This strawberry cheesecake is one of those desserts that are made in advance. It’s full of sweet strawberries, cubed cake and a homemade cheese and vanilla mousse. I literally do this all year round when I can get sweet strawberries. It’s a fact that will show up during the glorious strawberry picking season, but the colors make it perfect at Christmas, too.
Ingredients
Strawberries:
2 pints of fresh strawberries, peeled and diced
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 lemon played…
1 21 ounce can of strawberry shortcake filling
Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse:
2 8 oz of softened cream cheese
2 cup powdered sugar divided
4 cup heavy cream, divided
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
1 angel food or a vanilla cake in cubes
Instructions
Mix the diced strawberries with 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and a lemon juice. Stir well and set aside to grind while making the filling.
Beat 2 [8] ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Add 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla. Beat for 2-3 minutes until creamy, fluffy and combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining 2 1/2 cups heavy cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, more if desired. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold 2 cups of the whipped sweetened crème fraîche into the cheesecake mixture by hand. Reserve the rest of the sweetened whipped crème fraîche for the top of the cake.
Add the strawberry cake filling to the macerated strawberries and mix well.
To assemble, alternate layers of cubed cake, strawberries and vanilla cheesecake mousse. Repeat until all the ingredients have been used.
Cover with the rest of the sweetened fresh whipped cream and decorate as desired. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.
Store leftovers in a cool place.