Strawberry Cheesecake

This red, white and blue cheesecake is perfect for memorial day or July 4th. It both looks and tastes amazing!

For the cake base I used Tyler Florence's cheesecake recipe:

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1 dash vanilla extract

 Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

 In a mixing bowl, combine the  crust ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

 Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

 For the Filling:

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

 Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate.

Note : Use heavy duty aluminum foil to wrap the pan. I wrap the pan once with foil and then I take a second piece of foil, set the  wrapped cake pan on it and just push it up loosely around the sides. Using this method I don't get soggy crusts.

 Then I added berries and a glaze to the cake.

 Arrange strawberries on cake pointed ends up, and blueberries as shown .

A glaze can be made in a number of ways, either you make a homemade glaze from cooked down fresh strawberries with a little sugar and some cornstarch to thicken the mixture or you use a prepared berry mixture that you boil and thicken with a little cornstarch if necessary. Which ever method you use the mixture should be strained with a fine mesh strainer and the solids discarded.

I had an open jar of Sarabeth's Strawberry Raspberry Spreadable Fruit ( about 3/4 full). I boiled the mixture in a sauce pan and then added a little cornstarch to thicken it. I strained the fruit mixture, let it cool and then brushed the berries with it  and then applied the rest to the cake itself. Sarabeth's is not inexpensive so use what you have or make your own. The raspberry  did add a wonderful taste to this cake though.

This cake is out of this world. Incredible! It actually tastes better than it looks!