Description
This Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake has a buttery biscuit crust, a silky strawberry cream cheese filling, and a nostalgic strawberry cookie crunch topping. It’s rich but fresh, perfectly sweet, and ideal for birthdays, holidays, or any day you want a show-stopping dessert that still feels cozy and homemade.
Ingredients
Scale
- 250 g digestive biscuits, crushed
- 120 g unsalted butter, melted (for crust)
- 600 g full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 150 g fresh strawberries, pureed
- 150 g golden sandwich cookies (vanilla cream cookies)
- 50 g freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted (for topping)
- 2 tbsp strawberry gelatin powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease and line the base of a 23 cm (9-inch) springform pan.
- Make the crust: mix crushed digestive biscuits with melted butter until evenly moistened.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the pan base. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool.
- Make the filling: beat cream cheese until smooth, then mix in sugar until creamy.
- Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing gently and scraping the bowl as needed.
- Mix in cornstarch, then fold in strawberry puree until smooth. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour filling over the cooled crust. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to release air bubbles.
- Bake 55–65 minutes, until edges are set and the center still jiggles slightly.
- Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake cool inside for 1 hour.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
- Make the crunch topping: crush sandwich cookies and freeze-dried strawberries, then stir in melted butter and strawberry gelatin powder.
- Sprinkle and gently press the topping over the chilled cheesecake. Slice with a warm knife and serve.
Notes
For the smoothest cheesecake, use room-temperature cream cheese and eggs. Mix gently after adding eggs to prevent cracks. Chill overnight for the best texture. Store covered in the fridge up to 4 days. For make-ahead, bake and chill the cheesecake, then add the crunch topping right before serving so it stays crisp. You can freeze the cheesecake (without topping) up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: B
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg