Strawberry Zebra Cheesecake

• 1 lb strawberries, cleaned and hulled

Chop up and put into food processor and process until all chunks are gone.  Strain into  a bowl to remove any little chunks and most seeds.  Set aside.

Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Mix altogether well and press into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan.  Wrap the springform pan with plastic wrap so that it covers the bottom and the sides – not covering the top – press it on well.  Put the crust into the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling:

• 4 – 8 oz. packages of cream cheese softened
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tsps vanilla
• 5 large eggs

Beat cream cheese in mixer for a few minutes until smooth.

Add the sugar and sour cream and beat till smooth.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat till smooth.

Remove 1/2 of the batter and put it into a pitcher

Add 2/3 cups of the strawberry puree to the other half of the mixture and blend well on mixer – to add more color which will make the stripes show up more, add a few drops of red food color to the mix

Pour the strawberry mixture into a pitcher

Pour a circle of vanilla mixture (about 1/2 cup or so) into the center of the crust  – do not cover the bottom, only about 1/3  DO NOT SPREAD IT OUT

Pour a circle of strawberry mixture on top of the vanilla mixture (about 1/2 cup or so)  – DO NOT SPREAD IT OUT

Continue pouring vanilla then strawberry until all the mixtures are used up – NEVER SPREAD IT OUT it will settle by itself.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Put a deep sided baking pan (I  used one of my roasting pans) in the oven and place the cheesecake (with the plastic left on!!!) into the pan.  Fill the pan halfway up with boiling water.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cheesecake is mostly set but still jiggles a bit in the center – it might take up to an hour.

Remove the cake from the water bath after it is baked and put on a rack to cool to room temp.

Topping:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tsps sugar

Whisk these together well and spread over the top.  Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours.  Use the rest of the strawberry puree to serve as a sauce for the cheesecake.

Serve and enjoy!

 

Advertisement