Easy White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake + 8 Tips For The Perfect Cheesecake!
Creamy, sweet, and indulgently rich, you’re going to love this Easy White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake. The best part about this insanely delicious dessert? The crust is gluten free! Get your fork ready, because the hardest part about this cheesecake is only having one piece!
It’s finally here. My favorite time of the year. The best season of all of the seasons.
It’s CHEESECAKE SEASON.
Oh, yes. Cheesecake season is a thing. It’s the time of year where you can bring a cheesecake with you pretty much everywhere you go, and nobody is going to question it.
Christmas dessert cheesecake? Great!
Friendly gathering cheesecake? Lovely!
Corporate holiday part cheesecake? Here’s a raise! (Ok, this one’s wishful thinking).
I smothered this white chocolate cheesecake in strawberries as an homage to the chocolate strawberry, but this would work well with any berry of your choice. Get creative. It’s your cheesecake, your rules.
When it comes to making the ultimate cheesecake, there’s a few things you need to know. A few tips and tricks that can take your cheesecake from good to OMG-I-NEED-IT-NOW. Not to mention avoiding unsightly cracks in the finished product.
Here we go!
- Bring your ingredients to room temperature. The first step is to blend the sugar and the cream cheese together. If your cream cheese is too cold, you’ll get a lumpy cheesecake. And a lumpy cheesecake is a sad cheesecake. Even if we eat it anyway. Which we will. This step is non-negotiable.
- Don’t Over-Bake. Your cheesecake is done when the sides are set (about an inch in), but the middle is still wiggly. Don’t let the wiggly cheesecake fool you, it’s going to finish baking by itself without your oven, and finish setting in the refrigerator. When you over-bake, you get cracks in the top of your cheesecake. Set your timer for a few minutes less than you think you do, and watch it closely from there.
- Don’t over-beat the batter once the eggs are added. Cheesecake should be rich and creamy, starting with the batter. When it’s over-beaten, eggs can cause air to get incorporated into the batter, which means over-rising and cracks in your cheesecake. Beat the cream cheese and sugar really well, so you won’t have to beat much after the eggs are added.
- Use a springform pan. This pan is special for cheesecake. It releases on the side of the pan, allowing you to lift the sides of the pan away from the cake instead of dumping the cake out of it. Cheesecake is delicate, give it the pan it deserves.
- Don’t open the oven door while it’s cooking. This can also cause cracks. The only time I open the door is after my timer goes off, and I’m checking to make sure the sides are cooked right. Once you’ve made your cheesecake recipe a few times, you should be able to set a timer and not open the door at all until it’s done.
- Let it cool in the oven. Once your cake is done (set on the outside, wiggly in the center), crack the oven door open a few inches and let the cake cool for about an hour. Avoiding sudden temperature changes is key to keeping your cake from cracking.
- Run a knife around the edge once it’s out of the oven. Cheesecake sets in the refrigerator, so running a knife to loosen the cake from the edge of the springform pan helps keep the pan from pulling the edges of the cake once you’re ready to remove it. Do this gently.
- Plan ahead. A cheesecake takes hours to set properly, so you may want to make it a day ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, dip a knife in hot water and dry completely before each cut for the perfect slice.
Alright, now that we’re all cheesecake warriors, are you ready to take on this White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake? If you’re a first time cheesecake maker, or a cheesecake connoisseur, I’m sure you’re going to love this one.
The best part of White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake, in my opinion, is that the crust is gluten free. Alright, it doesn’t have to be, but I only make gluten free foods so you can be assured that my cheesecake recipes will always call for gluten free crusts. If you don’t eat gluten free, you can follow the recipe the same way but with regular ingredients.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake to eat.
I mean share. I’m sharing it. With others.
…Or something like that.
If you like this recipe, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!
Easy White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free chocolate chip cookie crumbs
- 1/2 tbsp white sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the Topping
- 12 oz frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
For the Filling
- 2 cups white chocolate chips, gluten free
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 24 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Equipment
- Springform pan
- Stand mixer
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- Whisk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter.
- Add cookie crumbs to a medium bowl. Stir in sugar and melted butter until combined. Press cookies into bottom of springform pan evenly.
- Over medium heat, add strawberries, water, sugar, and corn starch to saucepan. Whisk to mix corn starch in with liquid. Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a double boiler, melt white chocolate. Whisk in half and half. Once smooth and combined, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly incorporate one egg at a time, waiting until completely combined before adding next egg. Add melted white chocolate to cream cheese mixture and mix until just combined.
- Pour half of the batter into springform pan. Drizzle with 3-4 tbsp sauce from strawberry topping. Add remaining batter and smooth with a spoon until spread evenly.
- Bake 45-50 minutes, or until sides of cake are set (about 1-inch in) and middle still wiggles. Once done, turn off oven and open door a few inches. Allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for about 60 minutes.
- Remove from oven, top with strawberries, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 8 hours before removing from pan and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Just what I need to be looking at at 11 P.M. Wowza holy cheesecake I drool for you !
It’s the perfect midnight snack!
I say this and promptly fell in foodie love. Lush
I fall in foodie love over most cheesecakes 🙂
A white chocolate strawberry cheesecake sounds good; an easy one sounds great! Fantastic job with this recipe; thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!
those tips are incredibly useful, thanks! and… can I have a big slice?
Thanks! And of course! 🙂
This has me salivating. Oohing and aahing! SO DELISH.
Thanks! I definitely ate way too much of this lol
Yum! Cheesecake is my husbands favorite dessert, going to save this to try next time! Fantastic tips to making the perfect cheesecake!
Thanks! Cheesecake is Andrew’s favorite, too. I’m pretty sure he enjoyed about half of it lol.
Ok I am loving the idea of this cheesecake season thing – I am totally on board with that! Your cheesecake looks amazing, I want some 🙂
Thank you! Cheesecake season is my favorite season. 🙂
This cheesecake looks amazing! Love that you shared tips how to make a perfect cheesecake, spot on!
These are some great tips! I’ll be referencing this the next time I make cheesecake. Thanks for sharing your secrets 😉
I’ve only made cheesecake a couple of times, but thanks to your tips, I might now make it a third time 🙂
Where do I get the gluten free chocolate chip cookie crumbs.
I buy Glutino (or your favorite brand) cookies (like the oreos) and grind them up in the food processor. 🙂
If I can’t find light cream can I substitute half and half?
I’ve never tried it with half and half, but it’s worth a try. Let me know how it goes!
This is easy and it is sooooooo tasty. Thanks for the recipe. Its delicious!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
thank you for the recipe… since you mentioned a lot of great techniques, would there be a reason for or against using a bain marie for this recipe?
Also, have you tried cherry mixture and how does it compare? thank you, have a blessed holiday! joey
Hi Joseph, I have tried this with cherries. I used the same recipe that I did with the strawberries, only I replaced the fruit with cherries. It came out great! It’s really a personal preference on which flavor you like better, cherries or strawberries. Personally, I find cherries a little bit more indulgent. I’ve also used blueberries.
I know some people who always use a bain marie and love it, because it helps control the even heating of the cake. I’ve always had really good luck with this recipe, as long as you make sure to control the heat (for example, letting it cool in the oven with the door cracked open). So I usually cook this recipe without one.
Thanks Jacqui… i actually went with the cherries (for me, strawberries may be more summerish)… and used and oreo crust… it came out great… the crust, filling, and topping each tasted great alone, and then came together nicely. what really surprised me was how velvety smooth and fluffy it came out. more indulgent indeed… everyone loved it. thanks again! great recipe! joey
Thank so much! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Are the frozen strawberries used the kind that are sweetened or the whole berries that do not have sugar?
You can use either 🙂