The Best Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe (video)
The best strawberry cheesecake recipe with loads of fresh berries, strawberry preserves and even chocolate strawberries on top! This stunning berry cheesecake is what desserts dreams are made of! The cake is so light and fluffy and dotted with berries! I love to add some extra strawberry preserves and whipped cream when serving this cheesecake! It’s the perfect dessert idea for Valentine’s Day, birthdays and celebrations! Watch my strawberry cheesecake video tutorial for detailed instructions!
My Strawberry Cheesecake Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions and watch me make the best strawberry cheesecake! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website emailing list and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious berry cake!
- Graham Crackers & Butter: for making the traditional graham cracker crust.
- Cream Cheese: soften the cream cheese at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes prior to using. This way, the cheese will be easier to beat.
- Sour Cream: I recommend using regular, not light, sour cream. It gives the cheesecake that classic tangy flavor.
- Strawberries: use fresh or frozen strawberries for cheesecake batter. If using frozen berries, allow them to thaw first! However, you will need fresh strawberries for making the chocolate covered strawberries.
- Strawberry Preserves: this is a great way to add even more strawberry flavor.
- Cornstarch: I add a little bit of cornstarch to this recipe to help thicken the batter and compensate for the berry juices.
- Eggs, Sugar, Vanilla: for making the cheesecake batter. Have the eggs at room temperature for best results.
- Heavy Cream: use well chilled cream for making the whipped cream topping.
- Chocolate Melts: for making the chocolate covered strawberries; optional.
How to Make a Strawberry Cheesecake
You’ll love how easy it is to make this stunning, creamy strawberry cheesecake! It comes together in no time!
- I always start with the graham cracker crust. I like to use my food processor for making the cookie crumbs but you can also use a large ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crush the cookies.
- Next, I prepare the cheesecake batter with creamy cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, sugar and cornstarch. The cornstarch will help thicken the cheesecake batter since the fresh berries do release a little bit of juice.
- To add the most strawberry flavor, I use fresh, diced strawberries and strawberry preserves. You can even add strawberry extract for even more flavor! If you want to use frozen berries, first allow them to thaw and come up to room temperature.
- Once the cheesecake is baked, let it set in the refrigerator overnight until it’s well set.
Using the Water Bath Baking Method
I always, always use a water bath for all my cheesecake recipes! Using a water bath ensures the cheesecake bakes more evenly and the extra moisture helps prevent any cracks from forming on the top.
- Make sure to wrap the outside of your springform pan with foil when using a water bath. I recommend going with extra-wide or grilling foil; this way, you won’t have any seams for the water to leak through!
- Just place the finished cheesecake onto a large baking sheet and fill the pan with water. Add more water during the baking process as needed.
- To avoid cracks, cool the cheesecake slowly. After baking, turn the oven off and leave it cracked open a few inches. Allow the cheesecake to cool for about 1 hour in the oven, then for a few hours at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Garnishing the Cheesecake
Want to make this strawberry cheesecake extra special?! I love to garnish this cake with loads of fluffy whipped cream, extra strawberry preserves and chocolate covered strawberries! The chocolate strawberries a great addition, especially if the cheesecake is for a special occasion! I have a separate video tutorial for the chocolate strawberries. It’s one of my oldest videos but the instructions are still great! I recommend making the chocolate strawberries the day that you plan to enjoy the cheesecake since they don’t stand for long.
Tips for Making the Best Cheesecake
Making the best strawberry cheesecake can be a breeze with my easy, step-by-step instructions! Here are some more tips for making the perfect cheesecake every time. You can use these tips for other cheesecake recipes, too!
- Beat the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for 8 to 10 minutes before adding anything else! I recommend scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl often to ensure that all the cream cheese is well incorporated and to avoid clumps of cream cheese in the batter.
- Bring all your ingredients up to room temperature, including the eggs and sour cream. This will allow the cheesecake to bake more evenly.
- I highly recommend using the water bath method for baking this strawberry cheesecake. The extra moisture in the oven will keep the top of the cheesecake level and crack free!
- Allow the cheesecake to cool slowly! I turn my oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon and let me cheesecake cool for a couple hours before transferring it into the refrigerator to chill overnight.
More Recipes
Enjoyed this fresh strawberry cheesecake? Make sure to check out some of my other cheesecake recipes for more inspiration!
- No-Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake – perfect for summer! Made with maple rhubarb jam, loads of strawberries and maple whipped cream!
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake – you’ll love the combination of sweet cheesecake with tart raspberries and tart raspberry sauce!
- Strawberry Red Velvet Cheesecake – another incredible cake with a red velvet cheesecake base, strawberry mousse and strawberry whipped cream!
- Strawberry Tuxedo Cake – this stunning cake is made with no-bake white and dark chocolate cheesecake layers sandwiches with cake and loads of berries!
- Strawberries & Cream Swiss Roll Cake – the best-ever strawberry cake with delicate sponge cake, strawberries and mascarpone whipped cream filling!
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Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies to make this strawberry cheesecake recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):
- Fat Daddios 9-inch Springform Pan – one of my favorite springform pans! This sturdy pan won’t bend out of shape!
- Frosting Tips – I love to use jumbo decorating tips and this set has all my favorites!
- CuisinArt Food Processor – this simple yet powerful food processor can handle any job.
The Best Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe (video)
Ingredients
- 10 graham crackers, about 1 ½ cups cookie crumbs
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 32 oz softened cream cheese, four, 8-oz packages
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
- ½ cup strawberry preserves
For Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- ½ cup strawberry preserves, for serving
For Chocolate Strawberries:
- 10 strawberries
- 1 cup chocolate melts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with 2 layers of foil in preparation for the water bath. Place the graham crackers into a food processor and pulse for a minute, until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and pulse again until the cookies are well coated. Alternatively, place the graham crackers into a large bag and use a rolling pin to crush the cookies, then add the butter and mix until well coated.
- Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan, forming a firm and even crust; set aside.
- Place the softened cream cheese into a mixer bowl and beat for 8 to 10 minutes on medium-high speed until the cream cheese is extra creamy and smooth. Important: scrap down the sides of the mixing bowl often to ensure all the cream cheese is well blended.
- Next, add the sugar, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and cornstarch. Mix again on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl halfway through, until the cheesecake batter is uniform and smooth.
- Fold in the diced strawberries and strawberry preserves by hand using a spatula. Transfer the cheesecake batter into the springform pan. Place the cheesecake into a larger baking pan or baking sheet and fill the pan with water. You can do this with the pan in the oven.
- Bake the cheesecake at 300F/150C for 2 hours to 2 hours and 20 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still slightly wobbly. Turn the oven off and prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon and allow the cheesecake to cool slowly in the oven for a few hours. Once it’s cooled, transfer it into the refrigerator to set overnight, or for at least 6 to 8 hours.
- When ready to enjoy the cheesecake, remove the springform pan and transfer the cake onto a cake stand. Watch my video recipe to see how to transfer the cheesecake!
- For the whipped cream: combine the chilled heavy cream with the vanilla extract and confectioner’s sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the cream on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream into a pastry bag tipped with a star tip; I used Ateco tip #847.
- Pipe dollops of whipped cream onto the cheesecake and garnish with regular or chocolate covered strawberries. Make the chocolate strawberries on the day you plan to enjoy the cheesecake. They do not stand for long and will start to release juices.
For Chocolate Strawberries:
- Visit my chocolate strawberry decorating tutorial here: https://tatyanaseverydayfood.com/chocolate-strawberries/
