Strawberry Cheesecake

This smooth and rich strawberry cheesecake by Preppy Kitchen is by far the best cheesecake I’ve ever had! With a creamy-silk texture, it’s one of the must have desserts that everyone has to try at least once. To get more details about it, click here, otherwise scroll down to find the recipe.

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350° f and grease one 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, put graham cracker crumbs and sugar together, then stir in butter until mixture can stick together when tightly squeezed.
3. Take the mixture and place it in the springform pan, covering the bottom and putting it 1 inch up the side.
4. Place said pan on a baking sheet.
5. Put it in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or just until edges start turning golden brown, and take it out to cool completely.

Filling:

1. Then, take a stand mixer’s bowl and beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes or until smooth with a whisk attachment.
2. After, add the sugar and salt and mix until full combined (about 2 minutes). Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl throughout this process so everything gets mixed together evenly.
3. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla next, beating on medium speed until it’s all incorporated (about 1 minute).
4. Add in the eggs and mix together for a minute.
5. Now, Take the filling and pour it into the crust.
6. Put it in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300° F and bake for about an hour. You’re looking for the centre to be slightly jiggly and the edges to have set.
7. Once its baked, leave it in the oven with the temperature turned off and leave the oven door slightly ajar to allow the cheesecake to cool for 1 hour (this is to prevent cracks in the cake).
8. Once cooled, take it out the oven and let it cool to room temperature, then cover it with a tea towel or paper towel and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
9. Once refrigeration period’s over, release the pan from the cake and serve with the strawberry topping instructed below.

Strawberry Topping:

1. In a saucepan, take 1lb of strawberries, water, sugar, lemon juice and sprinkle it with cornstarch and mix together.
2. Put the pan on the stovetop to medium heat, bringing the mixture to a boil while stirring often.
3. Keep it boiling for 5 minutes and then with a potato masher, mash the strawberries until it’s all broken down.
4. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes), then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and leftover strawberries.
5. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm, pour over top the cheesecake and serve!