Strawberry Cheesecake

Since everyone in family loved the No-bake Cheesecake, I decided to create a recipe of my own. This new recipe is a No-bake Strawberry Cheesecake. I used some components from different Martha Stewart recipes, in her cookbook Cakes, and some helpful tips. One strawberry cheesecake recipe Martha said, “For a neat line, use an offset spatula to spread small dollops of the plain cheese mixture gently over the berry base” (171).  This technique is used so that the two layers stay separate and don’t intermix; it is usually used for a baked cheesecake. I had to try and get everything to stay in separate layers for a no bake.

 

For the crust

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

16 sheets Graham Crackers, finely ground

¼ cup granulated sugar

Strawberry Filling and Topping: (X2 but I made them separately)

 2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup granulate sugar

Filling:

1 ½ pounds (three-8oz bars) cream cheese

1 ¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream

 

Graham Cracker Crust (1)

 

Strawberry Layer (2)

 

Cream Cheese Filling (3)

 

1. Crust: butter a 10-inch springform pan. Mix crackers, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture into prepared pan, pressing firmly into bottom and all the way up side. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fill.
2. Sauce: in a saucepan place strawberries, sugar and vanilla to let simmer for about 5 minutes. Watch and mix until the berries are soft and there’s a good amount of juice in the pan. Let cool for 3 minutes then poor over crust and refrigerate until ready to fill.
3. Filling: with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; slowly add sugar and salt. Raise speed to medium-high; beat until very fluffy; about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk cream, until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix cream into the cream cheese mixture. Pour filling into crust; spread evenly. Gently tape bottom of pan on counter. Refrigerate until topping is ready.
5. Topping: in a saucepan place strawberries, sugar and vanilla to let simmer for about 4 minutes. Watch and mix until the berries are between soft and normal/hard and there’s still a good amount of juice in the pan. Let cool for 3 minutes then drain the juice into a separate bowl. Drop the strawberries over the top for decoration.
6. Cover; freeze at least 3 hours and then refrigerate. Unmold cheesecake, and serve immediately (Stewart 171 and 182).

This new recipe was loved by my family and friends. There is a 1/2 pound less cheesecake so it is not too thick and the strawberries add great flavor. I would definitely recommend trying a new recipe if you are looking for an adventure.

If you were a famous chef, what genre of food would you prefer to work with?

Stewart, Martha. Cakes. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2013. Print.