Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Recipe ("Lazy Mom" Version)

*Some Step by Step photos included at bottom
To find this recipe make from scratch go here. 


TOTAL TIME

25min.

Servings 12

INGREDIENTS

8 Inch Premade Cheesecake (sliced or unsliced- unsliced is best)
Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake
2 tablespoons water
7-8 oz Fresh strawberries
8 ozs cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup or 1 whole graham cracker (crumbed)
8 oz cool whip

STRAWBERRY PUREE

PREP TIME

5 mins.
COOK TIME
3-5 mins

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons water
12 oz Fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS
Wash, dry, and stem berries
Put 3-4 strawberries aside and place in refrigerator for the cake topping decoration.

Turn stove on medium high. Add water. Wait until water starts to boil then add remaining strawberries (approx 10 oz). Let strawberries start to get a little softening on bottom of the pan. This happens pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Once you see them softening use a metal potato masher and start pressing down on the strawberries. They will resist at first, but then they will press down pretty easily as they mash up into a lumpy puree mixture. Just keep pressing and turning the potato masher until all the strawberries are mostly pureed. There will be some slight bits of lumpiness.

Turn off heat and remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool. After the strawberry puree mixture has cooled, put into a small container, cover, and refrigerate.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
TOTAL TIME

15 mins

INGREDIENTS
8 ozs cream cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to medium-low, and mix in sugar and vanilla. Raise speed to medium-high, and mix until fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

ASSEMBLY

Scoop all but about 1/4 cup of the cooled strawberry puree on top of the cheesecake leaving about 3/4 of an inch around the top edge of the cake uncovered. 

Get the SaraLee All Butter Pound Cake and cut it in half using a flat sharp knife (non-serrated works best) going long ways down the middle of the cake.

Spread some of the cream cheese frosting on the top of one half of the pound cake. The cream cheese frosting will serve as a barrier to keep the strawberry puree from soaking into the pound cake when assembled. Cut about 1/4 of the pound cake lengthwise and set aside that smaller section.

Now place the frosted pound cake, frosted side down, on top of the cheesecake off center a little bit. Using the sharp flat knife trim around the pound cake carefully to round out the overlapped edges. Be careful to keep the pieces large and as one piece when you cut as you will need them to fill in the remainder of the spaces. Take the long piece cut from this pound cake half that was set aside and place it to the long side of the pound cake on top of the cheese cake. (View photo).

Using the other half of pound cake follow the same steps and use the smaller pieces to fill in the remaining spots on top of the cheesecake. Making sure to round off the edges. 

Now that the pound cake has been assembled on top of the cheesecake and strawberry puree use the remainder of the cream cheese frosting to frost the cake, making sure NOT to frost the sides of the cheesecake. Use the cream cheese frosting to fill in the gap between the cheesecake and the pound cake to seal in the strawberry puree. 

Topping:
Using the remaining amount of strawberry puree and spread it on top of the frosted cake making sure to leave about 1/2 inch untouched around the edge of the top of the cake. Now take the remaining strawberries and slice them lengthwise into 4 slices each. Place each sliced strawberry on the top of the cake.

Finally sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs on top of the cake.

Serve with a dollop or two of cool whip for best results!

Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake Photos