HappyCook80's Recipe

Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake

Category: Recipes

Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake

Chocolate-Crumb Crust:
2 cups chocolate-wafer cookie crumbs
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for the pan

Cheesecake:
2 cups fresh strawberries or 12 ounces frozen, unsweetened
strawberries, defrosted
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with a side at least 2 3/4 inches high. Wrap the outside of the pan with a large piece of heavy aluminum foil.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs and butter. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom and 1 inch up the side of the prepared pan. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor or blender, puree the strawberries. Pour the puree into a strainer set over a small bowl, press the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all of the seeds. Discard the seeds. Set aside 3/4 cup of the puree, reserve any remaining puree for another use.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in the flour. Add the eggs, 2 at a time, mixing until the batter is smooth
after each addition. Mix in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla.

Pour 2 cups of the batter into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the lemon juice, set aside the vanilla batter.

Stir the 3/4 cup strawberry puree into the batter remaining in the large bowl, mixing just until the mixture is pink. Pour the
strawberry batter into the prepared pan.

Place the pan inside a larger baking pan with sides at least 2 inches deep. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches 1 inch up the outside of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

Carefully slide the oven rack out several inches from the oven. Pour the reserved batter evenly around the outer edge of the cheesecake. The batter will flow toward the center to cover the top of the cake. Bake until the top of the cheesecake appears firm when the pan is gently shaken, about 20 minutes.

Remove the baking pan from the oven. Cover the cheesecake with a paper towel and cool the cheesecake in the water bath for 1 hour.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the paper towel and cool for 1 hour. The cheesecake should feel cool to the touch. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve cold. Leftover cheesecake can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Serves 16.