Strawberry Cheesecake

Spring has sprung in Denver and I am ready for the summer fruit season.  Although we don't have any homegrown strawberries yet we are already getting some wonderful California fruit right now.  That was my inspiration to make a strawberry cheesecake with a strawberry topping for my adopted sister Veronica's birthday this week.  Its strawberry every which way you turn it!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Crust

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 T. sugar

12 T. butter, melted

Filling

24 oz cream cheese, softened and room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

6 eggs, room temperature

2 cups ricotta cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 T vanilla extract

Zest and juice of one lemon

1/2 cup strawberry preserves

1/2 cup strawberries, finely chopped and mashed

Whole strawberries to decorate

Sauce

3 cups strawberries, finely chopped and divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 T cornstarch

1 T lemon juice

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  (I normally make my cheesecakes in a water bath for even baking, since I am putting a topping on this one I am not overly concerned with cracking and find that baking for a period and than allowing it to finish cooking in a hot oven turned off is a lot less trouble than sloshing hot water around the oven).

Spray a 9 or 10 inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray or grease with butter.  In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar.  Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until moistened.  Press the crust down into the springform pan and up the sides until even.  Set aside.

Measure out and prepare all ingredients for the filling before you start making it.  You do not want to over-beat a cheesecake and this allows you to concentrate on watching the mixture and not running all over the kitchen looking for supplies.

Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on medium until soft and creamy, approximately 3 or 4 minutes, this could vary depending on the temperature of your cream cheese.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Continuing on medium speed, beat the eggs one at a time, thoroughly combining between additions.  On low speed add the flour, ricotta cheese, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice.  Mix until well combined but do not over mix.  Add the strawberry preserves and mashed strawberries and mix just until combined.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 1 hour.  Do not open the oven.  Leave the cake in the hot oven, turned off, for an additional 30-45 minutes.  Remove and cool on a wire rack.

While the cheesecake is cooking prepare the strawberry sauce.

Take one cup of the strawberries and finely mash them.  Set the remaining finely chopped strawberries aside.  In a sauce pan over medium heat combine the mashed strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch.  Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, until thickened.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining chopped strawberries.  Set aside to cool.

To serve.  I generally make this the day before I want to serve it and freeze the cheesecake overnight.  Freezing the cheesecake makes it easier to remove from the bottom of the springform pan so that you can serve it on a pretty platter or cake pedestal.  A few hours before you are ready to serve place the cheesecake on a platter and spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake.  Decorate with whole strawberries.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.