Now this is a recipe that gets me excited. Last week, I made this Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake in advance of a dinner with one of my besties and her boyfriend at their apartment (#thirdwheel). Holy cow it was such a hit. They even ended up coming over a few hours after dinner for another slice (or three!).
This dish takes a while to make, so I definitely recommend making it at least one day ahead of time (the cheesecake should sit for at least 6-12 hours in the fridge before serving) and likely on a weekend or on an evening where you have at least two hours to devote to the endeavor. Additionally, the steps are a bit complicated because cheesecake just has to be that way (put the cake pan in a roasting pan and fill it with boiling water before baking?!?! Who does that?!?!), but don’t be disheartened: I am by no means an expert in the kitchen – I didn’t even know how to heat up soup on the stove until 2011 – so if I can figure it out and wind up with a seriously sinfully delicious Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake, so can you! Keep reading for the full recipe.
Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours
Author: Glitter & Spice
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Serves: 10-12
INGREDIENTS:
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
For the Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake
- 2 cups of strawberries, hulled
- 1 pound of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 8 ounces of mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
For the Graham Cracker Crust
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and combine the ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well-incorporated. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the crust is firm to the touch, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven to let cool.
For the Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Place the strawberries in a food processor and process until all of the chunks have broken up and the strawberries are puréed. Set aside.
Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (preferably either a stand electric mixer or use a bowl with a hand mixer) and use the paddle attachment on the electric mixer, set to low, until the cream cheese has become creamy and smooth, about 2-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the sugar and the sea salt, and mix to combine (still on low speed). When that mixture is smooth, scrape down the sides of the bowl again before adding the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between and after. Scrape down the sides of the bowl one last time before adding the mascarpone cheese and the vanilla extract. Mix until the entire mixture is completely smooth and well-incorporated, about 5 minutes.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springform pan, on top of the graham cracker crust. Pour the processed strawberries on top of the cream cheese in a random fashion (don’t worry if globs appear) before using a knife to swirl the strawberry purée into the cheese mixture. It should look totally random (and very pretty with all of the pink swirls into the white cake!). Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Wrap the outside of the springform pan (base included) in two layers of tinfoil. Do not cover the top of the pan. Place the springform pan in the center of a large roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with boiling water until the water reaches about halfway up the springform pan. I actually had to use a baking sheet for this step because my roasting pan wasn’t big enough, so I only filled the boiling water up the depth of the baking sheet and it still worked just fine!
Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set. Remove the pan from the oven (again, carefully!!) and then remove the springform pan from the bath. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the springform pan on a wire rack for about an hour before placing the springform pan in the refrigerator to finish cooling for at least 6 hours (I cooled mine overnight).
Remove the springform pan from the fridge and use a knife to carefully loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the pan. Loosen the spring, place the cheesecake on a cake platter, and serve!
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