Baked Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These Baked Strawberry Cheesecake Bars have a buttery graham cracker crust, silky smooth and creamy cheesecake, topped with fresh strawberries.
Ingredients
Cookie Crust Base
- 170 g digestive biscuits 10 biscuits or graham crackers (20 squares)
- 20 g brown sugar
- 80 g unsalted butter melted.
Cheesecake Layer
- 500 g block cream cheese room temperature and very soft (see notes)
- 15 g all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 105 g caster sugar see notes
- 120 g sour cream or Greek yogurt room temperature
- 45 g heavy cream room temperature
- 14 g vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs 55g each lightly whisked, room temperature
Strawberry Layer
- 700 g strawberries washed, dried and halved
- 30 g lemon juice
- 105 g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with a little cold water
- 1/4 tsp liquid red food dye optional
Instructions
Cookie Crust Base
- Preheat your oven to 160C / 320F (fan off), 140C / 285F (fan on. Rub a stick fo cold butter all over the bottom and sides of a 23cm / 9-inch square baking tin. Line the bottom and sides with baking paper leaving some overhang on each side. I used little clips to hold the paper in place.
- Crush biscuits - Add the biscuits and brown sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you reach fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can place the biscuits in a large zip lock bag and crush using a rolling pin.
- Add butter - Add the melted butter and mix to coat the crumbs.
- Bake crust - Pour the crumbs into the lined cake tin and press down firmly using a spoon or the bottom of a flat cup or glass. Once even, place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until slightly golden. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.
Cheesecake Layer
- Food processor method - Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a large food processor. Beat on medium high speed until completely smooth. Make sure you scrape the bowl down a couple times to ensure everything combines evenly.
- Beat cream cheese - Add the softened cream cheese into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. You can also do this with a spatula and hand whisk. Next, add the flour and a pinch of salt and mix in until combined. Take care not to overmix.
- Add remaining ingredients (except eggs) - Add the caster sugar, sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla extract and mix beat on medium speed well combined. Take care not to overmix. The key here is to mix only until the ingredients are combined. We don’t want to add air into the mixture.
- Add eggs - Lastly, add the whisked eggs and mix until well combined and mixture is smooth. Pour into the cake tin and smoothen out using a spatula or spoon.
- Bake - Bake for 30 minutes. The edges will be set but the center will be slightly jiggly when you gently wobble the tin. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Place in the fridge to chill overnight or at least 4 hours.
Strawberry Layer
- Prep strawberries - Clean and dry your strawberries. Cut into quarters.
- Cook strawberries - Add 500g of the strawberries, lemon juice and brown sugar into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium heat and stir continuously for 5 - 7 minutes. The strawberries will be very soft.
- Make sauce - Mix the cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of cold water to create a smooth slurry. Slowly pour into the strawberry sauce while continuously stirring. The mixture will thicken immediately. Once it becomes shiny and translucent turn the heat off and add the remaining strawberries and gently mix to coat in the sauce.
- Set - Pour over the cooled cheesecake and spread evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to set for 5 hours (overnight is best) in the fridge. Once set completely, slice into 9 bars using a large knife and serve.
Nutrition
Calories:392kcal | Carbohydrates:43g | Protein:13g | Fat:16g | Saturated Fat:8g | Polyunsaturated Fat:2g | Monounsaturated Fat:4g | Trans Fat:0.3g | Cholesterol:81mg | Sodium:514mg | Potassium:386mg | Fiber:2g | Sugar:27g | Vitamin A:484IU | Vitamin C:47mg | Calcium:260mg | Iron:1mg
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