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This Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake is perfect in every way! With two layers of strawberry cake and a creamy layer of vanilla cheesecake in the middle, this cake is no joke.
If you like this cheesecake recipe, you’ll also love my Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake!
Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake
So you may or may not have noticed that I added a new little section to the blog towards the end of last year. If you view the site on a desktop computer, it’s easier to find (top left). If you view it on mobile it’s more difficult, but I’m working on fixing that. It’s a new lifestyle section. It’s what I’ve been calling my section. It’ll ebb and grow with time, but for now it’s my place to share all the other things I’d like to share. Life beyond the baking, so to speak. So if you’ve ever enjoyed reading my Stitch Fix posts, or getting the newest update in our journey to try and start a family, or want to follow any other shenanigans, that is now where you will find those things. In fact, the most recent update on our [in]fertility journey went up yesterday, so be sure to check it out if you’re into that sort of thing. 🙂 You can even sign up to get emails for those new posts now.
And if all you want are the cakes and recipes, then you are already in the right place! This cake today is two cakes in one – cake and cheesecake. Does it get any better than that?!
When I decided to make this cheesecake cake, I looked back to see what other cheesecake cakes I had on the blog and to my dismay, I found only ONE – this Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake! There’s even two of them in my cookbook! How are there not more on the blog?! Well today we fix that, my friends. Starting with this fabulous combination of strawberries and cream.
How to Make This Strawberry Cake
This cake really isn’t hard to make, but it does take some time because of the two different cake elements. I usually make my cheesecake layer first and let it set overnight. Then the next day I bake the cakes and put everything together. You could do it all in one day, but waiting for the cheesecake to set can take a bit.
One thing you want to be sure of when making the three layers is that they are all the same size. If you have a springform pan that doesn’t leak (they are hard to come by for me), then bake all the layers in that. If not, or if you just would prefer a regular cake pan, you can also use 9 inch cake pans. I did that this time around and it was a breeze. To set the pan up for the cheesecake, I just pressed aluminum foil into the bottom of the cake pan and had it sticking up over the sides of the pan. I used the foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan once it was cool and firm. Easy peasy and the perfect size to make the cake layers.
To frost the cake, I used a cream cheese whipped cream. Because the cake is fairly heavy with the cheesecake layer in the center, I decided to go lighter on the frosting. The whipped cream is super light and has a subtle cream cheese flavor to it. It’s nice and stable, so no worries about it “melting”. It can soften when it sits out though, so when applying it to the cake, don’t let it sit out for an extended period of time or it’ll be a little harder to work with.
Because the frosting is a whipped cream and therefore is softer than my normal frostings, I wasn’t able to use my typical paper towel method of smoothing a cake. I used my offset spatula to apply the cream to the sides of the cake and smoothed it with my icing smoother. I finished the cake off with some fresh slices of strawberries. If you are going to be serving the cake at a later time after putting it together, you may want to add the strawberries shortly before serving so they don’t dry out.
This cake was a HUGE hit! Not only did the hubs and I love it, my mom was dying over it. My nieces also came over and dug right in. We were all big fans and found it hard to resist! The strawberry cake paired with the creamy vanilla cheesecake and cream cheese whipped cream was delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Watch How To Make It
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Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 14-16 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake is perfect in every way! With two layers of strawberry cake and a creamy layer of vanilla cheesecake in the middle, this cake is no joke.
Ingredients
VANILLA CHEESECAKE
- 24 oz (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 3 tbsp (24g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup (230g) sour cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
STRAWBERRY CAKE LAYERS
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (173g) sour cream
- 2 tbsp strawberry extract
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 4 tsp (18g) baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) strawberry puree*
- 7–8 drops pink food color
CREAM CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING
- 16oz (452g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups (720ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 1/4 cups (144g) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 6–10 strawberries, sliced
- 3 strawberries, cut in half
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Line the entire inside of a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan with aluminum foil. Press it into the pan to get it as flat as you can. You’ll use the aluminum foil to lift the cheesecake out of the pan when it’s baked and cooled.
2. In a large mixer bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and flour together until combined. Use low speed to keep less air from getting into the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until well combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the lined cake pan.
6. Place the cake pan inside another larger pan. I use a larger cake pan, but you can use a roasting pan or any other larger baking pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Do not open the door or you’ll release the heat.
8. Crack oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. This cooling process helps the cheesecake cool slowly to prevent cracks.
9. Remove cheesecake from oven and chill until firm, 5-6 hours.
10. To make the cake layers, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line the bottoms of two 9-inch (23cm) cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
11. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
12. Add the sour cream and strawberry extract and mix until combined.
13. Add the egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is combined.
14. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk and strawberry puree in a measuring cup.
15. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until combined.
16. Add the milk mixture to the batter and mix until combined.
17. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is being combined. Stir in the food coloring.
18. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs.
19. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove from pans to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
20. To build the cake, make the frosting. Add the cream cheese to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth, then set aside.
21. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to another bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
22. Add the cream cheese to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form. It will happen fairly quickly. Set whipped frosting in the refrigerator.
23. Use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the top of the cakes.
24. Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate or a cardboard cake round. Spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly on top of the cake layer.
25. Use the aluminum foil to lift the cheesecake out of the cake pan, remove the foil and place the cheesecake on top of the cake.
26. Spread another cup of frosting evenly on top of the cheesecake, then add the second layer of cake on top. If the sides of the cake don’t line up, use a serrated knife to trim off the excess cake or cheesecake.
27. Frost the outside of the cake.
28. Pipe swirls of the whipped frosting around the top edge of the cake. I used the Ateco 844 icing tip.
29. Place sliced strawberries around the bottom edge of the cake. Place strawberry halves on top of the cake around the inside of the swirls.
30. Pip a small shell border around the bottom edge of the cake.
31. Store the cake (in an airtight containter, if possible) in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cake is best for 2-3 days.
Notes
* If you’ve never made a strawberry puree before, don’t worry, it’s very easy. All you need to do is place them in a food processor and pulse them until the berries are smooth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 700
- Sugar: 48.2 g
- Sodium: 403 mg
- Fat: 41.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 69.6 g
- Protein: 14.8 g
- Cholesterol: 168 mg
Categories
Enjoy!
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I tried to make the frosting twice and it ended up LUMPY both times! What could I be doing wrong?
Is it lumpy from the cream cheese? If the cream cheese has been until beaten until smooth first, I would think it wouldn’t give you lumps. Perhaps the cream cheese was still a little too cool when you added it? If so it may not incorporate this easily and create lumps.
Will be making this recipe again. My only changed would be cutting the cheesecake recipe in half. I had a massive cake for 3 people. Luckily my husband’s friend all had a slice. So there wasn’t a waste
This recipe is really good! I used boxed strawberry cake mix, but followed the recipe of cheesecake and frosting. The cheesecake was perfect, but my frosting was a little too soft. Not the recipes fault, as my heavy whipping cream wouldn’t whip after ten minutes. If your cream won’t whip either, just add the cream cheese and keep mixing. It will come together, and taste great
At what point is the strawberry puree and milk mixture added? It is not noted on the mobile app specifically….
I don’t have a mobile app, so I’m not sure what you’re referring to you with that. But the milk and strawberry purée are discussed in steps 14 and 16.
I made this over the weekend. I recommend making the cheesecake the day before! On Sunday, I made the cake layers and the frosting. I did not use the strawberry extract, but I followed the rest of the recipe as written. All I can say is, “Wow!” This is a phenomenal cake!! I brought a piece to work for someone and her eyes lit up when she saw her slice. Yes, it takes some time to prep, assemble, and many dished will be done, but it is worth it! Lindsay, thanks so much for this recipe and I look forward to trying (and instagramming) more of your recipes.
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Bree!
Hi Lindsay, I am about to make this cake but can’t find strawberry extract in Australia, would Strawberry Essence be an o.k substitute and would I use the same amount?
thanks Kim
I haven’t used strawberry essence, but my impression is that it’s a fine 1:1 swap.
Made this cake over the weekend. I wanted to mention that the frosting was the best tasting, lightest frosting I have ever tasted. Thank you so much! My 23 year old son stated there should’ve been strawberry chunks in the cake but that the cake was entirely delicious. Perhaps next time, I will put slices of fresh strawberry between the layers.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made it today for my Daughters birthday. I had my whole family over and the cake was so dense. I was so embarrassed when we cut into it and it was so tough. I noticed some comments that others had the same result. I cannot think of anything I did wrong. I did cream the sugar and butter very well. What else could be the cause of such a heavy dense cake?
Overall the cake is fairly dense and heavy, particularly with the cheesecake in the middle. If you think the cake is much denser than it should have been, another possibly is over mixing the cake batter, which can over develop the gluten strand and give you a dense, tough cake.
I made this cake and followed directions to a T! My customers were in love with this cake! I used a buttercream cream cheese frosting instead because I didn’t want to have to worry about frosting getting warm and melting. Thank you so much for this recipe! Wished I could post a picture! The inside looks just like your image!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you all enjoyed!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I just started baking approximately 5 months ago so I am truly a novice. I made this cake for a get together. It turned out beautiful. I noticed when I was eating it ,every once in a while I would get an odd after taste (not enough to ruin the cake) my first thought was to much baking powder. I did read some posts that verified the correct amount of baking powder. Just not sure where to start trouble shooting this problem. I always make notes on my recipes for hints and improvements.
I’m not sure, I haven’t really gotten than feedback before nor have I noticed it myself. But you could certainly try adjusting the recipe.
Hello,
I was wondering if it is okay to use the non-whipped cream cheese for the frosting? I used the whipped one last year and it worked great however I accidentally bought all regular/original today and are opened so I cannot exchange them anymore.
Thank you!
Addie
I haven’t tried with this cake, but it should be fine!
Regular cream cheese is fine – that’s what I use.
I wanted to make a wedding cake with a cheesecake center layer in each tier. Do you think it will hold up to the weight of the cake if I use dowels properly for support? Need a 14in, 10in and 6in
I’ve honestly never done it to be able to say for sure, but if properly doweled for the weight, I’d think it’d be ok.
Hello! I have made this cake a few times (with a few variations), and I love it! The biggest issue I have is the icing! It ends up being so so soft that I can barely get it to stick to the cake. Can you please offer some advice?
Could I be over mixing when I combine the whipped cream and cream cheese? Do I need to let it sit in the fridge for a while before I frost the cake? (I know I said with a few variations, but the icing part I do NOT change. I do it exactly as written.) Thank you so much!!
Gosh, it’s so hard to say without being there to see what you’re doing. Over mixing is a possibility. You want to be sure that your heavy whipping cream is plenty cold – don’t let it sit out before making the whipped cream. I know you said you don’t change anything, but I have to ask – do you reduce the powdered sugar at all? It stabilizes the whipped cream, so you’ll want to use it all. As long as the whipped cream is cold and you add all the powdered sugar, you should start to get things thickening and then adding the cream cheese will just further thicken it. Also, are you using a hand mixer or stand? I do find that hand mixers don’t get whipped cream to be quite as thick – but it should still be thick enough for frosting the cake.
This cake is lovely and makes a bold and friendly pink statement. Spread the steps out (made the cheesecake last night and the strawberry cake today), and it fits in well around life! Mine isn’t as pretty looking, but it’s rich and summery at the same time. I served it for book club. Thanks for the recipe and clear instructions. It’s berry sweet.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this cake for my husband’s birthday. He loved it! I used strawberry preserves instead of strawberry extract and strawberry purée and it still tasted great. Thanks for posting this recipe!
I’m glad the substitution worked well and that you enjoyed it! Thanks Megan!
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? If so, do I still need to use the salt and baking powder?
I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but it should be ok. You would still use the salt and baking powder.