It’s Leap Day-–so let there be Cheesecake!
Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake to be exact.
You may be wondering what Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake and Leap Year have in common. Not much really but I’ll take any excuse to indulge in something yummy and pretty 🙂
Happy Leap Day!
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Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:
2½ Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Sugar
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
Filling:
24 Ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
¼ Cup Sour Cream, at room temperature
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
¼ Teaspoon Cornstarch
2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
Zest of 1 Lemon
Whipped Cream:
1 Cup Heavy Cream, chilled
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Pint Fresh Strawberries, washed and stemmed
Preheat oven to 325 ˚F.
Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by wrapping the outside with 2-3 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened and resembles the texture of wet sand. Pour into the pan and evenly press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about one inch up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and cool to room temperature.
Using a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese and sour cream until its light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the sugar. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and cornstarch until well combined. Pour the filling into the cooled crust.
Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Fill the roasting pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of springform pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the center is set. Allow the cake to sit in the oven (heat turned off) with the door propped open for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool for an additional 30 minutes. Wrap well with plastic film and foil. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Carefully remove the sides of the pan by running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Carefully release the ring mold.
Prepare the whipped cream. Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on high until it just holds stiff peaks. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar until you reach a thick consistency.
Arrange the whole strawberries on top of the cheesecake. Place a piping tip inside of a pastry bag and fill with whipped cream. Pipe decorative patterns of whipped cream on top of the cheesecake.
theculinarychronicles.com 
I like your thinking … any excuse for cheesecake 🙂
yum! who gets the honor of sharing in this delight since it is clearly not i. : (
Wow. That’s like the stuff of my dreams. Hope it gets made more often than once every 4 years. 😉
This looks really yummy! I’m so happy to have found your site! Question: my husband is a diabetic and so I was wondering if I could substitute the sugar for Splenda or some other type of sugar substitute? Look forward to hearing from you. Aloha, Heather
Alohas Heather! Thanks for stopping by! Yes, you can use Splenda to substitute (maybe just shy a cup to a cup of sugar) or you can also use honey in the filling 😉
A winning combination… Excited to try this out. I love cheesecake!
Just beautiful photos! Yummmm!
Congrats on the feature on Tasty Kitchen today! This looks so fresh and spring and delicious!
NAM – you are one wicked chicka! You make good ole’ cheesecake look like the stuff of dreams – I have everything in my pantry and your pics makes me want to get off my butt and go make this for hubby who will one very happy man!
BTW i read your beef post and totally get the importance maggi seasoning sauce!! too funny 🙂
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Is it possible to stir chopped strawberries into the filling before baking the chesecake? or swirling a jam/puree into it before baking? Would this alter the baking time in any way?
Hi Sara,
Swirling in a puree/strawberry reduction would definitely work as it’s what I do with my White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake 🙂 As for fresh berries, I haven’t tried it yet as I think they moisture they emit would affect texture. If you do go that route, let me know your results. Thanks! 🙂
Hi I was just wondering if I wanted to make 2 at the same time how would that alter the cooking time? Also some people say that if you cook your cheesecake in a water bath I should wrap the bottom with foil is that necessary?
Hi I am planning to make this for a dinner party and just realized I don’t have a big enough roasting pan for the water bath. Is there an alternative to the water bath?
Hi There! You can also put a large pan of hot water on the rack directly beneath the cheesecake. Enjoy!