White chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake

For the past few years my youngest son chose a particular recipe strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake as his signature birthday cake.

I believe I found the recipe for the cake in “Bon Appetit”, a few years back and have tweaked the recipe just a little bit to satisfy our own tastes.

This cheesecake is a hit at a party everytime, its very easy to make and tastes heavenly :- light, airy and oh so delicious.

Ingredients
Crust

9 oz chocolate wafer cookies, broken in pieces. ( I used Nabisco Famous Chocolate wafers, oreos would work too just use less butter, so will graham crackers)
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

Filling

1 lb white chocolate finely chopped or white chocolate chips
4 8 oz packages cream cheese at room temperature(I use about 3.5 packages. Low fat cream cheese works too)
1 cup sugar(I used 1/4 cup sugar because the white chocolate adds a lot of sweetness)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream( can be substituted for greek yogurt)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 pints strawberries
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons brandy

Directions
Crust

Position rack in a middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Butter a 10″ springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with alluminum foil tightly.
Grind the wafers finely in the food processor and add butter to moisten.
Press the mixture into the pan to cover the bottom and about two inches up the sides.
Bake crust for about 10-15 minutes till it sets. Cool the crust and maintain oven temperature.

Filling

Melt the white chocolate in the double boiler and keep lukewarm, stirring occasionally
With an elextric mixer, beat cream cheese untill fluffy.
Slowly add sugar and salt and beat untill smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla
Add white chocolate in a slow stream; beat untill well blended.
Pour the filling into the cakepan and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, just until the top begins to brown but the center still moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken. (Sometimes I add sliced or mashed berries inside the cake, I add a little bit of filling, add berries and top the berries with the rest of the filling. I also sometimes cover the crust with fresh raspberies and then pour the filling. Experiment, the possibilities are endless )
Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and leeave the cake i the oven for about 30 minutes
Chill the cake uncovered overnight and refrigerate covered for up to two days
Run small knife between pan sides and cake Release pan sides.
Decorate thhe cake with strawberries.
Stir apricot preserves with brandy in a saucepan over medium heat. Strain preserves. And brush the berries with the apricot glaze, letting the mixture drip onto the cake between the berries.
Enjoy!

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