This creamy and decadent strawberry swirl cheesecake is easy, fresh, and delicious, and is made without a water bath.
This cheesecake features a graham cracker crust, a creamy vanilla cheesecake filling, and a vibrant swirl of strawberry puree on top.
The strawberry swirl not only adds a burst of fruity flavor but also creates a visually stunning marbled effect throughout the cheesecake.
Whether enjoyed as a special occasion dessert or as a sweet indulgence any day of the week, this cheesecake is sure to satisfy your cravings for something creamy, fruity, and utterly delicious.
For more strawberry recipes, check out our vanilla cake with strawberry filling, strawberry tiramisu, strawberry cheesecake cookies, and strawberry cinnamon rolls.
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Why this recipe works
- Strawberry swirl- this cheesecake is swirled with the most delicious and simple fresh strawberry sauce and is perfect for strawberry lovers.
- Texture- this cheesecake has a creamy and velvety smooth texture that will melt in your mouth along with the fresh strawberry swirl and creamy whipped cream.
- Flavor- the flavor of this cheesecake is creamy, tangy and sweet cheesecake with a sweet and slightly tart strawberry swirl running through it.
- No water bath cheesecake- this recipe is made without a water bath. It is baked at a low temperature for a long time which gives you the most perfect cheesecake.
- Versatile- this cheesecake can be made with different berries instead of strawberries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the crust
Graham crackers- you will need about 3 cups of graham crackers. If you don’t have graham crackers, you can use tea biscuits, vanilla wafers, and digestive biscuits.
Granulated sugar- the sugar will add sweetness to the crust.
Melted butter- melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds pulses, to make sure that the butter doesn’t boil up and explode in the microwave (been there done that), or melt it on the stovetop.
For the cheesecake
Cream cheese- the most important ingredient in this recipe, is cream cheese.
Make sure that you are using full-fat cream cheese, for a cheesecake with no cracks, it's important that you use full-fat cream cheese and make sure that it’s at room temperature.
Granulated sugar- you will need one cup of granulated sugar for this recipe. The cheesecake will be sweet, but not too sweet. One cup of sugar is the perfect balance of sweetness for this recipe.
Eggs- you will need 4 large eggs for this recipe. To get a perfect classic cheesecake, make sure that the eggs are at room temperature.
Cornstarch- to thicken up the cheesecake and soak the unwanted liquids. We used cornstarch, you can use flour instead.
Vanilla extract- vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Sour cream- we suggest using full-fat sour cream for this recipe. The sour cream makes the cheesecake batter creamier and lighter.
For the strawberry swirl
Strawberries- we used fresh strawberries for the sauce, but you can use frozen strawberries as well!
Lemon juice- we used lemon from a fresh lemon. This balances the sweetness of the sauce.
Cornstarch- to thicken the sauce.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for the sauce, but you can use caster sugar as well.
Instructions
In a saucepan, add strawberries that are cut in quarters, add the sugar, and lemon juice, and mix over medium-high heat.
Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes mixing occasionally.
Mix the cornstarch in a small bowl with a little bit of water and pour it into the strawberry mixture mixing constantly. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Set aside and let it cool while you make the cheesecake crust and filling.
Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
Pulse graham crackers or digestive biscuits in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the crackers in a Ziplock bag and smash them with a cup until fine crumbs form.
Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the crumbs, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
Transfer the crumbs into a prepared 9-inch springform pan, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until is creamy.
Whisk the eggs in a small bowl add them to the cheesecake mixture and mix until the mixture is smooth.
Sift the cornstarch into the mixture and mix until combined and there are no lumps of cornstarch showing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure there are no lumps of cream cheese or unmixed batter.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, and release air bubbles by gently tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
Top the cheesecake batter with dollops of the strawberry sauce, and use a toothpick or a butter knife to make swirls.
Bake it in a 140c (280f) preheated oven for about an hour or until the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly.
Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
Make the whipped cream. In a large mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Whip with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the balloon attachment to stiff peaks.
Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star piping tip and pipe dollops of whipped cream around the edges of the cake. Top it with more sliced strawberries if desired and serve.
Expert Tips
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a springform tin. We use springform tins for all of our cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cake will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Use ripe, juicy strawberries for the best flavor in your sauce. Look for berries that are deep red in color and fragrant.
- Let your cheesecake chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature like eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It's really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don't open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
Faq's
Yes! If you are using frozen strawberries, there is no need to defrost them. You will have to cook the mixture for longer.
Overbaking cheesecake is a common mistake that can cause it to crack or even burn.
You can tell when your cheesecake is properly baked if the edges are set and the middle is slightly jiggly. The center will be set during the cooling process.
Overbaked, overmixed, or stuck to the pan's sides, there are many reasons why a cheesecake might crack. To prevent your cheesecake from cracking, follow the tips provided in our notes.
To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, it's crucial to carefully release it from the pan. Use a butter knife or a thin knife to run around the edges of the cake, separating it from the pan.
Then, disengage the spring from the edges.
Storing
Store this cheesecake in the fridge (since it contains dairy) covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
Freezing
To freeze this cheesecake, bake it according to the instructions, then allow it to set to room temperature and chill in the fridge according to the instructions.
When the cheesecake is completely cooled, you can freeze it covered in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil. This cheesecake will freeze for up to 3 months.
I recommend freezing this cheesecake without the whipped cream.
Substitutions
Gluten-free- This recipe is really easy to turn gluten-free, simply replace the graham crackers with gluten-free graham crackers, or with gluten-free digestive biscuits.
Digestive biscuits- People outside of America usually don’t have graham crackers. You can use tea biscuits, vanilla wafers, and digestive biscuits.
Variations
Nuts- add ⅓ cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the crust mixture for extra crunch like chopped hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, or walnuts.
Vanilla ice cream- add a large scoop of ice cream next to a slice of this cheesecake.
Fruit- you can swap the strawberry sauce with other fruits and make the same sauce with it. You can use blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
Vanilla bean- add the inside of the vanilla bean and add it to the cheesecake mixture instead of the vanilla extract. Or use a vanilla bean extract.
Strawberry Compote- top slices of this cheesecake with a generous spoonful of homemade strawberry compote.
Crust- you can make this crust into a chocolate crust by swapping the graham crackers with Oreo cookies. You can use the same recipe from my Baileys cheesecake recipe.
Equipment
- You will also need a food processor to make the crust (if you are not using a store-bought crust).
- I recommend using an electric hand mixer to make sure your cheesecake mixture is smooth and perfect. You can also use a stand mixer for this with a balloon attachment.
- Star piping tip
- Pastry piping bag
- You will need a 9-inch springform pan for this cheesecake. I love this set from Amazon.
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
More cheesecake recipes
Apple Crumble Cheesecake- This apple crumble cheesecake is made with a creamy cheesecake filled with apple pie filling, topped with crumble topping and caramel sauce.
Philadelphia No Bake Cheesecake w/ Cool Whip- This Philadelphia no bake cheesecake with Cool Whip is a creamy and delicious cheesecake that delicious and also incredibly easy to make.
Coffee Cheesecake- This coffee cheesecake is made with an Oreo crust, filled with coffee cheesecake filling, topped with chocolate ganache, and coffee whipped cream.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Creamy Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups Graham crackers crumbs
- ½ cup Butter unsalted, melted
Filling
- 28.2 oz Cream cheese softened, room temp
- ⅔ cup Sour cream softened, room temp
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolks
- 2 ½ tablespoon Cornstarch
For the strawberry sauce
- ½ pound Strawberries fresh or frozen strawberries
- ½ tablespoon Lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon zest
For the whipped cream
- ¾ cup Heavy cream cold
- 2 tablespoon Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add strawberries that are cut in quarters, add the sugar, and lemon juice, and mix over medium-high heat.
- Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes mixing occasionally.
- Mix the cornstarch in a small bowl with a little bit of water and pour it into the strawberry mixture mixing constantly. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Set aside and let it cool while you make the cheesecake crust and filling.
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
- Pulse graham crackers or digestive biscuits in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the crackers in a Ziplock bag and smash them with a cup until fine crumbs form.
- Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the crumbs, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
- Transfer the crumbs into a prepared 9-inch springform pan, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
- Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and mix with an electric hand mixer until is creamy.
- Whisk the eggs in a small bowl add them to the cheesecake mixture and mix until the mixture is smooth.
- Sift the cornstarch into the mixture and mix until combined and there are no lumps of cornstarch showing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure there are no lumps of cream cheese or unmixed batter.
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust, and release air bubbles by gently tapping the pan onto a flat surface.
- Top the cheesecake batter with dollops of the strawberry sauce, and use a toothpick or a butter knife to make swirls.
- Bake it in a 140c (280f) preheated oven for about an hour or until the edges of the cheesecake are set, but the middle is a bit jiggly.
- Open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- After the cheesecake is cooled, wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap tightly, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely for at least 5 hours.
- Make the whipped cream. In a large mixing bowl, add the cold heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Whip with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the balloon attachment to stiff peaks.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star piping tip and pipe dollops of whipped cream around the edges of the cake. Top it with more sliced strawberries if desired and serve.
Notes
- Make sure that you are using room-temperature cream cheese in this recipe, this step makes it easier to mix the cream cheese with no unnecessary lumps, we don’t want that.
- Use a springform tin. We use springform tins for all of our cheesecake recipes. This makes sure that your cake will be easy to release from the pan.
- Use high-fat cream cheese or the well-known Philadelphia cream cheese. Using full-fat cream cheese ensures that your cheesecake will be stable and will not crack.
- Use ripe, juicy strawberries for the best flavor in your sauce. Look for berries that are deep red in color and fragrant.
- Let your cheesecake chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours. We know it’s very hard to resist eating this delicious cheesecake right away, but you have to let the cheesecake cool and set it in the pan. We like to let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight.
- For a smooth and creamy cheesecake, make sure that you are using room-temperature ingredients. Before you begin to make this cheesecake, make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature like eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese.
- Don’t overbeat the mixture! It's really easy to overbeat the mixture, and that is one of the most common mistakes. To avoid overbeating your mixture, make sure that you lower the speed of the hand mixer and add each egg at a time.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has no cream cheese lumps.
- Don't open the oven door before the cake is fully baked or about to be baked! Drastic changes in the temperature of the cake while baking can cause the cake to collapse or crack.
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