It’s not really the peak of strawberry season right now, but I’m still finding the most amazing sweet strawberries in my market. I’ve been obsessed with eating them sliced up with Honey- Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt as a pre-workout breakfast. And they’re delicious too in my latest cheesecake cake creation: Strawberry Cheesecake Cake
So you get the idea, right? Two layers of cake with a layer of cheesecake in the middle. Covered with frosting too. I love these cakes best since you get both cheesecake and cake in the same dessert. This version sports a strawberry cake, classic cheesecake and strawberry buttercream frosting.
One of the keys to making this sort of cake successful is to make nice, even layers. Even layers can be accomplished by using insulated bake even strips. Invest in them and your cake-baking life will be changed forever. Trust me, they work!
I wasn’t super duper happy with the cake recipe I tried. It made too much batter and the resulting cake was much too dense. It was yummy, just too dense. So I’m going to go ahead and suggest you make THIS ONE from the blog- Confections of a Foodie Bride. Just print out her recipe and use those two cake layers to make this cheesecake cake. If you’re one of those “I only use box mixes!” kind of people, you can certainly use a strawberry cake box mix for this recipe too. It’s flexible… you just need two 9-inch round strawberry cake layers.
Strawberry frosting just gets plopped on top (no need to frost in between layers as you usually do for a layer cake since that cheesecake layer will be enough to sandwich the two layers together).
Spread the frosting over the sides and cover the whole cake with it. See those strips of waxed paper that are tucked under the sides of the cake? That’s my secret for making sure your platter stays clear of major frosting smudges. After you frost the cake, just slip out those pieces of waxed paper and toss them. Then you’ll have a pretty cake on a clean platter!
Decorate with a few fresh strawberries, and you’re good to go. Some white chocolate shavings would be good on here too.
Cut into slices and serve. Or refrigerate until you’re ready to do so.
I’m having a hard time deciding if this is my new favorite cheesecake cake, or if one of those others I’ve made is better. This one is sure pretty for a girl’s birthday (or baby shower), and it’s a fun summery sort of cake when the need for something summery strikes.
Oh, and don’t let the long instructions scare you. It’s very simple to pull off… just follow each step as directed and you can create this beautiful cake too. ENJOY!
You may also be interested in my other cheesecake cakes:
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Chocolate Cheesecake Cake
Green Velvet Cheesecake Cake
Strawberry Cheesecake Cake
Recipe Details
Ingredients
CHEESECAKE:
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
STRAWBERRY CAKE:
- I used this recipe- good, but rather dense & you'll probably have a bit of extra batter so make a few cupcakes: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pink-lady-cake/
I recommend you try this one instead- it looks much lighter: http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/1088/
See *NOTES below if you prefer to use a boxed mix.
FROSTING:
- 12 ounces (1½ packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room, temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup strawberry puree (frozen strawberries thawed and blended in a blender)
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
DECOR:
- fresh strawberries and/or slivers of white chocolate, as desired
Instructions
PREPARE THE CHEESECAKE LAYER:
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar and salt and blend for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure all is mixed in. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending after each addition. Finally, mix in the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. It should be set to the touch and not jiggly. It might be cracked on top- it doesn't matter. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. When it has cooled, place the pan into the freezer and let the cheesecake freeze completely (4 to 5 hours or overnight).
PREPARE THE CAKE:
- Bake two- 9-inch round strawberry cake layers (your recipe preference- see ingreds and NOTES below for suggestions)
PREPARE THE FROSTING:
- Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and the butter, and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla, strawberry puree and cream and continue to mix until well combined. Mix in 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Add the third cup a little at a time until you reach a consistency that you're happy with. You may not use it all, or you may use more. It just needs to be thick enough to be spreadable.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE:
- Place one cake layer into the center of a cake plate or platter. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, take off the sides of the pan, and slide a knife under the the cheesecake to release it from the pan. Trim the cheesecake, as needed to match the size of your cake layers (see *NOTES below). Put a little bit of frosting on top of the first layer of cake. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the first cake layer. Put a little more frosting on top of the cheesecake. Place the second cake layer on top of the cheesecake.
FROST THE CAKE:
- Apply a crumb coat layer of frosting to the cake (see *NOTES below), and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, or until the frosting is set. Apply the second layer of frosting, if needed. Decorate, as desired, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- *If you prefer to use a boxed mix, it will work just fine (just make two layers in two 9-inch pans). Here's a link to a jazzed up box mix that has good reviews too.
- *Measure your cheesecake layer against the cake layers. If the cheesecake layer turns out to be slightly larger size round than your cake layers, move it to a cutting board and use a knife to gently shave off some of the exterior of the cheesecake.
- *How to apply a crumb coat layer of frosting: use a long, thin spatula or knife to cover the cake completely with a thin and even layer of frosting. Wipe off the spatula each time you’re about to dip it back into the bowl to get more frosting (this way you won’t be transferring any pink crumbs into the bowl of frosting). Don’t worry at this point about the crumbs being visible in the frosting on the cake. When your cake has a thin layer of frosting all over it, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to “set” the frosting. Once the first layer of frosting is set, apply the second layer.
- *If you are serving this cake at a party, it’s perfectly okay to leave the cake at room temperature for a couple of hours (the cheesecake thaws very quickly). Otherwise, keep it stored in the refrigerator. It also freezes perfectly. Freeze it as is, then wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer until it is needed. Leftover slices may also be wrapped and frozen.
Such a pretty cake. My daughter is always asking for a strawberry cake. This would delight her!
A perfect cake to end the summer.
Gorgeous! And it looks soooo good. Your description of your breakfast of late has me drooling, too. I love strawberries.
Thanks for the tips by the way – those bake even strips look ingenious! Your cake is so perfectly level. Must buy. And next time I’m trying the wax paper trick.
I love your cheesecake/cake recipes. Another great flavor.
Oh my goodness! That is the prettiest cake! Strawberry season or not, this looks like one I’ll have to try.
LOVE the pretty in pink 🙂 Bet it’s amazing too! Happy Monday girl!
im dreaming!! troppo bella!!!..
Cake and cheesecake…love this double dessert:)
This is absolutely beautiful — the frosting looks amazing!!
I should make this for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. It’s so pretty and PINK! 🙂
This looks SO delicious, Lori! And I actually just bought my first package of bake-even strips. So glad to hear that you love them! 🙂
I used to work in a bakery in Northwest Arkansas and these are the primary kind of cakes we would make! We’d make tons of cakes and cheesecakes, all different flavors, then layer them! This looks beautiful and I LOVE strawberry!
One of my husband’s favorite cakes is a homemade strawberry cake. I’m going to have to make with the cheesecake layer next time for him as a surprise. I can’t wait!!! 🙂
Lori this is the most beautiful strawberry cake (and cheesecake-filled strawberry cake from scratch!) that I have ever seen! It’s stunning!!! And I bet so delicious!!
great cake! i would go for a slice of it! 😀
How delicious! I would love this for breakfast!
I love your cheesecake cakes! This one really would be perfect for a girl’s baby shower:-)
Looks gorgeous!
Lori these cheesecake cakes are killing me! I think it would make a nice treat for my brother next month. Now to dream about cake flavors 🙂 The strawberry looks pink and perfect!!
Oh my! I’ve never tried strawberry cake (absolutely adore strawberry bread though). I have some strawberries I froze that are screaming at me to make this… I can’t wait to try it (love the cheesecake in the middle!)