Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups (200g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12–14 full sheet graham crackers) or @12 Marie biscuits 

1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons; 115g) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1 cup (240ml) cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream

two 8-ounce bricks (16 oz) full-fat PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature

1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons (30g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup strawberry compote)

optional: your desired toppings (I used 1/2 cup white chocolate ganache and vanilla macarons)- see notes for additional toppings ideas 

Instructions:

Line 8/9 inch springform pan with parchment paper or liners.

Prepare the crust: If your graham crackers aren’t crumbs yet, use a food processor to pulse them into fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar and melted butter until combined. Mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Spoon the crust mixture into pan and use the back of the spoon/ a round glass to pack it down tightly.

The next step is optional. Though it’s not necessary, I recommend baking the crusts for a quick 5 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. The crusts are a little sturdier this way. However, if you can’t use an oven or simply don’t want to, you can skip this step. The crust will just be a bit crumblier. If baking, let the warm crusts cool for 10 minutes before adding the filling on top.

Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth. Add strawberry compote and beat a minute. Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.

You can use a spoon or piping bag to transfer the filling on top of the crusts. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the tops so they are flat.

Refrigerate the cheesecake in the pan for 5-6 hours and up to 2 days. If refrigerating for longer than 3 hours, I recommend covering with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with optional toppings (see recipe note). The cheesecakes begin to soften and stick to the liners after about 30-60 minutes at room temperature.

Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Optional Toppings: Right before serving, you can add toppings to the cheesecake. You can also add the following toppings after the cheesecakes have chilled in the refrigerator for just 1-2 hours (step 6), then store the topped cheesecakes in the refrigerator for the remaining time. Use 3/4 cup strawberry topping saucedivided over each chilled mini cheesecake. (Spoon about 1/2 Tablespoon over each.) And/or use 1 cup mixed berries, plus a few mint leaves, divided over each for additional garnish. Instead of strawberry sauce, try the same amount of lemon curd, apple butter, or your favorite fruit preserves. You can also top with white chocolate ganache.