Original Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping

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I always like to bake a sweet something for my family’s and friends’ birthdays. Usually, I remember to ask if the birthday boy or girl has any special requests, but every so often I forget that I’m actually baking for someone else, and I end up just baking something that I like (and they say ego-centrism ends at age 7).

Well, fortunately for my friend Shayna, I remembered to ask her if she had any birthday treat requests this year. As her birthday happens to fall on Flag Day, she requested a dessert with red, white and blue, to go right along with her Flag Day-themed b-day party. (The other theme of the party was head-ware, but I haven’t tried my hand at head-ware themed desserts yet). Shortly Shayna expressed her wishes for a red, white and blue dessert, she changed her mind. “A cheese cake,” she said. “A red, white and blue cheesecake.” Challenge accepted.

So below is a recipe for Original Cheesecake, complete with homemade strawberry topping. Grab some cream cheese and a mixer, and try to remain ignorant to the fact that just 1/16th of this cake has upwards of 400 calories.

First, set your oven to 325 F,  and then make your graham cracker crumbs. Food process enough graham crackers (approximately 12 whole crackers), to make 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.

Next, mix the crumbs with 3 tbsp of sugar and 1/3 cup of melted butter. This mixture will be the cheesecake crust.

Now pat this mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan. Pleaseeeeee use a spring form pan. This type of pan has removable sides–you just push a lever and the side pops right up. If you ignore this warning…well just let me know how getting your cheesecake out of the pan works out for you later on.

Ya have to pat it.

Now it’s time for the filling. Throw 4 bars of softened cream into the bowl of your mixer, and add a cup of sugar.

Along with a teaspoon of vanilla.

Mix until well-blended.

Action shot

Now add each of the four eggs, one at a time. Mix the eggs on low until just blended, as to not create extra pockets of air in the mixture (which leads to cracking of the cheese cake). If you like cake cracks, be my guest and mix as much as your heart desires. However, if you’re like me, and cake cracks appear in your worst nightmares, then please don’t over do it with the mixing.

Alright, now it’s time to get this batter into the pan. Pour it over your already-prepared crust and spread it out over the crust so it’s smooth.

Pop it in the oven at 325 F and bake for about 55 minutes, until the cake is firm. It will be a very light golden-brown color, and it shouldn’t wiggle in the pan if you give the ban a little shake. Stick it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Crack free!

While your cake is cooling, you can make the fruit topping. Lots of recipes for strawberry topping require strawberry jam. Now, as much as I love Smucker’s (namely their hot fudge), we’re trading the jarred stuff for fresh strawberries.

Cut and hull your strawberries. Arrange about half of them on the cake (along with fresh blueberries if you’re going with a red, white and blue theme, like I was). Mash the rest up with a potato masher so you have a third of a cup of strawberry puree. Stick it in a small sauce pan with 1/3 of a cup of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the stove to low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Press this mixture through a strainer to collect 1/2 a cup of liquid puree. Return this liquid to the sauce pan, and add in 1 1/2 tsp of cornstarch and 2 tbsp of sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Take the pan off of the stove and let it cool for a few minutes. Once your cheesecake has been chilled and decorated, you can pour the strawberry topping over the top of the cake and spread out evenly. Stick it back in the fridge until the topping is chilled as well, and slice this baby up! Once you try it, you’ll realize that Cheesecake Factory has nothin’ on you.

Recipe

Ingredients

Cheesecake

• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup of butter (melted)
• 4 8 oz bars of Philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Strawberry Topping

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries
• 1/3 cup of water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
• blueberries (optional; for decoration)

Directions

If you are using whole graham crackers, use your food processor to turn them into 1 1/2 cups of crumbs. Mix the crumbs by hand with 3 tbsp of sugar and butter, and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form cake pan. Beat the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until just blended. Do not over mix. Transfer the batter to the pan and spread evenly over the crust. Bake at 325 F for 55 minutes, until cake is firm and light golden brown. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Arrange as desired with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Set aside.

To make the strawberry topping, mash enough strawberries (cut and hulled) to make about 1/3 of a cup. Heat in a small sauce pan, along with 1/3 cup of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn to low and simmer for about 2 minutes. Push this mixture through a strainer and collect about 1/2 a cup of liquid puree. Discard the rest of the mixture. Return the liquid puree to the saucepan, along with corn starch and sugar, and boil until the mixture thickens. Remove from the stove, wait several minutes until it has cooled, and pour over cheesecake. Spread evenly.

*Recipe based on Kraft’s cheesecake recipe*

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