Sometimes all you really need in life is a really good piece of cheesecake, and at those times you don’t want to torture yourself by staring at the calorie count on the Cheesecake Factory menu. Now you don’t have to.
This strawberry glazed cheesecake may not be the easiest thing to make, and it’s definitely not the quickest, but it’ll be worth it when your friends start raving about your incredible baking skills and when you finally get to satisfy that cheesecake craving.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Refrigerate Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 1/2 hours
Servings: 1 cheesecake (about 8 large slices)
Ingredients for crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
Ingredients for filling:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 lemon
Ingredients for topping:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 quart fresh strawberries, chopped
1 bottle whipped cream
2 teaspoons sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a blender or food processor using the “crush” setting (note: if you can’t find graham cracker crumbs, buy regular graham crackers, break them into small pieces and crush them using a blender).
Photo by Allie Dang
3. Press the graham cracker mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract with a mixer (or by hand) until uniformly blended.
6. Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 a lemon and mix.
7. Add eggs one by one, mixing on a low speed until blended.
Photo by Allie Dang
8. Spoon mixture over the crust.
9. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the center is almost set.
10. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
11. In a saucepan on medium heat combine water, cornstarch and strawberries.
Photo by Allie Dang
12. Cook until the strawberries dissolve and the mixture thickens.
13. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 1 hour.
14. Just before serving, decorate cheesecake with strawberry glaze, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Serve immediately.
Photo by Allie Dang