Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Strawberries-and-Cream Cheesecake Roasted strawberries and creamy mascarpone cheese take this summer dessert over the top. Close Credit: Jason Donnelly Prep Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Servings: 10 Jump to recipe This strawberry cheesecake has an eye-catching, two-layer filling and is perfect for a special occasion. It features creamy mascarpone cheese and slow-roasted strawberries, which become concentrated in flavor as they bake, so there is a deep fruitiness in every bite. A simple buttery graham cracker crust adds crunch while a touch of vanilla bean takes the filling over the top. It might look complicated, but it’s hardly more involved than making a standard cheesecake. Tangy, sweet, and dreamy, it would be right at home at a Fourth of July celebration, summer get-together, or birthday dinner for the strawberry lover in your life. 27 Cheesecake Recipes for Every Skill Level Mascarpone Cheese vs. Cream Cheese This recipe calls for both mascarpone cheese and cream cheese, which work together to create a tangy and decadent cheesecake. While they're both mild-flavored, creamy cheeses that work in sweet and savory applications, there are a few distinctions between them. Mascarpone: This soft, Italian cheese is typically featured in tiramisu and cannoli filling. It's made from cream, rather than milk, making it richer and higher in fat than cream cheese. Cream cheese: Made with both cream and milk, plus a small amount of salt, cream cheese is thicker and sturdier than mascarpone, and has a brighter, tangier flavor. When making a cheesecake, it's important to let the eggs and cheeses come to room temperature first. They'll blend together much more easily that way, requiring less beating—and thereby reducing the chance of over-mixing. For best results, take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you're ready to get mixing. Equipment for Strawberries-and-Cream Cheesecake You'll need a few pieces of kitchen equipment to make this two-layer cheesecake, including: Baking sheet: Using a rimmed baking sheet rather than a baking dish to roast the strawberries allows for more surface area, meaning they'll cook more evenly and release more liquid for an intense, deeply flavored result. Potato masher: A potato masher makes quick work of breaking down the roasted strawberries. If you don't have one, you can use a large fork or the back of a wooden spoon instead. Rolling pin or food processor: There are two easy ways to crush the graham crackers to crumbs: Either place them in a resealable bag, then pound and roll with a rolling pin or add them to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. Electric mixer: You can use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer to beat the cream cheese mixture. Keeping the speed at medium-low helps to incorporate all of the ingredients without beating in too much air, which can cause a baked cheesecake to sink. Springform pan: A springform pan creates the cheesecake's characteristic straight sides and makes for easy slicing. Be sure to wrap the sides and bottom well in aluminum foil to keep any water from seeping in while baking. Offset spatula: When spreading the creamy top layer over the strawberry layer, we recommend using an offset spatula. With its flat, elongated shape, it'll help you create an even top without disrupting the fruit layer underneath. If you don't have one, use the back of a large spoon or a rubber spatula instead. Roasting pan: Like many other cheesecake recipes, this one is baked using a water bath, or bain marie, which allows for gentle, even cooking. A large roasting pan is a great tool for this, but you can use any other pan that's wide and deep enough to comfortably fit your springform pan. Directions Credit: Jason Donnelly Preheat oven; toss berries with corn syrup: Preheat oven to 300°F. Place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with corn syrup, and toss gently to coat. Credit: Jason Donnelly Roast strawberries: Bake until syrup thickens and strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Mash berries, then let cool: Transfer strawberries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Let cool completely. Credit: Jason Donnelly Raise oven temperature; make crust and press into pan: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer. Bake crust, then let cool: Bake until crust is firm to the touch and has just darkened, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool completely. Credit: Jason Donnelly Reduce oven temperature; beat cream cheese, then add sugar and salt: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add remaining cup sugar and the salt. Add eggs one at a time; mix in vanilla and mascarpone: Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla bean seeds and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes. Credit: Jason Donnelly Reserve vanilla bean for another use, like making homemade vanilla sugar. Form cheesecake layers: Transfer 3 cups cream cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Stir mashed strawberries into remaining cream cheese mixture, then pour on top of crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Carefully spoon dollops of reserved plain cream cheese mixture on top, smoothing with an offset spatula. Credit: Jason Donnelly Credit: Jason Donnelly Boil water; wrap pan and set in roasting pan: Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Meanwhile, wrap the exterior of the springform pan in 2 layers of foil; set in a large roasting pan. Credit: Jason Donnelly Place pan in oven, then add water; bake: Transfer to oven, then fill roasting pan with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake until the edges are set and center jiggles slightly, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from roasting pan; let cool, then chill: Remove springform pan from water bath, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours (up to overnight). Credit: Jason Donnelly How to Store Strawberry Cheesecake This cheesecake can be refrigerated, covered or in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. You can also freeze cheesecake for longer storage: Wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil, and freeze for up to one month. Defrost frozen cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. Variations Single-layer strawberry filling: Fold the mashed strawberries into all of the mascarpone-cream cheese mixture to make a single berry layer instead of two contrasting layers. Strawberry cheesecake with chocolate crust: For a chocolate-covered-strawberry-inspired dessert, replace the traditional honey graham crackers with chocolate graham crackers. 5 More Strawberry Dessert Recipes to Try Strawberry Icebox Pie Chiffon Cake With Strawberries and Cream Martha's Strawberry Ice Cream Easy Strawberry Tart Strawberry-Lemonade Angel Pie Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.