Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake with a sponge cake crust turns everyone’s favorite strawberry shortcake into a refreshing dessert that can define summer with just one bite.
Do you have a summer bucket list?
Mine is pretty much the same every year – pick strawberries in June, don’t miss sour cherry season in July (I swear I miss it all the time), eat fresh corn and pick peaches in August.
Then there’s vacation, which I took to Mount Rushmore end of last month.
And since my summer bucket list pretty much revolves around food, there’s always a long to-make list to use up my fresh bounty.
This Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake was one of my genius ideas from last year’s list and was finally able to make it.
Instead of your typical graham cracker crust (or even Oreo), the crust is a thin sponge cake layer to mimic shortcake (the cake, not the biscuits).
Then juicy strawberries are folded into the cheesecake to mimic the whipped cream and berries then topped with a beautiful, vibrant layer of sliced strawberries.
This is the dessert that defines summer and one you don’t want to miss.
A few weeks ago, I did probably one of my most favorite outdoor activities – picking strawberries.
Normally I go with my dad but due to our schedules, I picked them by myself.
The weather was absolutely perfect – a little bit cool with the sun shining and fluffy white clouds lining the sky.
It was my form of self meditation. 20 minutes and four pounds of strawberries later, I was ready to rush home and make all the things.
The first thing I made was this Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake. The crust was a bit of an experiment.
Since my Carrot Cake Cheesecake, I knew adding the cheesecake batter on top of the cake batter would turn it into one layer rather than a thin layer of cake and a layer of cheesecake.
I baked the crust until it was just firm on top then added the cheesecake batter.
I wanted the cheesecake to be plain with strawberries folded in rather than strawberry cheesecake with strawberry puree.
The only caution I have when assembling is add the strawberry slices on top right before serving. After a few days in the fridge, the top was a little bit watery from the fresh berries.
The cheesecake was fine to eat once you got past that, but just a heads up if you are serving for looks.
You can also serve it with strawberry sauce or a scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream on top.
Or swirl in strawberry curd like I did for my strawberry swirl cheesecake.
Of course don’t let summer stop you from making this cheesecake. Whether you buy frozen strawberries then let them thaw completely or buy fresh strawberries from the grocery store, you can definitely bake this cheesecake any day of the year.
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake with a sponge cake crust turns everyone’s favorite strawberry shortcake into a refreshing dessert that can define summer with just one bite.
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) melted butter
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and melted butter until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fully incorporated, another minute. Alternating between the flour mixture and milk, gradually add the flour in three parts and the milk in two parts, starting and ending with the flour. Do not overbeat.
- Spread into the bottom of the pan and bake 10-15 minutes or until the top is just set. Let cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
- For the cheesecake: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and 1 minute per egg, until everything is fully incorporated, scraping the bowl down if needed. Beat in the vanilla. Fold in the chopped strawberries.
- Spread the batter on top of the crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes or the center still wiggles slightly when the pan is moved (Note: some people have mentioned the middle being underbaked. The center should only wiggle slightly. If there is too much movement, continue baking but do not overbake. If the center doesn't move at all, it will be dry).
- Cool at room temperature for one hour. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Right before serving, garnish the top with sliced strawberries.
Source: Adapted from Taste Of Home and 125 Best Cupcake Recipes
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Want more strawberry recipes?
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
Julie @ Texan New Yorker says
This looks so delicious! I so wanted to go strawberry picking this year, but after my utter lack of self-control during apple picking last fall, my husband really objected to the idea…
I hear you on not missing sour cherries! My regular grocery store never has them, and I even have trouble finding them at Whole Foods! I have to trek out to the big Union Square Farmer’s Market to get them, but it’s so worth it. Getting my to-make bucket list ready for them!!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
oooooh Michael would be ALL OVER this!
Maggie Unzueta @ Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Cheesecake and strawberries and shortcake… OH MY! Pinning for later. :)
Michal says
Wow! que maravilloso! Looks soo good!
Thanks for sharing
Liz says
Thank you for the lovely recipe.
Lauren says
I love the idea of a sponge cake crust! I can’t wait to try this one!
dina says
the cheesecake looks wonderful!
Anna (Hidden Ponies) says
This is gorgeous, Carla, so glad you got around to making it this summer! I love that you left it without strawberry sauce, the fresh berries are so much better. Pinned!
Maggie says
Wow! I’ve never been strawberry picking before but now I have to try it. Every berry creation you have here looks incredible!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
You just combined two of my favorite desserts!
Stacy says
Absolutely stunning, Carla! Please cut me a big ol’ slice!
Becca from ItsYummi! says
Carla, you go ahead and make as many cheesecakes and cheesecake filled treats as you want. I promise to drool over every single one of them :)
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Gaaaaah, this cheesecake is beautiful! Brilliant idea to use sponge cake for the crust. This looks luscious ‘n creamy ‘n perfect for summer. I need to get my lazy butt out into the strawberry fields near my house!
Claudia (@ Breakfast Drama Queen) says
I’m drooling over your photos – they’re absolutely stunning!
anne says
Made this over the weekend for a birthday/ 4TH of July party. I will say I left it in at least 10 minutes longer and it looked beautiful when it came out of the oven-level and no cracks. I refrigerated over night, after cooling, and when we cut into it the next day, the middle was a runny mess. I have not made many cheesecakes so maybe this way my inexperience, but IMHO it needed much more time in the oven. We still ate the “cooked” parts and the cake part for me was just ok–loved the idea of cake on the bottom, just didn’t meet my expectations. Cheesecake was fine a little less sweet than expected and not quite as dense as I like (again, maybe due to baking time?) and was pretty. Not sure that I will try again.
Carla Cardello says
I’m sorry to hear that! Have you checked your oven temperature lately? If it’s a lower temperature than indicated, that may be why it didn’t cook.
Dean says
I’ve been wanting to make a Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake for years, but could never find one with a crust that was similar to real shortcake used in real strawberry shortcake. I stumbled on this recipe a week or so ago and was thrilled that it looked like the crust was exactly like what I was looking for!
I finally made it last week to take to my parents as a dessert when my kids and I visited them for supper. It was a huge success and everyone loved it…my two youngest, who hadn’t liked cheesecake in the past, both ate their entire pieces, with one of them asking for, and eating, an entire second piece. The oldest, who loves cheesecake already, polished off her first and a second, as well. My parents took the leftovers into their office the next day and the few people who were able to get a piece loved it, too.
I followed the recipe you’ve laid out here for the cheesecake itself (the crust is AWESOME, btw!!!), but I topped it differently. First I whipped up some stabilized whipped cream and piped on a border of stars/flowers around the top of the cheesecake. In each of those stars I set half of a fresh strawberry. Then I filled the rest of the top with a delicious pile of fresh strawberries in thick strawberry syrup. It looked beautiful and tasted ever better!
Thanks for the great recipe! (I’d have shared pictures, but I’m not on FB or Instagram…sorry!)
Carla says
Thank you for the positive feedback! Glad everyone enjoyed the cheesecake. Loved the way you garnished yours. Sounds a lot prettier than mine ;)
Kris says
How do you make this in a 7 inch springform pan
Carla says
I haven’t tested this in a smaller pan. However, you can start with my 6 inch cheesecake recipe: https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2020/10/09/6-inch-cheesecake-recipe/
I find that taking 2/3 of the 9 inch recipe fits into a 6 inch pan, so I would apply that to a 7 inch pan. However, with the cake crust it’s possible you might have too much batter since the cake will take up more room than a graham cracker crust. For the cake, I would do the following: 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 egg yolk, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons milk. For the cheesecake batter, please refer to the 6 inch cheesecake recipe for amount and direction (you will need a water bath). If you find it makes too much cheesecake batter, you can put extra in a ramekin and bake alongside it, probably 20 minutes.
All of this is untested, but this is where I would personally start. If you do try it, please let me know how it goes.