Strawberry-Swirl Cheesecake

Last week I made "perfect" cheesecake with blueberry and strawberry sauces, I mentioned then that it was so easy to do I turned around and made another cheesecake the next day - here it is! This one is is swirled with strawberry glaze and has a chocolate crust instead of graham cracker.

 I'll be honest, the filling of this one is delicious (just like the original one) but I prefer the graham cracker crust to the chocolate - I was thinking chocolate and berry, that goes together, and I wanted to experiment with a different crust...but next time I will do this exact filling in a graham crust and it'll be the bomb. I'll give you the chocolate crust recipe that I found on Food Network from Bobby Flay, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it and it did taste good, if you want to try it. If you're like Dave and I and prefer the graham one I am also including that one below. I used the same recipe for the filling as the "perfect" one last week, which I'm reposting, with the addition of a few spoonfuls of strawberry glaze or seedless jam.


Ingredients ~

 for the crust:

• one 9 oz. box chocolate wafers (I found them by the ice cream toppings)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted

for the cheesecake:

• 2 pounds full-fat cream cheese (4 8oz. boxes), room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk (save the white for another use)

Directions ~

for the crust:

1. Spray a 9" springform pan with non-stick baking spray, line the bottom with parchment (optional)
2. preheat oven to 325'
3. add the cookies and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to fine crumbs. Drizzle in the butter and pulse until the crumbs are completely coated with the butter.
4. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake until set, 10-13 minutes (or 15-18 minutes if you're using a 10" pan). Let cool completely on a rack. 
5. 
   
   

for the cheesecake: 

• Cut two large pieces of foil and place them on your work surface on top of each other in a cross. Place a piece of parchment on top of the foil (so there are 3 layers total). Set the springform pan in the middle and fold the edges of the foil up and around the sides of the pan. The foil gives you extra protection against water getting into the pan during the water bath step. 

• Mix the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (Or use an electric handheld mixer and a large bowl.) Mix on medium-low speed until the mixture is creamy, like thick frosting, and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Scrape down the beater and the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

• Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula.

• With the mixer on medium-low speed, beat in the eggs and the yolk one at a time. Wait until the previous egg is just barely mixed into the batter before adding the next one. At first, the mixture will look clumpy and broken, but it will come together as the eggs are worked in. Note: you don't want to over mix it once you're adding the eggs - it creates too much air in the batter and that could lead to cracking. Be gentle with this step.

• Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Stir the whole batter a few times by hand, being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. The finished batter should be thick, creamy, and silky. Don't worry if you see a few specks of un-mixed cream cheese here and there; they will melt into the batter during baking and won't affect the finished cheesecake. 

• Put the batter in the fridge for at least an hour to chill it. 

• Pour the batter over the cooled crust and spread it into an even layer. Run a knife thru the batter a few times to release air bubbles. 

• Put a few spoonfuls of strawberry glaze or seedless strawberry jam on the top of the batter and run a knife top to bottom and side to side thru the glaze to create a marbled pattern. Don't do this too many times or it'll get all muddled together. 

• Transfer the pan to a roasting pan or other baking dish big enough to hold the springform pan. Have a few cups of hot water standing by. 

• Put the roasting pan containing the cheesecake into the oven, carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan being careful not to splash any water onto the cheesecake. Fill the roasting pan about half way up the sides of the springform pan (I used about 2 cups of hot water). This is creating a "water bath" for the cheesecake. 

• Bake for 55-60 minutes (for a 9" springform pan. You'll need to adjust the time for different sized pan). The cheesecake is done when the outer two to three inches look slightly puffed and set, but the inner circle still jiggles (like Jell-o) when you gently shake the pan. Some spots of toasted golden color are fine, but if you see any cracks staring to form move on to the next step right away.

• Leave the cheesecake in the oven. Turn off the oven and crack the door open (or prop it open with a wooden spoon). Let the cheesecake cool slowly for 1 hour.

• Remove the cheesecake from the oven and from the water bath, unwrap the foil, and transfer it to a cooling rack. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it's not sticking to the sides (which can cause cracks as it cools). Let the cheesecake cool completely on the rack.

• Chill the cheesecake, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This step is crucial for letting the cheesecake set and achieving perfect cheesecake texture - don't rush it.

• Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to serve. Untold the cake and top the cheesecake just before serving.

Dave liked it with blueberry sauce on top!

optional Graham Cracker crust:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter together. 
2. Transfer it into a buttered pan (or spray with non stick spray) and use the bottom of a glass to press it evenly into the bottom. I didn't spread them up the sides but you can if you want.
3. Bake at 350' for 6 minutes; remove from oven and let cool before filling.

click here for last week's perfect cheesecake recipe with graham crust
click here for blueberry and strawberry sauces
click here for original source of Bobby Flay's crust




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