Strawberry Cheesecake with Chocolate Covered Strawberry Easter Eggs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, soft at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (1 1/2 oz) dried strawberries (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To make crust, crush graham crackers with a rolling pin to obtain 1 1/2 cup. Add melted butter and combine well. Press onto bottom of a 9-inch diameter spring form pan and place in oven for 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- Place springform pan on 3 layers of aluminum foil and wrap outside of pan tightly with foil. Ensure that no water can penetrate thru foil. Place in a roasting pan and set aside.
- Blend cream cheese and sugar on lowest speed, alternatively mix by using a hand held spatula until no lumps remain. Scrape bowl well. Add one egg or yolk at a time waiting for previous added egg to be fully incorporated and mixture shows no lumps. Scrape bowl and beater between additions.
- Add sour cream and vanilla. Add dried strawberries if using.
- Pour batter into pan. Pour water into roasting pan about one inch high, place cheesecake into roasting pan and place in oven.
- Bake until center of cake no longer trembles when tapping sides of pan, about 80-90 minutes.
- Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and place in refrigerator overnight or until cool.
- Prepare chocolate dipped strawberries on the day you are planning to serve cheesecake.
- Whip cream and remaining sugar to stiff peaks and pipe a border around the edge.
- Fill center of cheesecake with chocolate dipped strawberries.