Food with passion: Strawberry Short-Cake Cheesecake
John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.
His passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef.
JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.
If you’re looking for the ultimate summer showstopper, this Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake is exactly what you need.
Combining a buttery biscuit base, a rich and creamy cheesecake filling, and a generous topping of fresh, juicy strawberries, this dessert is the perfect balance of indulgent and refreshing.
It’s a beautiful twist on a classic, bringing together the comforting flavours of shortcake with the smooth decadence of cheesecake, ideal for sunny days, gatherings, or simply treating yourself.
It’s also a real treat to the eyes and the addition of an out of this world strawberry pouring sauce will transport you to dessert heaven and leaving you wanting more and more!
Ingredients:
- For the base:
- 200g digestive biscuits
- 200g Shortbread biscuits
- 75g softened unsalted butter
Cheesecake mixture:
- 300ml double cream
- 340g full fat cream cheese
- Zest of 3 lemons and juice of 2
- 150g caster sugar
- 100g fresh strawberries chopped into small pieces
Strawberry Puree:
- 225g fresh strawberries
- 110g caster sugar
Method:
- Line the base of an 18 – 20cm spring form cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- Place the digestive and shortbread biscuits into a food processor and blitz until you have a breadcrumb consistency. Then add the better and blitz for another 30 seconds.
- Pop the biscuit mixture into your tin and pop into the fridge to set while you make the cheesecake filling.
- Whip the cream until (be careful not to over whip) then add the sugar, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice and whisk together until you have a nice light fluffy mixture. Fold through the chopped strawberries.
- Take the prepared base / tin out of the fridge and spoon the cheesecake mixture on top and smooth down with a spatula.
- To make the strawberry puree, blitz the sugar and strawberries together in a processor and using approx. a third of the mixture pour some on the top of the cheesecake and using a spoon swirl into the cheesecake mixture. Place into the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours or even overnight if you are making it in advance.
When ready to serve decorate with some extra strawberries on top and a drizzle of the puree across each slice.
This is a really indulgent treat that your guests will adore. I find it very hard not to go back and take some extra slivers whenever I open the fridge – it’s that good!
This recipe is surprisingly simple to make, yet delivers a dessert that looks truly impressive and bakery-worthy.
With strawberries at their absolute peak in season, there’s no better time to enjoy their natural sweetness and vibrant flavour.
Whether you’re hosting or just craving something special, this Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.
