Baked Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberries are finally here and it’s time to go nuts! I’ve had a baked strawberry cheesecake on my mind for ages and the main reason is recipes that say ‘strawberry cheesecake’ usually just involve strawberry sauce or pieces spread on top. The filling is just like in a regular cheesecake, which is awesome of course, but not what I’m looking for. The same goes for strawberry cheesecake at restaurants, often just a goopy berry topping and nothing else. Time to correct that!

With fresh strawberries blended right into the batter, this cheesecake tastes like strawberry ice cream! It’s rich, smooth, creamy and with a topping of whipped cream and fresh strawberries, it’s also majorly festive and great for a celebration. I’m so excited about this!

Based off this New York Cheesecake and a little bit from this mango cheesecake, this is the thing to make in strawberry season. I find that cheesecake batters that contain fruit tend to remain a little softer than a regular cheesecake. However, because over-baking a cheesecake can lead to cracks, I prefer a little bit of softness to a firm or dense texture.

The crust is a simple one made with digestive biscuits and butter. It adds a lovely crunch and flavour to the creamy filling. And the whipped cream on top….technically optional but I loved how it looked and more than anything, makes a good base to hold the fresh strawberries. It’s lightly sweetened and flavoured with vanilla and just adds to the whole extravaganza!

And though strawberries by themselves have a deep red colour, once baked, the cheesecake will be a very pale pink on the inside and the top will be somewhere around a pale brown, so don’t get alarmed. The topping makes it all pretty again! And the flavour is incredible I promise. It is unmistakably a strawberry cheesecake!

I hope you’ll try this soon! Strawberries unfortunately aren’t around for long 🙂

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Baked Strawberry Cheesecake

Smooth, creamy baked cheesecake with strawberries in the filling and on top!

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Makes: 8 large slices

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Ingredients

  

For the crust and filling

• 250 gms digestive biscuits
• 100 gms butter, melted (salted or unsalted)
• 250 gms fresh strawberries (see notes)
• 600 gms cream cheese, at room temp
• 1/3 cup thick yoghurt or sour cream (75 gms), at room temp
• 1 cup caster sugar (190 gms)
• Zest of 1 small lemon
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, at room temp (see notes)

For the topping

• 1/4 cup chilled whipping cream (60 ml)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• Fresh whole strawberries to decorate

Instructions

• In a food processor fitted with a sharp blade, blitz the biscuits until finely crumbed and sandy in appearance. Pour in the melted butter and let the processor run on low speed until the mixture clumps together.
• Tip into the base of a 9" springform pan and press down evenly and firmly, taking the mixture up to the sides of the pan as well. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 160 C. Rinse the strawberries very well and cut off the tops. Wipe out the bowl of the food processor and add the strawberries. Blitz till a smooth puree forms.
• Now make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and yoghurt together until smooth. Add the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla and blitz to combine.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, briefly beating after each to incorporate it. Finally, beat in the pureed strawberries. Remember not to over-beat the batter because it creates too much air which could cause the cheesecake to crack as it bakes.
• Pour the filling over the chilled crust and tap the pan gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until you see the edges are puffing up and lightly browned (small cracks on the edges are ok) and the center is still a little wobbly. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven itself for 20 minutes, with the oven door slightly open.
• Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for another hour and you will see the center has firmed up. In my experience, cheesecakes with fruit puree don't become quite as firm in the center as a regular cheesecake and have a softer, creamier texture. You can bake the cheesecake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes but keep in mind that the risk of cracks forming on the top is higher with a longer bake time.
• Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight for the best texture.
• When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla together in a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer on high speed. Whip till soft peaks form, then spread onto the top of the cheesecake. Decorate with fresh strawberries, slice and dig in!
• Cheesecake must be stored in the fridge at all times in an airtight container. It will keep for 4 to 5 days. It can also be frozen for about a month, as long as strawberries and cream topping is added only after defrosting. Happy baking!

Notes

*Working with room temperature ingredients is important to prevent cracks in the cheesecake. If your ingredients are cold, you will need to beat them for longer, incorporating too much air into the batter, resulting in cracks as the cheesecake bakes.

*If you'd prefer to use graham crackers instead of digestive biscuits, feel free.

*While I've heard condensed milk works as an egg substitute, I haven't tried it. But here is an eggless mango cheesecake if you'd like to experiment with a similar strawberry version.

*While I used fresh strawberries here, my guess is you could also use frozen strawberries after thawing and rinsing them very well, then patting them dry to get rid of any icy or watery bits. Alternately, you can first make a strawberry compote like I did with this blueberry cheesecake.

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