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Home Sweet

Strawberry Cheesecake

By:Nagi
Published:17 Dec '18Updated:13 Jan '23
522 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 mins
Cook: 55 mins
Chilling time: 6 hrs
Total: 7 hrs 25 mins
Dessert
Western
5 from 100 votes
Servings12
Tap or hover to scale
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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 @RecipeTinEats.

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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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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522 Comments

  1. Brianna Nicole Davis says

    December 4, 2021 at 1:27 pm

    Hi! Could the Graham Cracker crust be replaced with a pretzel crust done the same way?

    Reply
  2. Sharon Legovich says

    November 30, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    Hi Nagi, Can this be made in a Gluten Free version. I would be able to use Arnotts Scotch Finger Gluten Free but how would I go with the flour? I think everything else is ok.
    Cheesecake is what I’m really missing ;-(

    Reply
    • Karen Robinson says

      December 12, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      Hi Sharon, Have made the recipe as above before and came out perfect. This time I made with glutton free biscuits and used glutton free flour. Found that crust was a bit brittle so next time wouldnt use as much butter. Still used the corn flour as only 1 and half teaspoons. My friend really enjoyed the glutton free version as she too is missing cheesecake.

      Reply
      • Sharon Legovich says

        January 12, 2022 at 1:03 pm

        Hi Karen.
        Thanks for taking the time to reply to my message. I’ll be giving this a go on the weekend.

        Reply
  3. Emma Jean Ancaja says

    November 24, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    hi, from other recipes I found, the baking requires a water bath, but you did not do this. does it make a big difference?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 26, 2021 at 4:32 pm

      Hi Emma – I write about this in the post for my baked cheesecake here https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-classic-baked-cheesecake/. You don’t need a water bath!! N x

      Reply
  4. Beth says

    November 12, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    Fabulous!! Will definitely make again, very easy and recipe easy to follow.
    I added 2 teaspoons of raspberry vinegar to the strawberry sauce, really brought the flavour out!!

    Reply
  5. Amy Williams says

    October 25, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    Hi Nagi! Would you say I can use this recipe for any fruit? I want to do either mango or raspberry, will the sauce recipe work with those too? I know you have a mango cheesecake recipe but I want a baked one 😀 thanks for any help x

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 26, 2021 at 11:05 am

      Hi Amy…you could sub in raspberries or make the baked cheesecake then top it with the mango jelly from my no bake version which would work. N x

      Reply
  6. Jessie says

    October 16, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    Can you freeze it once it’s made?

    Reply
  7. Anne says

    September 26, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    It’s my first go trying this recipe and I’m so excited!
    Question: I have the cake in the fridge and it will be 10pm once 4hrs has gone past. I’ve already made the strawberry sauce. If I were to top the cake in the morning – should I put the sauce into the fridge or leave it out? Or should I just stay up to 10 to avoid disaster?

    Reply
  8. Food says

    September 21, 2021 at 10:29 am

    Hi! How many people does this serve?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 22, 2021 at 6:49 pm

      This cake assumes 12 servings – N x

      Reply
  9. Rian says

    September 20, 2021 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for this yummy recipe.. I made this today, my first attempt in making cheesecake. Turned out perfect. Instructions were very easy to follow and video made it better.

    Reply
  10. Cheesy says

    September 16, 2021 at 8:32 am

    Has anyone tried making this with frozen strawberries? Any tips?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 16, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Hi Cheesy, thaw first and drain of any excess liquid. N x

      Reply
      • Cheesy says

        September 16, 2021 at 3:21 pm

        Legend

        Reply
  11. Lili Martinez says

    September 15, 2021 at 9:48 am

    5 stars
    Kudosss to you Nagi!!!! I’m so happy how my cheesecake came out absolutely amazing!!! I making another one tonight. 🍓🍓😋

    Reply
  12. Tatum says

    September 8, 2021 at 11:44 am

    Hey Nagi,
    I made this and it was deeeelicious. Wanting to recreate for a friend.. how would you do this GF? Any suggestions for different biscuits?

    Reply
  13. Maria K says

    August 30, 2021 at 1:04 am

    My first ever cheesecake and this recipe is amazing! I did discover that I needed 300 g digestives to achieve that “wet sand” consistency (perfect description).

    Reply
  14. Audrey Fullwood says

    August 22, 2021 at 9:57 am

    5 stars
    First time I’ve made a cheesecake and it turned out brilliantly. Easy to follow instructions. Thanks Nagi, I love your recipes.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 23, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      Wahoo! That’s awesome Audrey!! N x

      Reply
  15. Anabella Barcibal says

    August 19, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi! Good day from Singapore! I want to ask if i can use the 9inch springform pan? or do i need to adjust the recipe for 9inch pan? Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 19, 2021 at 8:05 pm

      It will be fine, just a slightly shorter cake 🙂 N x

      Reply
      • Bryan says

        August 29, 2021 at 2:56 pm

        5 stars
        Yes I made this yesterday and it worked out well. Perhaps a little too much butter (like that’s a thing) but it did leak out of the tin whilst baking. Luckily I had it sitting in a rimmed baking sheet so no leaks. Next time will use more corn flour as my strawberries must have had more water in them.

        Reply
  16. Levy says

    August 16, 2021 at 8:49 pm

    Hi Nagi and Dozer. I baked the cheesecake for kore than 1 hr at 140 convection but it didnt turn golden brown and got a bit of cracks. What could i have done wrong?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 17, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      Hi Levy, if you cooked for more than 1 hour then it sounds like you’ve overcooked it causing it to crack. The colour on the cheesecake isn’t imperative, just as long as it’s set with a slight wobble. N x

      Reply
  17. Steph says

    August 3, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    Hey Nagi, can I use light cream cheese instead of full fat for this recipe? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 4, 2021 at 11:33 am

      Hi Steph, no you can’t sorry as the water content is higher, the cake won’t have the same texture or set quite the same. N x

      Reply
  18. Maria says

    July 24, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    Hi Nagi and Dozer, of course!
    When you say Arnott’s Marie Crackers (for Australia), do you mean Arnott’s Marie Biscuits???
    Love your recipes, you give me the confidence which I lack, to cook!!
    Thank you so much for that! xx

    Reply
  19. Ainie Amin says

    July 18, 2021 at 12:30 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi, I have tried a few of your recipes and they have all been great. Thank you for sharing them with us. I baked this Strawberry Cheesecake for my brother’s 59th birthday yesterday and everyone loved it. It is a lighter version of the New York Cheesecake and easy for non Cheesecake lovers to like it. The Strawberry topping is divine, so easy to prepare yet so delicious 😋😍. Thanks again and happy weekend!

    Reply
  20. Sam says

    July 16, 2021 at 12:08 am

    Hello

    If I pre make the strawberry sauce how long will it last in fridge or freezer? Thank you

    Reply
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