Recipe Collection : Simple Strawberry Cheesecake

By Jill and Rustina, Contributing Writers 

We love cheesecake. We love simple. We love a dessert that can easily be whipped up while cooking a meal. This gluten-free recipe fits all of those criteria, and it is so yummy! 

A few tips to make this recipe a success

First: Let things soften and get to room temperature.

The cream cheese needs to be very soft before you start. We let ours sit out for about 3-4 hours, and it was still lumpy. 

It helps if your eggs are also at room temp, but this isn’t necessary. 

Second: This cheesecake is best served cold, so plan accordingly to give a good 4 hour refrigeration chill before serving!

Third: You can use any berry for the topping, or any combination of berries, we think this would be delicious with blueberries or raspberries! Fresh or frozen is fine, but we recommend defrosting the berries so your sauce is not quite as runny.

Fourth: In the picture, we used Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkled it with some of the crumbs from this Homemade Chocolate Bars recipe.

Simple Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:

• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or your sweetener of choice, grade B maple syrup would also work well)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Topping:

• 2 cups of berries
• 1 tbsp sweetener (raw honey, sucanat, or coconut sugar)
• A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Cheesecake:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth (try to get out as many lumps as possible). 

Step 3: Pour into a pie dish.

Step 4: Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Step 5: Chill cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Topping:

Step 1: While the cheesecake is baking, combine berries and sweetener in a saucepan over medium heat . 

Step 2: Bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes, until berries have broken down slightly. 

Step 3: Remove from heat.

Step 4: Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To Serve: Pour sauce on individual slices and enjoy! A dollop of fresh whipped cream (just 2 parts heavy whipping cream and 1 part powdered sugar of your choice, whipped together) would be a nice touch also!

What is your favorite cheesecake topping?