Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
246 days ago
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Here’s a cheesecake recipe that is easy to make and easy to serve. Made with pre-packaged cake mix, a layer of whipped cream cheese and fresh strawberries, you can’t go wrong with these Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bars.
The recipe combines two of my favorites, strawberries and cheesecake. Admittedly, the cheesecake layer is a little fluffier than a regular cheesecake, making it a bit of a lighter dessert. And, of course, the fresh strawberries add a refreshing, fruity touch.
The instructions call for preparing the cake and cheesecake layers a day ahead but if you’re pressed for time, you can make them two days ahead with no problem. Just hold the strawberries in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.
For spreading the cheesecake mixture on the cake layer, use Cutco’s Spatula Spreader. Its wide flexible blade allows you to scoop up a good amount of the mixture to make large sweeping strokes, spreading it on in no time at all.
Use the Bird's Beak Paring Knife to hull the strawberries. Its curved blade with pointed tip easily cuts around the stem to remove it. For slicing the berries, use a 4" Paring Knife, which has a good blade length for cutting them on a cutting board. Store the sliced strawberries in a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve the cheesecake bars. When that time comes, arrange them on top of the cheesecake layer and drizzle with melted chocolate. In a matter of minutes it’s ready to serve.
Tip: Spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic zipper bag, pushing the chocolate into a bottom corner of the bag. Use Super Shears to snip off a small piece from that corner. Squeeze the bag gently to pipe the chocolate over the strawberries.
Use the Spatula Spreader again to serve the dessert bars. Its sharp Double-D® edge cleanly cuts through the delicate layers. Then its wide, flexible blade easily slides under each bar to lift it out for the perfect serving.
These dessert bars are a tasty treat after a family dinner or serve them as a sweet treat during the day.
Originally published April 6, 2017.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 box strawberry cake mix
- 1/2 stick butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
For whipped cream cheese layer
- 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate wafers, melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Beat cake mix, melted butter and egg using an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. (The dough will be pebble-like – more like a pie crust than cake batter.)
- Press the dough in an even layer on the bottom of a greased 9x9 inch baking pan and bake for 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Whip cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla, and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes.
- Spread in an even layer on top of the cooled strawberry crust and refrigerate at least two hours, or overnight.
- Just before serving, cover entire cake with sliced strawberries and drizzle with melted chocolate. If you prefer, you can drizzle each piece after cutting and plating.
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