Strawberry shortcake cheesecake bars layered with a graham cracker crust, vanilla cake, no bake cheesecake and juicy strawberries on top

So thus this strawberry shortcake cheesecake was born. Layered with:

  1. Graham Cracker Crust β€“ It’s just not a cheesecake without a graham cracker crust. But this one is baked underneath a layer of vanilla cake.
  2. Vanilla Cake β€“ Stay true to a traditional strawberry shortcake, a thick layer of cake is baked right on top of our graham cracker crust.
  3. No Bake Cheesecake β€“ Once the cake has cooled, a thick and creamy no bake cheesecake is spread on top. It’s spread with deep swirls for the strawberries and juices to sink into.
  4. Macerated Strawberries β€“ Fresh sliced strawberries are piled high! These are heated with a bit of sugar to release even more sweetness and flavor.

These four homemade components may seem like a lot of work, but each individual portion is very quick and easy to make. We aren’t using any special or fancy methods here – just standard baking used in a very unique way!

Strawberry shortcake cheesecake bars baking tips

Each section of this dessert is very straight forward, but here are a few tips to ensure your bars turn out just right:

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Make sure to tightly back in the crust in order to create a strong base for the many layers on top.

Vanilla Cake

  • Weigh the flour if possible, otherwise spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly into the flour can pack it down into the cup, thus adding too much flour to the batter.
  • Really mix the butter and sugar until it’s smooth and lightened in color. This creates little air pockets which allows the baking powder to lift the cake.

No Bake Cheesecake

  • Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before starting, otherwise you will have a lumpy layer of cheesecake on top.
  • Use good quality white chocolate when possible. I prefer Lindt white chocolate bars as they provide a very mild and not overly sweet flavor.

Strawberries

  • Slice the strawberries about 1/8 inch thick. Too thin and the strawberries will turn to mush, but too thick and they’ll be too firm.
  • Once the sugar is dissolved, allow the strawberries to heat for another 5 minutes. This extra heat will release even more flavor out of the berries.


Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1 cup (140g) ground graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve)
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted

Shortcake

  • 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (120g) milk
  • 1 1/2 cups (195g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Strawberries

  • 32 oz container strawberries, sliced
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

Cheesecake

  • 16 oz full fat cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 cup (110g) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 oz white chocolate, melted

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Instructions

Graham Cracker Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line the bottom and all sides of an 8Γ—8 baking dish. 
  2. Mix together all of the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the baking pan.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes.

Shortcake

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mixing by hand or with an electric mixer, mix together the softened butter and sugar until smooth and lightened in color.
  3. Then mix in the egg and vanilla.
  4. Roughly mix in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients. 
  5. Spread the batter over the baked crust and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Strawberries

  1. While the cake bakes, prep the strawberries. Cut the tops and slice the strawberries, then give them a good rinse.
  2. Transfer the berries to a large saucepan and add the sugar.
  3. Place over medium-low heat for gas or medium for electric and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. 
  4. Then allow the strawberries to heat for about 5 minutes or until bright red, slightly tender, and glossy.
  5. Transfer the berries into a heat safe dish and store in the fridge.

Cheesecake

  1. When the cake has cooled, make the cheesecake layer.
  2. Mix together the cream cheese and powdered sugar either by hand or with an electric mixer.
  3. Then mix in the vanilla, followed by the melted white chocolate. To melt, heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth.
  4. Spread the cheesecake over the cooled cake and create deep swirls all over the surface. These swirls will create little cavities for the strawberries and juices to sit. 
  5. Chill the cheesecake bars for at least 2 hours or until set. It can also chill overnight. 
  6. To serve, remove the bars from the pan and slice into 9 squares.
  7. Spoon a hefty amount of strawberries over a slice and enjoy!