Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Mmm…cheesecake. I love everything about it. 

The thick graham crust. The rich, sweet-sour-creamy filling that melts in my mouth. The topping (whether it's strawberry, chocolate, oreos, or plain sour cream--everything just tastes great on top of perfectly baked cheesecake!). I love how the flavors in every layer complement each other, creating this cheesy, creamy, little piece of heaven on earth. 

Strawberry cheesecake is a classic and one of my topping favorites. Browsing through all the strawberry cheesecake recipes I could find, I settled with this recipe and I was happy with the result.

Strawberry cheesecake with canned filling and real strawberries

The first time I made this, I used real strawberries, with canned strawberry filling. The second time I ran out of fresh fruit; I just added natural strawberry jam (Mountain Maid jam, bought during my recent trip to Baguio City) with my reliable Comstock strawberry filling to get that fresh-strawberry goodness. 

The topping artillery: Mountain Maid strawberry jam and Comstock filling 

Strawberry Cheesecake with Canned Filling and Natural Jam

Even my mother-in-law, who isn’t a big fan of sweets, couldn’t get enough of this strawberry cheesecake. She just had to request me to bake this again! 

So if you’re a cheesecake fan, you will probably enjoy baking and eating this recipe. If you’re not a fan, well, this just might make a fan out of you. I mean, just look at my mother-in-law!

So let’s cut to the “cheese” and get started! 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 cup (100 grams / 8 oz) graham cracker  crumbs or crushed digestive biscuits
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar
• 5 tablespoons (70 grams) butter, melted (TIP: Melt the butter first before measuring—melted and room temperature butter don’t weigh the same. Spoon an estimated amount—say 5 tablespoons—melt and measure)   

For the Cheesecake Filling:

• 2   8-ounce packages (450 grams) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla flavoring)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin) (optional – I didn’t use this)
• 1/2 cup (110 grams / 4 oz) sour cream, at room temperature (you may use low-fat reduced our cream)

For the Strawberry Topping:

• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) (225 grams) unsweetened frozen strawberries, thawed
• 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon (3 grams) unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water

OR if you don’t have fresh strawberries:

• 1 can strawberry filling (with real strawberries)
• Strawberry jam (use as much as needed)
• 1 teaspoon (3 grams) unflavored powdered gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Directions:

Strawberry Cheesecake: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place your oven rack in the center of the oven.

Lightly butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray (I used vegetable lard), an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet.

Graham Cracker Crust:

In a bowl stir the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and melted butter until all the crumbs are moistened. 

Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of your pan (I use the flat bottom of a measuring cup). Bake for about 6-8 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Reduce your oven's temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Cheesecake Filling:

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth.

Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. 

Pour the filling over the crust.

Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of the cheesecake is still a little wet.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of your pan to loosen the cheesecake (this helps to prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool completely and then cover and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Strawberry Topping:

Place the thawed strawberries and sugar in a food processor or blender and process until smooth (can also use an immersion blender. You will have about 

1 cup or 240 ml/8 oz of strawberry sauce.) Place the sauce in a medium sized saucepan and heat until warm.

Meanwhile, in a small cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand about 2-3 minutes or until the gelatin has become soft and spongy.

Add the gelatin to the warm strawberry sauce and heat (over low heat), stirring constantly, until the gelatin has dissolved.

Remove from heat and let the strawberry sauce cool to room temperature. As it cools, skim off any foam that may formed.

Then slowly pour the strawberry sauce over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and place in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

Or do what I did without the real strawberries:

Place the strawberry filling and strawberry jam in a medium saucepan and heat until warm.

In a small cup, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let stand about 2-3 minutes or until the gelatin has become soft and spongy.

Add the gelatin to the warm strawberry sauce and heat (over low heat), stirring constantly, until the gelatin has dissolved.

Remove from heat and let the strawberry sauce cool to room temperature. As it cools, skim off any foam that may formed.

Then spread strawberry sauce over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and place in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

If desired, pipe in some frosting for design. Best served chilled.

(Serves about 10-12)