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.
I SWEAR by the insulated baking strips too! I don’t bake a cake without them! They are actually coming up on my Favorite tHings Thursday list!
Beautiful cake Lori!
OMG Lori… this cake is incredible!
I sooo wish I had a piece or two of this right now! It looks and sounds amazing! Can I be your neighbor?
This looks incredible, Lori. I am such a sucker for a good cheesecake and pairing that with strawberry cake takes it over the top!
this looks absolutely DIVINE! I saw it on your ‘networked blog’ on FB and so glad that I’ve found your blog!
What a lovely, LOVELY cake, Lori! I am totally into strawberries right now, too. It’s just so hard to resist putting them into, well, EVERYTHING!!
Strawberry Cake has been my favorite since I was 5! It just stands to reason that THIS cake could run a close 2nd!! It looks amazing. 🙂
My favorite cake–Strawberry Cake–has been my favorite since I was 5! So it stands to reason, THIS cake could run a very close 2nd!! It looks amazing. 🙂
You are killing me! I used to make cheesecakes all the time! Now, I am not able physically or financially anymore! Got leftovers? Send them to North AL
Ohmygod this looks amazing. I am soooo tempted.
Also, theres a typo in #2.
This looks Amazng! I can’t wait to try it sinceI was practically drooling at the photos.
Wow Lori, this cake is just beautiful!
Absolutely stunning! Wow, so gorgeous and delicious looking.
This could not look more amazing Lori! Wish I could eat it right off my screen!
this is complete genius…i love cheesecake but have never thought to add it to a cake as a layer!
Oh Yum! Two of my favorite cakes together – I look forward to giving this a try. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Ok, that is unbelievably gorgeous! Plus, I bet it was so yummy. Blast, I better try it.
Beautiful cake! Love the cheesecake layer; it adds something very unexpected.
I used to work in a bakery where all we made was these cheesecake cakes! We would make up a ton of cakes of different flavors and cheesecakes of different flavors and layer them! Yours looks amazing and strawberry is my favorite!
A cheesecake inside of a cake is always a good idea. Your red velvet one is one of my all time favorites!