New York Strawberry Cheesecake

This New York strawberry cheesecake is rich and creamy with lovely red and white strawberry flowers blooming on its surface. 🌺

Instead of tangy sour cream, I chose to use a mild strawberry yogurt, which gives our cheesecake a sweet delicate flavor and a hint of strawberry aroma.🍓

Since we added some freeze dried strawberry powder into the whipped cream, the subtle and pleasant strawberry taste is secretly blended in every single bite.

The Biscoff cheesecake base

In this recipe, we are going to mix microwave melted butter with some crushed Lotus Biscoff cookies to make an easy yet flavorful crust. 

Simply press the buttery moistened cookie crumbs with the bottom of a glass cup until it’s even and firm, this 2-ingredient cheesecake crust takes you fewer than 5 minutes to make, but has such an aromatic flavor and a just-perfect texture for our New York strawberry cheesecake.

The Lotus Biscoff cookies have a great combination of caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove tastes, which could provide a bold flavor to balance with the mildly sweetened cheesecake filling.

If you can’t find Biscoff cookies near you, feel free to substitute them with Oreo cookies (scrape off the white filling and use the black cookie part only) or Graham Crackers.

The New York Cheesecake Filling

This New York strawberry cheesecake filling is so easy to make and unbelievably delicious!

If you are a beginner baker, this can be a perfect first cake to bake in your life. All you need to do is to mixing every ingredient together. There is no way to make this cheesecake filling undelicious. You will feel so proud of yourself and fall in love with baking after trying the first bite of this creamy yet fluffy cheesecake.

Although the cheesecake batter is much easier to make compared with a chiffon cake batter, there are some pro tips to follow is you want to make it perfect perfect:

1. Soften the cream cheese. Simply take the cream cheese block out of its package and leave it on your countertop for an hour. You can also cut the cheese block into smaller cubes to speed up the process. Softened cream cheese can be easily whisk into a creamy smooth texture and can be well combined with other ingredients.

2. Do not over mix. Different from chiffon cake or sponge cake batter, a New York cheesecake batter doesn’t need to be whipped. We only need to use a hand mixer to whisk the batter for a couple of seconds for the mixing purpose. If we whip the batter for too long, there will be too much air trapped by the batter, and the cake will rise in the oven and shrink after it’s cooled, which could cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack or wrinkle.

3. Strain the batter: Since we don’t want to over mix the batter, there could be some lumps of cream cheese, egg whites, and cornstarch left in our batter. We can simply strain the batter with a fine mesh strainer to get rid of these lumps and get a perfectly smooth cheesecake filling.

Strawberry flavor whipped cream

To give the whipped cream a subtle strawberry flavor to match our strawberry theme, I simply added a tablespoon of freeze dried strawberry powder into the whipped cream.

I know that most of the strawberry cheesecake recipe would tell you to make a strawberry sauce and pour the sauce over the cheesecake. I bet that will be tasty too!

But personally I think New York style cheesecake is pretty rich and heavy. So I want a light and fluffy topping to balance the cake’s dense texture. What’s more, I want to create a clean and white background for my lovely strawberry flowers~ 🌷 (Okay, this could be my main purpose!)

If you prefer a strawberry sauce topping for your New York cheesecake, you can add 300g chopped fresh strawberries and 80g granulated sugar to a small pot, stir until well combined. Cook the mixture over medium heat, keep stirring until the amount of the mixture has been reduced to half. Cool the strawberry sauce to room temperature, then spread the sauce over the cheesecake.

Strawberry Cheesecake with Jelly Layer

My original plan was to make a New York strawberry cheesecake coated with a transparent jelly layer. That must be so breathtakingly beautiful!

To make the jelly layer, I froze the cheesecake after decorating it with whipped cream and fruits. Then I dissolved 3 envelops of gelatin powder with 3 cups of Sprite. Once the cheesecake was frozen, I transferred it to a larger cake pan (8”), poured the gelatin liquid to the cake pan to submerge the cake, and kept it in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Everything went well until I tried to unmold the cheesecake with jelly layer. I used a hairdryer to heat the sides of the springform pan to remove the cake from the mold. However, as the cake got heated, the whipped cream between the cake and the jelly layer melted, which caused the jelly layer to fall off from the cake. 

Sadly, the jelly layer cracked into pieces when I tried to cut the cake.🥲

If you want to add a jelly layer on the top surface of your cheesecake, you can follow the instructions in my previous sakura mousse cake recipe. 

I will keep trying some new methods to solve this cracking problem, and find out a method to add a perfect jelly layer around the whole cheesecake! I will keep you updated!!!

And please remember that the jelly layer is totally an add on! The cheesecake itself without the jelly layer was beautiful and delicious already!

EQUIPMENT

• Kitchen scale (Or measuring cups and spoons)
• Springform pan (I used a 7” pan. You can use a 6” – 8” cake pan with this recipe. You will just get a cheesecake that’s taller or shorter than mine. No need to adjust the ingredient amounts.)
• Hand mixer (It will be much easier to mix the batter using a hand mixer. If you don’t have one, you can also use a whisk or a spatula to mix the batter, which will, however, take you more time. But you need to make sure to mix the batter until smooth.)
• Fine mesh strainer (It’s optional but highly recommended. Pass the batter through a strainer to get rid of clumps.)
• Teflon sheet (Line the springform with Teflon sheet to prevent sticking. It can also be substituted with parchment paper.)
• Deep baking pan (For hot water bath.)

INGREDIENTS List:

– For the crust cake base

• 125 g Biscoff cookies (About 12 Biscoff cookies. Can be substituted with 125g Oreo cookies without the filling.)
• 55 g unsalted butter (Melted. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir until melted.)

– For the cheesecake filling

• 335 g cream cheese (12 oz. About 1½ blocks. Room temperature softened.)
• 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
• 1 g salt (⅙ tsp)
• 15 g lemon juice (1 tbsp)
• ½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
• 170 g yogurt (¾ cup. I used Activia strawberry yogurt. You can also use plain Greek yogurt.)
• 2 eggs (Large eggs. 105g to 110g without egg shells.)
• 120 g heavy whipping cream (½ cup. Do not whip.)
• 25 g cornstarch (2 tbsps + 2 tsps)

– Decoration (Optional)

• 120 g heavy whipping cream (½ cup)
• 12 g powdered sugar (1 tbsp + 2 tsps)
• 1 tbsp freeze dried strawberry powder (Optional)
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract (Optional)
• 7 strawberries
• 2 kiwifruits

Step-by-step INSTRUCTIONS:

– For the crust cake base

1. Cut some Teflon sheet (or parchment paper) based on the height of your springform pan, grease the springform sides with butter, and line the paper along the sides to prevent sticky. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan with two layers of heavy-duty foil paper.

2. Crush Lotus Biscoff Cookies (or Oreo cookies) with a food processor, or take a rolling pin to roll over the bag of cookies. Microwave unsalted butter for 30 seconds, stir until melted. Add the melted butter to the cookie crumbs, mix until evenly moistened.

3. Transfer the cookie butter mixture to the springform pan, press firmly with a glass cup or a spoon. Keep in the fridge.

– For the New York strawberry cheesecake filling

1. Preheat the oven to 335°F/170°C. Boil a full kettle of water.

2. Add room temperature softened cream cheese, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl, beat with a hand mixer (medium speed) for about 30 seconds until smooth (See Note 1).

3. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and yogurt, mix with a hand mixer (low speed) for about 30 seconds until well combined.

4. Beat 2 large eggs in a separate bowl using a whisk until the color looks even. (Do not need to beat the eggs until frothy.) Pour the egg to the large mixing bowl, mix with a hand mixer (low speed) for about 30 seconds until well combined.

5. Add ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, mix with a hand mixer (low speed) for about 10 seconds until well combined. (Stop mixing as soon as the color of the batter looks even, do not over-mix.) Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. 

6. Use a fine mesh strainer to sift the cornstarch to the batter. Fold the batter with a spatula until the cornstarch is evenly distributed.

7. Put the springform pan in a deep baking pan. Place the fine mesh strainer on the springform pan, pour the cheesecake filling batter through the strainer to get rid of any lumps.

8. Pour about 1” depth of boiling water into the deep baking pan. Bake on the medium-low rack of the oven at 335°F/170°C for 1 hour and 30 minutes until the cake is golden.

9. Remove the baking pan from the oven, remove the springform pan from the hot water bath, peel off the foil. While still hot, the center of the cheesecake should be wiggly when you shake it. It will be fully set after cools down.

10. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature on your countertop. Cover with food wrap and keep the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.

11. Unmold the cheesecake from the springform pan. It already taste great now! You can slice and serve it directly. Or, if you want to make it even prettier, move on to the next decorating steps.

– For decoration

1. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberry powder (optional), and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl, whip with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until medium to stiff peaks form. (See Note 1) Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake.

2. Cut 5 strawberries lengthwise into halves. Peel and cut 2 kiwifruits into the shape of flower stems. Stick the strawberries and kiwifruits on the sides of the cheesecake. Cut 2 strawberries crosswise into coin-shape slices. Use these strawberry slices to make some flower patterns on the top surface of the cheesecake.

New York Strawberry Cheesecake Q&A

1. Can I make it without an electronic mixer

As long as the cream cheese is fully softened, you can mix the cheesecake filling batter by hand with a whisk or a spatula, which will take you about 5 minutes (vs 30 seconds if you use a hand mixer).

You need to make sure that all the ingredients are well mixed and the batter is smooth before moving forward to the next step. 

To whip cream without a hand mixer, you can add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberry powder, and vanilla extract to a mason jar or a plastic water bottle, close the lid tightly and vigorously shake the jar for 2 to 3 minutes to get fluffy whipped cream. 

2.  Can I use this recipe for a 6 inch or 8 inch cheesecake?

I used a 7” springform pan. You can use a 6” – 8” springform pan with this recipe. You will just get a cheesecake that’s taller or shorter than mine. No need to adjust the ingredient amounts.

Another option is adjusting the ingredient amounts based on this cheesecake ingredients conversion chart:

After → Before ↓	6 inch	7 inch	8 inch	9 inch	10 inch
6 inch	1.00	1.36	1.78	2.25	2.78
7 inch	0.74	1.00	1.31	1.63	2.04
8 inch	0.56	0.77	1.00	1.27	1.56
9 inch	0.44	0.60	0.70	1.00	1.24
10 inch	0.36	0.49	0.64	0.81	1.00

You can always use this chart to convert a cake recipe to any size you need.

For example, if you want to use my 7 inch cheesecake recipe to make an 8 inch cake, you can locate “7 inch” in the “Before ↓” column, then locate “8 inch” in the “After →” row, and find the number 1.31.

Multiply all the ingredients in a 7 inch cake recipe by 1.31 to get the ingredients you need for an 8 inch cake.

3. How to store a New York Strawberry Cheesecake

The best method to store a New York Cheesecake is cutting it into single serving slices, placing each slice individually in an airtight food storage container or bag, and storing them in the freezer. You just need to thaw it in the fridge overnight before enjoying. The cheesecake can stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months.

You can leave the strawberries on the cake too, but they will be mushy after frozen and thawed. So the best choice would be removing the strawberries before freezing the cheesecake. And top the thawed cheesecake with fresh strawberries. Then the frozen and thawed New York cheesecake will taste the same as freshly made ones!

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