STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE CAKE

Of all the sweet treats, cake stands out as my favorite, thanks to its versatile texture and customizable sweetness. While my son firmly believes “the more icing the better,” I prefer a subtle touch. With a bit more pomp and circumstance than pies and cookies, cakes also mark joyous, celebratory occasions and can even be incredible works of art. When planning my wedding, I vividly remember seeing a stunning cake in a magazine—square tiers covered in marbled fondant—and I knew I had to have it. It was almost too pretty to eat!

What I’ve discovered about cake decorating, is that it's a true skill, one I certainly haven’t mastered...yet! At the moment, I’d describe my decorating style as delightfully abstract. While I typically bake for others, I recently used my birthday as the perfect excuse to bake a Strawberry Cheesecake Cake from I’ll Bring the Cake, celebrating both summer and my special day. And, our friends loved it too.

Ready to indulge?! I hope you’ll love it! Let me know. Enjoy.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 9 whole graham crackers

  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)

  • ⅓ cup sour cream (room temperature)

  • 4 egg whites (room temperature)

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • ½ cup vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 tablespoon cream cheese emulsion (optional)

  • 1 box white cake mix

For the Strawberry Sauce/Filling:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O, with 1 tablespoon of the mix removed

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

  • 8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese

  • ¼ cup heavy cream

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  • Pince of salt

  • 7 to 8 cups powdered sugar

For Decorating:

  • 1 cup sliced strawberries, plus enough whole strawberries to cover the top of the cake

  • Red gel coloring

  • Crumbled graham crackers

  • Piping bag

  • Wilton 1M piping tip

Instructions

For the Strawberry Cheesecake Cake with Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat the oven to 325, then prep three 6-inch round cake pans with a swipe of shortening and dusting of flour to prevent sticking.

In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers, brown sugar, and butter until a crust forms. Split the crust mixture evenly among the prepared pans and press to firm with the bottom of a glass or flat measuring cup. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, egg whites, cream cheese, oil and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix. Split the batter evenly among the pans.

Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, until the center is baked through. Let the cakes cool in the pan for a minute before flipping them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap and freeze the cake before assembly.

For the Strawberry Sauce/Filling

In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together sugar and 1 cup of water and heat until boiling. Add the cornstarch and Jell-O. (Remember to remove 1 tablespoon of the Jell-O mix)

Remove from the heat and stir until combined. The mixture should thicken slightly as it cools. Transfer to a glass container, cover, and refrigerate until cooled completely. You want it to have a thick, sauce-like texture. If it sets up too firm (more like Jell-O), you can microwave it for 10 seconds to get it back to the right consistency.

For the Cream Cheese Buttercream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy, then add the cream cheese and beat until fully incorporated. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat again until combined, then scrape down the sides with a spatula.

With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar about ½ cut at a time. The buttercream will be thick. Add a little more heavy cream. 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin it out if needed, and then flip the mixer to high speed and beat until the buttercream is lighter in color and texture, about 2 minutes. 

Transfer ⅔ cup buttercream to a small bowl, add 1 drop of red gel coloring, and stir until incorporated. Set aside.

To Assemble

Place a cardboard cake round on a cake turntable. Dot a little bit of buttercream in the center of the round and spread it out with an angled icing spatula. Place the first chilled cake layer in the center, crust side down. Add a thin layer of buttercream. Pipe a buttercream dam around the outside rim of the frosted cake layer, then place thinly sliced strawberries in an even layer. Place the next layer on top and repeat, making sure to line the layers up evenly. After adding the top cake layer, crumb coat the cake by spreading a thin layer of buttercream around the entire cake. Freeze for 2 minutes to set the buttercream. 

Using a wooden spoon, beat out any air bubbles in the remaining buttercream. Finish frosting the cake as desired or follow the decorating instructions.

To Decorate the Cake

Spread a final layer of buttercream around the entire cake, using a cake scraper for smooth sides and clean edges. With a straight icing spatula, spread the red buttercream along the bottom edge of the cake, then gently pull the red buttercream upwards around the sides. Press a thin layer of graham cracker crumbles onto the cake along the bottom edge.

Using the Wilton 1M tip, pipe a shell border around the top outside rim of the cake. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbles over the shell border.

Add whole sliced strawberries on the top of the cake inside the border, then drizzle on the strawberry sauce.