The best cheesecake for strawberry enthusiasts with the right amount of lemon!
A crisp and thick graham cracker layer and the creamiest and richest cheesecake filling you can imagine. Strawberry sauce and fresh fruits give this cake its delicious fresh taste and look!
Fresh Lemon juice and zest make this cheesecake extra special!
A lovely taste of vanilla and a good amount of fresh pressed lemon juice give this cake its unique and flavorful taste. The secret ingredient for an even richer lemon taste: fresh lemon zest! Trust me it is worth the effort!
Read here how to get a perfectly smooth cheesecake!
How to make the a thick and creamy strawberry sauce!
The key is to reduce the cooked strawberry sauce until it is almost paste like. Then remove its seeds with a metal strainer and return it to the pot. Add a bit of corn starch so that the strawberry sauce does not dissolve when cooked inside the cheesecake.
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients:
24 oz (680 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 cups (150 g) sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) sour cream, at room temperature
For the Graham cracker crust:
1 1/2 cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
4 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
For the strawberry sauce:
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water
1 lb (450 g) strawberries, cut (if frozen, do not thaw before)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp sugar
For the strawberry topping:
1 lb (450 g) fresh strawberries
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
Check out my no bake strawberry cheesecake tutorial while this one is in the making
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Mix graham crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Press the mixture on the bottom of a spring form pan and bake it for about 10 minutes. Let it come to room temperature. Reduce the oven temperature to 310 °F.
Step 2:
To make a strawberry sauce add water, lemon juice and cornstarch into a medium sized pot. Mix it until dissolved. Then add cut strawberries. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep stirring to avoid burning. Remove from heat and strain it to remove any seeds. Let it cool before using. The strawberry sauce is going to thicken as it cools.
Step 3:
For the cheesecake filling add softened cream cheese in a big mixing bowl and mix it until smooth for about 4 minutes. Add sugar, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until well combined. Mix in sour cream and eggs. Mix until smooth for about 2 minutes.
Step 4:
Fill half the cheesecake batter on top of the cooled cookie crust. Smooth it with a spatula, top it with big dollops of strawberry sauce and swirl it a bit. Fill in the rest of the batter, smooth it out and add more strawberry sauce dollops. Swirl them in. To bake the cake cover the spring form pan in at least 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or a silicon baking pan to make sure no water can enter. Place it in a slightly bigger baking pan and fill it 1/2 to 1 inch high with hot water. Bake the cake in this water bath at 310 °F for about 80 minutes until the top turns golden brown.
Step 5:
Turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and water bath and cut around the edge with a knife to prevent cracking. Let it come to room temperature for another 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then let it cool over night or for at least 6 hours in the fridge.
Step 6:
To decorate the cake make a strawberry topping. For that soak cut up strawberries with lemon juice, vanilla and sugar for a few hours or overnight. Separate strawberries from the juice. Boil strawberry juice at medium heat until thickened. You can also boil some strawberries for a thicker and richer sauce. I would recommend to strain out the seeds. Mix in strawberries with the sauce and decorate the cake immediately before serving.
Enjoy!
**PRO-TIPS**
Don’t overbake the cheesecake as it will continue baking while cooling down. When the cake has a slightly jiggly texture in the center it is done baking.
To ensure a crack free cheesecake I recommend to read this cheesecake recipe.
I love to add more lemon juice for a stronger flavor.
Add more flavor with a whipped cream topping: To make the whipped cream use a tall measuring cup. Add heavy cream and powdered sugar. Whip it on low for about 30 seconds with a hand mixer using the whisk attachment. When it begins to thicken increase speed and whip until fluffy. Fill it in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe some swirls of whipped cream and garnish with strawberry sauce immediately before serving.
