Strawberry-Glazed Cream Cheese Cake
Submitted by corey
A four-layer cheesecake masterpiece: walnut-graham crust, dense cream cheese filling, silky sour cream topping, and whole strawberries drenched in a Cointreau-spiked raspberry glaze. Plan ahead; it needs 2 to 3 days to reach peak flavor.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
55 minREADY
70 minThis is not a weeknight dessert. This is the cheesecake you build for the occasion that matters.
Four packages of cream cheese go into a rich, dense filling spiked with lemon juice and vanilla, baked on a walnut and graham cracker crust. After the first bake, a sweetened sour cream topping goes on and gets a quick trip back into the oven to set.
Then patience takes over. The cake rests in the fridge for at least 24 hours, ideally 2 to 3 days, while the flavors deepen and the texture becomes impossibly smooth.
The crowning glory: whole strawberries arranged point-side up on top and drizzled with a glossy glaze made from raspberry jelly, cornstarch, and a generous pour of Cointreau. It’s the kind of dessert people photograph before they eat.
Chef Tips
- Bring all cream cheese to full room temperature before beating; cold blocks mean lumps
- Don’t panic about cracks during baking; the sour cream topping and strawberry glaze cover everything
- Let the glaze cool to lukewarm before spooning over the berries so it clings without sliding off
- Grand Marnier or triple sec work just as well as Cointreau for the glaze
Ingredients
Directions
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350℉.
Lightly butter 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
FOR CRUST: Combine walnuts, graham crackers crumbs and butter.
Press compactly onto bottom of pan. FOR FILLING:
Beat cream cheese in large bowl of electric mixer until smooth.
Add eggs, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and beat thoroughly.
Spoon over crust. Set pan on baking sheet to catch any butter that may drip out.
Bake 10 inch cake 40 to 45 minutes or 9 inch cake 50 to 55 minutes.
(Cake may rise slightly and crack in several areas; it will settle again, cracks will minimize and topping will cover it up.) Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature 15 Retain oven temperature at 350 deg. F. FOR TOPPING: Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla and blend well. Cover and refrigerate. When cake has finished baking, spoon topping over, starting at center and extending to within ½ inch of edge. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes longer. Let cool, then refrigerate cheesecake for at least 24 hours or preferably 2 to 3 days. FOR GLAZE: Several hours before serving, wash and hull berries and let dry completely on paper towels. Combine a little jelly with cornstarch in saucepan and mix well. Add remaining jelly, Cointreau and water and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and clear, about 5 minutes. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Using knife, loosen cake from pan; remove springform. Arrange berries pointed end up over top of cake. Spoon glaze over berries, allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Return to refrigerator until the glaze is set.
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