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Home Sweet

Strawberry Cheesecake

By:Nagi
Published:17 Dec '18Updated:13 Jan '23
548 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This Strawberry Cheesecake is a stunner! Based on my classic Baked Cheesecake which I describe as a magically rich-yet-light, finished with a gorgeous strawberry topping that tastes as amazing as it looks.

You’ll love how the sauce slowly drips down the cheesecake with every bite, and how the filling is creamy and rich, but it’s a bit fluffy rather than heavy and dense. And because I love the biscuit base so much, I’ve made it go aalll the way up the sides….

Close up of slice of Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce dripping down the side

Strawberry Cheesecake

This has been my go-to cheesecake recipe for many years now. It’s the cheesecake that rendered a group of girls silent when we were on a weekend away. And that’s saying something with my friends!

I’ve shared this cheesecake recipe in all its naked glory. Because it really is the sort of cake that’s rich enough and so good (and that BISCUIT BASE!!) that you don’t need to trick it up with anything – just serve a plain slice and it will be devoured.

But it’s that time of the year for excesses. Where we take a cake that’s already perfect as it is, and take it over the top with a glossy Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake….

PS You’re going to go a little bit bonkers when that Strawberry Sauce is on the stove. The smell is outrageous!

Close up of Strawberry Topping Sauce for Strawberry Cheesecake

I did say that this Strawberry Cheesecake is pretty straightforward, but I never said it’s a quick and easy recipe! It takes time but it’s not complicated. I’m going to walk you through each part, there are process photos and a recipe tutorial video too.

Here are the 3 main components:

  1. Cheesecake biscuit base and walls: blitz and press. No baking required;

  2. Cheesecake filling – plonk and mix. The easiest part!

  3. 4 ingredient strawberry sauce – couldn’t be easier (hardest part is trying not to “taste test” too much)

Close up of Strawberry Cheesecake with a bite take out of it

The Cheesecake Biscuit base

Oh that buttery base!!! I love it so much, I make an entire wall of it for this Strawberry Cheesecake. Actually, the practical reason for the biscuit wall is to hold the Strawberry Topping in. But even without topping, I always make my cheesecakes with biscuit walls!

It’s as simple as blitzing (or bashing) biscuits into crumbs then stirring in melted butter. The biscuit base can be made with pretty much any type of plain biscuit – or even plain flavoured biscuits (like gingersnaps!). Arnott’s Marie Crackers or Nice biscuits (Australia), digestives (UK), and in the States, Graham Crackers are ideal.

PRO TIP: Inverted base & paper overhang

To make it easier to remove finished cake: Flip the base of the springform pan. Grease then top with a square sheet of paper. Secure sides of pan so excess paper is sticking out. Then you can easily move the cheesecake as follows:

  • use the paper overhang to grip, and slide the cake off the base onto the cake stand;

  • finished cake will slide safely off the inverted base (because it has no lip); then

  • once the cake on the paper is on the cake stand, slide the paper out from under the cake. Voila!

How to make cheesecake biscuit base

Cheesecake Filling

The easiest part! The ingredients in the cheesecake filling are simply cream cheese (Philadelphia all the way!), sugar, lemon zest (this really gives it a special touch), vanilla, a tiny amount of flour (for stability – keeps it fluffy) and eggs. It’s a plonk-and-mix deal.

This cheesecake has sour cream in it which lightens it up a bit. While rich, it has a slightly aerated texture which is quite different from a New York cheesecake which is much denser and calls for twice as much cream cheese as this Strawberry Cheesecake recipe!

PRO TIP: Don’t overbeat, it can cause craters

Only mix until each ingredient is incorporated and the batter is smooth. No need to beat to aerate the batter.

If the filling is beaten too much and becomes very aerated, then the cheesecake might rise during the bake then sink a bit in the middle as it cools. Not a big deal though because it flaws get hidden under the Strawberry Sauce!

How to make Cheesecake Filling

No need for water bath

Some recipes say to bake cheesecake in a water bath, swearing that this a) makes the cake more moist; and b) is the secret to avoiding cracks.

Out of curiosity (because some people are so adamant!) I made this exact cheesecake with and without a water batch just to compare. Logistical issues aside (because no springform pan is 100% leakproof, it requires double layers of heavy duty foil and even then, I was still wary).

Both cheesecakes looked exactly the same – no cracks, and tasted exactly the same. Except one was a heck of a lot more of a hassle to get in the oven.

So it’s confirmed. NO WATER BATH! 

PS Santa, may I please have new matching oven mitts for Christmas?

Comparison of cheesecake with and without water bath
Cheesecake on the left was made using a waterbath. The cheesecake on the right was made without a waterbath. Neither had cracks, they looked and tasted the same. Conclusion: Don’t bother fussing with water baths!

Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake

5 simple ingredients – strawberries, sugar, cornflour/cornstarch, lemon juice (or water) and vanilla. Plonk in saucepan, simmer for 10 minutes, stand over stove and inhale the incredible smells. Stir through halved strawberries (nice to soften them a bit), cool then spread on cheesecake.

Don’t fret about getting the strawberry sauce consistency 100% right straight off the stove. Cook the sauce until it’s the thickness you want for your cheesecake (ie slow ooze – watch the video!), then it will thicken more as it cools. THEN use the teeniest touch of water to loosen it up to the desired consistency – as in, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. That’s the safest way to get the sauce consistency perfect. 👍🏼

Strawberry topping sauce for Strawberry Cheesecake

That Strawberry Topping for the cheesecake…. it is unbelievable. Not only does it make the cheesecake look stunning, it tastes incredible. The addition of a sauce to an already amazing cheesecake really does take it over the top.

As regular readers know, I specialise in “brown foods”. Think – stews, roasts, curries.

So when I make things as beautiful and colourful as this Strawberry Cheesecake, the immature child within can’t help getting overly excited and sending these photos to everyone in the RecipeTin family and more friends than she cares to admit.

And their reactions made my head swell. 😂

Make this. You WILL be praised for days on end! – Nagi x


Photo of top of Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce Topping

Strawberry Cheesecake
Watch how to make it

Accidentally forgot to include adding cornflour/cornstarch in the strawberry topping in the video! Whisked it in off camera. 🙂

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Close up of slice of Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce dripping down the side

Strawberry Cheesecake

Author: Nagi
Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 55 minutes mins
Chilling time: 6 hours hrs
Total: 7 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Dessert
Western
5 from 114 votes
Servings12
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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Recipe video above. A light-yet-rich cheesecake, creamy but not dense-creamy like New York cheesecake. Topped with the most utterly incredible Strawberry Sauce topping – it’s a match made in heaven! Don’t be daunted by the number of steps – they are straightforward, I’ve just broken it down. Watch the video!

Ingredients

Cheesecake Biscuit Base:

  • 200g / 7oz Arnott’s Marie crackers or other plain biscuit (Aus) or 28 Graham Cracker squares (Note 1)
  • 120 g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , melted

Cheesecake Filling:

  • 1 lb / 500g cream cheese , softened (Note 2)
  • 2 tbsp plain flour (all purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (full fat, sub sour cream)
  • 1 1/2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 eggs , at room temperature

Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake:

  • 500g / 1 lb strawberries , half diced and half halved
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice OR water (Note 3)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 160C/320F (standard) or 140C/295F (fan/convection).
  • Get a 20cm/8″ springform cake tin. Turn the base UPSIDE DOWN (Note 4), butter lightly and place a square piece of parchment/baking paper on the base. Then clip into the springform pan – excess paper will stick out, see photos in post and video.
  • Butter and line the side of the pan.

Cheesecake Biscuit Base:

  • Break up biscuits roughly by hand and place in a food processor.
  • Blitz until fine crumbs (Note 5). Add butter, briefly blitz until dispersed and it resembles wet sand.
  • Pour into the prepared cake tin. Use a spatula to roughly spread it out over the base and up the walls.
  • Use something with a flat base and vertical edges (I used a measuring cup) to press the crumbs up the wall almost to the top of the sides, and flatten the base.

Filling:

  • Use a mixer or beater to beat the cream cheese until just smooth, no longer than 20 seconds on speed 4. (You do not want to aerate cheesecake filling as it causes cracks when it bakes)
  • Add flour, beat for 5 seconds on speed 4 until just incorporated.
  • Add vanilla, sour cream, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until just combined (10 sec max, speed 5).
  • Add eggs one at a time, beat in between until just combined (5 sec each), and after the last one, beat just until the egg is fully incorporated.
  • Pour into prepared crust.
  • Bake for 55 minutes. The top should be a very light golden brown, not cracked, and near perfectly flat. It should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pan.
  • Cool the cake in the oven with the door open 20 cm / 8″ (Note 6), then refrigerate for 4 hours+ in the pan.
  • Remove sides. Use overhang paper to slide cheesecake off the cake pan. Then slide the cheesecake off the paper.

Strawberry Topping for Cheesecake:

  • Place chopped strawberries, vanilla, sugar and lemon juices in a saucepan. Stir then bring to simmer over medium heat.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes until strawberries breakdown.
  • Mix cornflour with water, then add into saucepan and stir.
  • Add halved strawberries and cook for 1 minute to soften.
  • Sauce should be syrupy – remove from stove and cool. Will thicken as it cools.
  • Once cool, stirl. Adjust thickness to make it the right “oozing” consistency (see video, Note 7) with a tiny touch of water (be careful!).
  • Spoon onto cheesecake so it’s covered with a single layer of strawberries. Flip strawberry halves so they are facedown. Refrigerate 2 hours+.
  • Slice and serve with remaining Strawberry Sauce!

Recipe Notes:

1. Biscuits: Any plain crackers will work fine here, you need 2 cups of crumbs.
Australia: Arnott’s Marie Crackers, Arrowroot and Nice are ideal, I’ve made it with all these.
US: Use 28 squares / 14 full sheets, yes I measured it with my last Graham Cracker packet I brought back from my last trip.
UK: Digestives are ideal, I LOVE digestives! 
The crumb should be like wet sand so when pressed, it stays packed firmly, especially up the wall. It’s delicate when uncooked but once the filling is cooked, it becomes much more stable.
2. Cream Cheese – In the UK and some parts of Europe, block cream cheese isn’t available. If you can only get spreadable cream cheese in tubs (softer than block), skip the sour cream.
3. Lemon Juice or Water – Depends on sweetness of strawberries. If they aren’t that sweet, use water instead.
4. Inverted cake pan with overhang paper: The base of springform pans have a slight ridge. By inverting it, there is no ridge which makes it easier to slide the cheesecake on a serving platter without ruining the crust. There is no risk of batter leakage as the crust is thick enough to hold it all in.
5. Crumbs: OR crush in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin or large can.
6. Cool in oven: This helps stop the surface from cracking.
7. Strawberry topping should be like jam consistency, not a set jelly. It should ooze slightly when cut.
8. Different measures: Cups and spoons vary slightly between countries (US and CAN are different to most of the rest of the world). I have made this recipe using both US and Australian measures, using Australia Marie crackers and US Graham Crackers. The Graham Cracker crust is slightly crunchier because the biscuit doesn’t crush to a fine sand like Marie Crackers do. Both are delicious!
9. Make Ahead / Storage: Cake is at its best consumed within 4 days, after that I feel like it starts getting denser but still really fab, most people wouldn’t notice a difference! Ideal to top the day or or day before. After 2 to 3 days, the top does start to “sweat” but it’s not very noticeable.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 489cal (24%)Carbohydrates: 55g (18%)Protein: 5g (10%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Cholesterol: 114mg (38%)Sodium: 284mg (12%)Potassium: 184mg (5%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 41g (46%)Vitamin A: 945IU (19%)Vitamin C: 24.6mg (30%)Calcium: 80mg (8%)Iron: 1.4mg (8%)
Keywords: Strawberry Cheesecake
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

More Cheesecake recipes

  • Classic Baked Cheesecake

  • No Bake Mango Cheesecake

  • Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

  • Nutella Cheesecake (no-bake!)

  • Peanut Butter Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Loaf

  • Mini Nutella No Bake Cheesecakes

And more strawberry goodness …

  • Chocolate Covered Strawberries

  • Fresh Strawberry Bars

  • Strawberry Crumble

  • Strawberry Ice Cream (No Churn)

  • Strawberry Cake – really easy cake recipe

  • Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri!!


Life of Dozer

He’s been waiting all year for a moment like this – when a whole piece of Strawberry Cheesecake fell on the floor!!

(But no, he didn’t get the whole thing. Can you imagine the other mess I’d have to deal with if I did let him?!)

Dozer the golden retriever dog disbelieving that Strawberry Cheesecake dropped on the floor...
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548 Comments

  1. christine says

    November 12, 2023 at 12:56 pm

    love your recipes Nagi. I wish the instructions for the strawberry layer said diced instead of chopped in step 1…. but am sure it willl still be delicious.

    Reply
  2. Katie says

    November 11, 2023 at 1:49 am

    Delicious cheesecake! I made it for my boyfriend’s birthday 2 years in a row and it never cracked, turned out great!

    Reply
  3. Melody kelley says

    August 29, 2023 at 1:45 am

    Hi Nagi. What fun. I was baking the crust for the strawberry cheesecake, when I opened the kitchen door and saw d what is wrong with that air-fryer?! It wasn’t that:. It was our beloved doodle Chloe, who had just tangoed with a skunk! So, I will never forget this cheesecake! Thank you so much! Melody

    Reply
  4. Do not make this says

    August 27, 2023 at 8:16 am

    Do not make this. Was bad. Base stuck to the pan and didn’t move and the cheesecake layer STILL HASNT SET ITS BEEN 1 DAY

    Reply
    • Lee says

      October 27, 2023 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      I’ve made this several times and each time it’s been perfect. You obviously didn’t follow instructions properly.

      Reply
  5. Ali says

    August 21, 2023 at 6:22 pm

    Hi can this cheesecake freeze (minus the strawberry part obviously) would do the strawberry fresh

    Reply
  6. Selina Hira says

    August 8, 2023 at 7:56 pm

    I loved your Strawberry Cheesecake. Unfortunately the topping started falling in when it was sliced but that didn’t alter the taste. It was amazing. One thing I would do next time is use more base mixture so probably one & a half times what you used as it was very thin on the wall & maybe I would omit the sour cream to make a more set filling. Even so it was very yummy & I loved it.

    Reply
  7. Kim says

    July 22, 2023 at 5:11 am

    Best cheesecake ever! So many compliments! Thank you!

    Reply
  8. jenna says

    July 15, 2023 at 4:42 pm

    hi! I was just wondering if this recipe would work the same if I cooked it in an air fryer??

    Reply
  9. Kelly says

    June 21, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    If I wanted to add passion fruit to this, would I need to decrease to sour cream (or anything else)?
    Anyone tried it? Would really appreciate any guidance from the RTE community 🙂

    Reply
  10. Shannon says

    May 29, 2023 at 2:08 am

    5 stars
    This was hands down the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. My husband couldn’t stop eating it either and he claims to not even like cheesecake. The lemon adds a nice tartness to it and the cake is nice and light!

    Reply
  11. Kaye says

    May 22, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    Bloody delicious

    Reply
  12. Jade says

    April 18, 2023 at 5:10 am

    Was amazing, tasted lovely but didnt set as well as it should of done even though I had left it over night, I wondered where I went wrong?

    Reply
  13. Tim says

    March 31, 2023 at 9:39 am

    5 stars
    This makes a deliciously textured cheescake very simply.

    The combination with the strawberry sauce/topping really sets it off.

    I found the sweetness of the cheesecake itself a bit much but others I served it to said it was perfect which goes to show what a personal thing it is.

    Next time I make it I will reduce the sugar in the cheesecake to 1 cup and see how that goes…

    Reply
  14. KJ says

    February 6, 2023 at 8:41 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe, instructions are clear and the results are well worth the effort put in. So far has been the best strawberry cheesecake with a hint of lemon recipe i have used 🙂

    Reply
  15. Annie says

    January 2, 2023 at 4:57 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, how much should I reduce the ingredients and cook time if I’m using a 18cm/7inch pan? Thank you!

    Reply
  16. Karen Cho says

    December 25, 2022 at 4:35 pm

    5 stars
    Woweeee!
    I have never eaten a cheese cake but thought i’d try and make it for
    Christmas for everyone else. So easy annndddd… i tried it and yummmm… Loved it! And of course everyone else. Will most definitely be making this again and again

    Reply
  17. HJ says

    December 23, 2022 at 12:16 am

    Oops, I made the chicken stew and meant to comment there. Lol

    Then, I made the cheesecake for dessert! Which was just as delicious and loved by the family!

    Reply
  18. HJ says

    December 23, 2022 at 12:14 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!!! The family this recipe as well!
    Thank you so much for your awesome recipes!
    I mixed different parts of chicken (breasts, thighs, legs) all of it was super soft, juicy and tasty.

    Reply
    • Chris says

      October 12, 2023 at 9:54 pm

      What a wonderful way to end a meal with friends! The cheesecake was light and fluffy and not too rich or sweet. Followed the recipe and it was perfection! Thanks for yet another great recipe Nagi

      Reply
    • Lina says

      May 27, 2023 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      Oops. Apologies. Overlooked to give you my stars 🙂

      Reply
  19. Eric M says

    November 24, 2022 at 4:22 am

    5 stars
    I have made this 4 times. It time i get better but its still a hit. This is by far the best cheesecake i have had. Not because i made just because the recipe is spot on. Follow all instructions and you cant miss. I am making for thanksgiving by request lol . Thank you so much.

    Reply
  20. Katie says

    November 11, 2022 at 2:53 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious cheesecake! Made it for a birthday party and my friends are still raving about it a week later!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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