Strawberry
Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 1/4 cups (302g) graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tbsp (39g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (112g) salted butter (melted)

Filling

• 24 ounces (678g) cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 cup (207g) granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (room temperature)

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups (310g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups pureed strawberries (from about 1 lb strawberries)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

making the crust

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease a 9×13 pan.
2. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.

making the filling

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
2. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until well completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
5. Pour the batter into the pan with the crust and spread evenly.
6. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes.
7. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 20 minutes.
8. Crack the door of the oven, with the cheesecake inside, for 15 minutes. This slow cooling process helps prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
9. Put the cheesecake in the fridge to cool completely, 3-4 hours.

final touches!

1. To make the strawberry topping, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Stir in the strawberry puree.
2. Cook over medium heat, stir constantly until mixture thickens and come to a boil, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Allow to boil for 1 1/2 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Stir in vanilla extract and chopped strawberries and allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes.
5. Pour the topping over the cheesecake. You can add the sauce while the cheesecake is chilling and let it all cool together, or let the sauce cool on its own and add it to cheesecake before serving, or even add it as you cut slices. The topping will thicken as it cools.
6. To make the whipped cream, add everything to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Serve slices of the cheesecake with the whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe Site References

• The BEST Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe by Nabeah Wahab

This site does a great job at emphasising significant moments within the ingredients or dirctions list by bolding words. The simplistic black text against the white background also makes it easy to read at a glance. At the end of the site, there is a compact sheet of everything the user needs to know in higher detail.

• The BEST Strawberry Cheesecake by Zoha Malik

The feature that stood out to me the most was the box of links that the user can click in order to jump to different sections of the page so that they do not need to scroll through. Another element that I find super helpful are the clear images throughout the instructions to help user visualize the steps.

• Strawberry Cheesecake by Nagi

The separation of certain directions that are more highly crucial than other steps through a light teal box is useful for emphasizing important parts of the recipe. The site also displays a step by step image progression that leaves no room for confusion.

Design Site References

• Levain Bakery

The consistent color palette of their site works very well visually and immediately signals pleasing aesthetics. I really enjoy the handdrawn feel of their graphics and illustrations, and I imagine that I can incorporate similar elements into my website as well. Another specific feature that I love is the horizontal movement of the bakery's best qualities on the landing page because it adds something unique.

• Tea at Shiloh

My favroite part about this website is how it is able to interact with the user by having them click through, as if entering the physical tea room. I also believe that the handwritten style of the text works extremely well, and I believe that similar aesthetics would fit a rcipe website as well. Overall, the illustrations within the website are very detailed and beautiful as well.

• Nkora

Although very simple, this website is still incredibly engaging because of its vibrant coloring and dynamic images. If I wer to include a lot of images within my website, I would want them to be incorporated in a way that supplements and adds to the overall design of my site. Another feature that I enjoy from this site are the large titles and font size hierarchy.