Strawberry Pretzel Cheesecake

Inspired by the iconic strawberry pretzel salad, this strawberry pretzel cheesecake has all my favorite elements in a dessert: salty, creamy, crunchy, bright and sweet. A salty crushed pretzel crust, a light and creamy no-bake vanilla bean cheesecake filling, and a jammy strawberry topping with even more fresh strawberries. Lighter than a traditional New York style cheesecake, and easily made gluten free, a lovely hot weather dessert. Serves 8-12.

Ingredients:

• For the strawberry jam and topping:
  • 180 grams strawberries, fresh or frozen
  • 20 grams granulated white sugar
  • 10 grams fresh lemon juice
  • 200 grams fresh strawberries, washed, dried, and quartered

• For the pretzel crust:
  • 200 grams salted pretzels
  • 125 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more as needed
  • 15 grams (1 tablespoon) brown sugar, plus more to taste
  • a small pinch of salt

• For the cheesecake:
  • 450 grams full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
  • 80 to 100 grams granulated white sugar, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
  • 200 grams heavy whipping cream, cold

Instructions:

1. Make the strawberry jam: Chop the strawberries into bite-sized cubes. Place them, along with the sugar and lemon, in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes, until they’ve softened into a thickened, jammy sauce. This is not a true jam, and can’t be canned, but can be prepped a day in advance and stored in the fridge. Let cool completely.
2. Line an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan with parchment paper (preferably a springform pan or pan with a removable bottom, for easy removal).
3. Heat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius).
4. Make the pretzel crust:
   • Crush the pretzels by blitzing them in a food processer, or crushing them with a rolling pin in a sealed bag. Place the crushed pretzels in a large bowl, and add the melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and adjust to taste. I like a salty, barely sweet crust, but add sugar or salt to your preferences.
   • Press the mixture into the sides and bottom of your prepared pan (use a straight edged cup or spatula to create an even and smooth crust). If the crust isn’t coming together, add more butter.
   • Bake for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant and a shade darker.
   • If any of the crust was displaced during baking, carefully press it back into place while still warm. Let cool completely.
5. Make the cheesecake filling: Place the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on low speed for about 2-3 minutes, or until cream cheese is fully smooth and the sugar has been incorporated fully. Add the cold heavy cream and lemon juice, and whip on medium-high speed for about 2-4 minutes, or until the mixture has reached stiff peaks.
6. Spread the cheesecake filling into the cooled crust and smooth out.
7. Chill the cheesecakecake overnight (or for at least 4 hours) in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, mix the fresh strawberries with the strawberry jam and spread on top of the cheesecake. The strawberry topping starts to lose its color once on top of the cheesecake, so it’s best to do this step close to serving time.
8. Enjoy! Top with more strawberries, if desired, or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Notes:

• Berry jam: Feel free to use other fruit to make a jam, like blueberries or raspberries. You can use storebought jam, but I usually find it too sweet.
• Pan options: If you don’t want to fuss with a full cheesecake crust or don’t have the right cake pan, you can simply press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of a medium sized baking dish and follow the rest of the recipe as directed. Serve by scooping out servings rather than clean slices.
• Crust options: This crust can easily be made with crushed graham crackers or biscoff cookies, but it will need less butter. Start with 80 grams of butter per 200 grams of cookie crumbs. You can also do a mix of graham crackers and pretzels.
• Cheesecake filling: This cheesecake base is very lightly sweetened and contains a bit less heavy cream to mimic a baked cheesecake. Feel free to add more sugar to the cheesecake layer for a sweeter flavor, and increase the heavy cream to up to 240 grams for a lighter, airier cheesecake.
• Gluten free: to make this recipe gluten-free, use certified gluten free pretzels for the crust.