a swirl of it through the top. Fresh strawberry flavors with creamy cheesecake is a perfect pair.
If you don’t want to deal with baking, definitely try my No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake. If you still wish to bake but want more of a strawberry topped classic cheesecake, don’t miss my NY Style Cheesecake.
STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
When my baby sister was coming home from college for a spring break, the first thing she did was call me to see “if I happen to plan on making a cheesecake…maybe…possibly…hint-hint, wink-wink?” Of course, how can I resist making a homemade cheesecake for a “starving” college student. She’s not really starving but she is definitely starved for some home-cooked meals and desserts.
All winter long, she has been craving fresh berries. They don’t have access to many fresh berries on campus in the middle of winter but here in FL, we have it pretty much year-round. All she wanted is one of my cheesecake with a flavor that involved a lot of berries. When you say berries and cheesecake, none better comes to mind than strawberries.
I love making crazy cheesecakes with frostings, and toppings, and different flavors but there are days, when simple is truly the best way to go. Strawberry cheesecake is very simple but fresh strawberry flavor makes it shine very bright. There is no need for frosting or topping because this cheesecake has the most beautiful swirled top.
I modeled this cheesecake after one of my favorite White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecakes. It just looks so pretty all swirled at the top and baked into a hypnotizing design. You don’t want to cover it up with a frosting. But, you can save the extra strawberry sauce that will be leftover for drizzling on top of individual slices.
TIPS FOR MAKING STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
– You can prepare strawberry sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to make the cheesecake. If you do make it ahead, make sure to warm up the sauce so it’s softer and easier to spread and swirl.
– There will be some sauce leftover from this recipe and that is on purpose. I make sure to make extra so that people can drizzle more sauce on top of their individual slice. There are always a couple of people that want to have a little more strawberry sauce on top.
– If you don’t have graham cracker crumbs for the crust, substitute Nilla wafers. Pulse about 40-50 wafer cookies in the blender until it’s crumbs and use it in the recipe. You may want to omit or use less brown sugar in the crust if substituting Nilla wafers.
– I highly recommend that you wrap outside of the springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent water seeping in from the water bath.
– That brings up to the water bath. DO use water bath to bake the cheesecake! The texture difference really is amazing, it’s well worth the extra step.
– Be careful swirling the strawberry sauce into the cheesecake. DO NOT mix, just swirl the sauce and cheesecake filling with a back of a spoon or another utensil with a thin handle. Don’t get scrape the sides and don’t get all the way to the bottom so you don’t scrape the crust.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
Before making the cheesecake, prepare the pan by wrapping outside of the pan in aluminum foil. Heat up some water for the water bath and preheat the oven to 325°.
Strawberry sauce:
Wash strawberries and cut off the leaves. Chop clean berries and place them into a sauce pot. Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and let it simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time.
In a separate little bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water together and stir that mixture into the sauce pot. Let the strawberry mixture thicken and then blend it with an immersion blender or in another blender.
Crust:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and mix very well.
Spray inside of the springform pan with some cooking spray, making sure you get the sides too. Spread crumb mixture in the bottom on the prepared springform, evenly pressing it over the bottom and a little up the sides.
Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the strawberry sauce over crust and gently spread it to even the layer.
Cheesecake Filling:
In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. I give it a good 2-3 minutes of beating to get is soft and smooth. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
Pour in sugar while beating and add eggs, one at a time. Beat it until smooth. Stop to scrape bottom and sides of the bowl.
Add sour cream, vanilla extract, heavy cream and beat, still on medium-high speed, until all mixed very well.
Lower the speed and beat in cornstarch. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
Transfer batter into the springform and spread in evenly.
Spoon several dollops of strawberry sauce over the top of the cheesecake filling and use a thin handle of a mixing spoon (or another utensil with a long, thin handle) to gently swirl the sauce and filling. DO NOT mix, just swirl. Try not to scrape sides and don’t go too deep so you don’t scrape the crust. (Save remaining strawberry sauce to top off individual slices.)
Baking Cheesecake:
Place a large roasting pan into the oven and place cheesecake springform inside the roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform.
Bake for 85-90 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for 10-15 minutes and take it out of the oven. Take the foil wrap off the pan.
Let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter and then gently run a butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don’t actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to serve.)
Cool cheesecake for an hour and then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
STORING AND FREEZING
You should always store cheesecake in the refrigerator, wrapped air-tight with plastic swap or covered with a lid. It’s easiest to store it in the original springform baking pan and make sure to re-wrap the pan with plastic wrap air-tight after each time you take out a slice.
Cheesecake will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze Strawberry Cheesecake?
Yes! You can freeze this cheesecake. Check out my post on NY Style Cheesecake HERE, it has instructions on how to freeze cheesecakes. (I mainly don’t want to keep retyping the same instructions…*insert wink*.)
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES TO TRY
White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake
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Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce:
- 16 oz strawberries
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp salted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling:
- 32 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
Strawberry Sauce:
- Wash strawberries and cut off the leaves. Chop clean berries and place them into a sauce pot.
- Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Bring it to simmer over medium heat and then lower the heat. Let it simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time.
- In a separate little bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water together and stir that mixture into the sauce pot.
- Let the strawberry mixture thicken and then blend it with an immersion blender or in another blender.
Prepare the pan:
- Before making the cheesecake, prepare the springform pan by wrapping outside of it in aluminum foil. Many springform pans, especially ones that have been used quite a bit, have a chance of leaking some water inside. Wrapping outside of the springform in foil will help keep water out.
- Although, there is a chance that a small amount of water will leak in, this will NOT ruin the cheesecake.
- Preheat the oven to 325°.
Crust:
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and mix very well.
- Spray inside of the springform pan with some cooking spray, making sure you get the sides too. Spread crumb mixture in the bottom of the prepared springform, evenly pressing it over the bottom and a little up the sides.
- Drizzle about 1/2 cup of the strawberry sauce over crust and gently spread it with a back of a spoon to even the layer.
Cheesecake Filling:
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. I give it a good 2-3 minutes of beating to get it soft and smooth. Scrape sides and bottom on the bowl.
- Pour in sugar while beating and add eggs, one at a time. Beat it until smooth. Stop to scrape bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add sour cream, vanilla extract, heavy cream and beat, still on medium-high speed, until all mixed.
- Lower the speed and beat in cornstarch. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for a few more seconds to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Carefully pour the batter over the crust and sauce and spread in evenly.
- Spoon several dollops of strawberry sauce over the top of the cheesecake filling and use a long, thin handle of a spatula or another utensil to gently swirl the sauce and filling. DO NOT mix, just swirl. Try not to scrape sides and don’t go too deep so you don’t scrape the crust. (Save remaining strawberry sauce to top off individual slices.)
Bake the cheesecake:
- Place a large roasting pan into the oven and place cheesecake springform inside the roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform.
- Bake for 85-90 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for 10-15 minutes and take it out of the oven. Take the foil wrap off the pan.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter and then gently run a butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don’t actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to serve.)
- Cool cheesecake for an hour and then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Sandra says
This and your New York Cheesecake recipes are our favorites (and the favorites of everyone who has tasted them.) I use an 8 inch pan but I line the sides with parchment that sticks up 1 inch above my pan. This stops any potential overflow. Also, I have a sister who loves the strawberry jam but hats the strawberry pits. I have started blending it then sending it through a strainer before moving onto the cornstarch step. Still works perfectly.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you like them, Sandra! Thanks for the tip about the strawberries! 🙂
Cheryl Dillon says
My cheesecake overflowed while baking. Why?
Renee Coley says
Are you sure this cheesecake does not call for only 3- 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese? You wrote 32 ounces, but it looks like in the video you only put three blocks. Are used for and it did not come out right.