Description
This elegant strawberry cheesecake features a rich, velvety filling atop a classic buttery biscuit crust, finished with a vibrant homemade fruit glaze. Perfect for special occasions, its crack-free finish is achieved through a gentle oven-cooling method that ensures a professional result every time.
Ingredients
- 250g Graham crackers or Marie biscuits
- 125g unsalted butter, melted
- 750g block cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 500g fresh strawberries, halved and diced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160C/320F (140C/295F fan) and prepare a 20cm springform pan by inverting the base and lining it with parchment paper.
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until fine, mix with melted butter, and press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Beat the softened cream cheese for 20 seconds until smooth, then add flour and beat for another 5 seconds.
- Mix in the vanilla, sour cream, sugar, and lemon zest until just combined, then add eggs one at a time, beating briefly on low speed.
- Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 55 minutes until the top is pale golden and the center has a slight jiggle.
- Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool inside with the door propped open by about 20cm before refrigerating for at least 4 hours.
- Simmer diced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan for 10 minutes, stir in a cornstarch slurry, fold in halved berries, and cool until syrupy before topping the cake.
Notes
To ensure the most professional finish, try the ‘inverted base’ trick by flipping the bottom of your springform pan so the ridge faces down; this makes sliding the chilled cake onto a serving plate much easier. Always use block cream cheese rather than the spreadable kind to maintain the dense, creamy structure required for a traditional Southern-style cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American