Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
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If you are a fan of strawberry cheesecake, you have to try my strawberry swirl cheesecake recipe. It has a homemade graham cracker crust that is filled with a creamy vanilla cheesecake with a cooked strawberry sauce swirl on top.
Slice and serve up this incredible strawberry dessert recipe. Great for entertaining, potluck events, birthdays and more.
How to make Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Graham Cracker Crust | This cheesecake uses a classic graham cracker crust. You will mix up the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until everything is coated in butter and then press it into a 9-inch springform pan. Use the pack of a measuring cup to help pack down the crust.
Place the graham cracker crust in the freezer or fridge to firm up.
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Fresh Strawberry Puree | Strawberries and sugar are all that is required to make this strawberry puree. Cook on the stove to help break down the strawberries. Once it is done cooking, place it in a blender or food processor to make a smooth puree. Let cool while you work on the cheesecake.
Vanilla Cheesecake | A classic vanilla cheesecake is the cheesecake base for this strawberry swirl cheesecake recipe. Add the cream cheese to a large glass mixing bowl and beat using a hand mixer until creamed.
Beat in the sugar until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and then beat in each egg one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each egg too.
Add in the heavy cream and sour cream. The batter should be loose at this point so you don't have to worry about lumps forming. Beat until the heavy cream is incorporated.
Pour the batter on top of the crust in the springform pan. Add the puree to a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners. Swirl the cheesecake with the strawberry filling, and bake as directed.
How long will Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake last
You can expect your strawberry swirl cheesecake to store for around 5 days in the refrigerator.
The biggest thing is making sure to place your cheesecake in an airtight container. Otherwise, your cheesecake can take on other flavors that are in your fridge.
Can you freeze Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
This strawberry swirl cheesecake can be frozen if you don't plan to eat it all right away. I recommend slicing up the cheesecake and then freezing it. To keep the pieces from sticking together is placing parchment paper in between each slice so they don't stick together.
The cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Use a freezer-friendly container or wrap in aluminum foil and then place in a sealable freezer bag.
If you're wrapping the cheesecake in foil, I would recommend place the cheesecake pieces or even whole cheesecake in the freezer until it's frozen solid first since the cheesecake is soft.
How do you make swirls in a cheesecake?
The tip I find helpful when making swirls is taking your strawberry mixture and pour into a sealable bag. Take scissors and cut off the side to make it pourable. Then lower the bag close to the cheesecake and begin squeezing some of the strawberry mixture onto the cheesecake.
Then with a skewer or toothpick you can swirl the strawberry mixture into the filling. The biggest thing is don't go too deep on swirling or you will not see the swirl on top of your cheesecake.
It adds some color and depth when you leave some red on top of the cheesecake.
Why Does Cheesecake Have to Set Up Overnight?
Cheesecake takes a long time to really cool down once it has been baked. That is why it is very important to allow the cheesecake to fully set up in the refrigerator overnight. Then you can slice and serve up a cheesecake that is rich, dense, and offers tons of flavor.
Interested in more cheesecake ideas
Variation To Crust For Strawberry Cheesecake
Go right ahead and swap out the graham cracker crust out with a vanilla wafer crust, shortbread cookies, Golden Oreos, or even an Oreo crust. It doesn't have to be the graham cracker if you have an idea of using something else to swap it out.
I loved the golden graham crust for this next to the strawberry, but by all means swap if you feel the urge.
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
Strawberry Sauce
- 2 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick baking spray. Place a 3-inch wide strip of parchment paper on the sides of the springform pan.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter to a medium mixing bowl. Stir until the butter thoroughly coats the graham cracker crumbs.
- Pour the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and firmly press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan.
- Place in the freezer or fridge to set up while working on the sauce and cheesecake batter.
Strawberry Sauce
- Add the sliced strawberries and sugar to a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook for 10 to 13 minutes. Break the strawberries down with a wooden spoon while they cook to help speed up the process.
- Remove from the saucepan and place in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the sauce is a smooth puree. Set aside and begin working on the cheesecake.
Cheesecake
- Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium until creamy.
- Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time and beat each egg just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl before adding the next.
- Once all of the eggs are incorporated, add in the sour cream and heavy cream. Beat just until the sour cream and heavy cream is worked into the cheesecake batter.
- Just before adding the cheesecake mixture, wrap the outside of the springform pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty tin foil. You can skip the tin foil and add the cheesecake in a slightly larger pan to keep the cheesecake dry and then place the two pans in a third pan that's filled with about 1 inch of hot water.
- Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the crust.
- Pour the strawberry puree into a sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners.
- Place the hole of the sandwich bag barely in the cheesecake batter and begin piping a swirl with the strawberry sauce. Don't go too deep with the filling otherwise, you won't see it on top.
- Add a few swirls dragging a skewer through the cheesecake and fresh strawberry puree. Adding too many swirls will create cracks in the top of your cheesecake when it's baked so keep it to a minimum.
- Place the cheesecake in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 25 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center slightly jiggles like jello when the pan is wiggled back and forth and not like wet batter. This time may vary so always give it the jiggle test and bake longer if needed.
- Once done, leave the cheesecake in the oven, turn the oven off, and leave the door slightly ajar until the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature.
- Once the cheesecake has cooled, move to the fridge and allow to chill overnight to set up.
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
I LOVE this recipe. It’s my all time favorite cheesecake. I wanted to know if there is a way to do raspberries instead of strawberries for a fun spin on it?
What a fun change in flavor! I think raspberries would taste delicious.
My Husband and I love this Cheesecake I have made it a few times and I just made one for my husband's Birthday. This is the only Cheesecake I make now. Thanks so much.
I do not understand the spring pan part better? I don’t understand that part
The spring pan allow you to remove the edge of the pan for a pretty presentation value. You do not have to use a spring form pan.
First time making cheesecake and this recipe was very easy to follow and my cheesecake turned out great! My husband said I can make this again!
So happy to hear!
I made this for a dinner party I had yesterday and it was the BEST cheesecake! I did add a little bit of corn starch to the strawberry mixture to thicken it a bit. We all loved it...such a creamy cheesecake! Mmmm!
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it so much, Pat! Thanks for letting me know and sounds like the tweak to the recipe was perfect.
Hey there! I made this mixture and put it in a pre-gram crusted, it came out looking brown on top, can you explain better for next time…I didn’t understand the spring pan step so I substituted but don’t think it worked!
If it was a little brown on top it could have baked a little too long in the oven is what I am assuming.
After letting it come to room temp., could I possible plop it in the freezer instead? My fridge is pretty full with stuff for thanksgiving so I won’t have the room
You could freeze for a bit, but overall you want it in the fridge. If you allow it to freeze for too long it will affect the texture of the cheesecake.