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5 from 2 votes

Perfectly Preserved Pie

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Pie Base

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • hot water

Strawberry Sauce

  • 2 lbs strawberries, hulled
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 tbsp water

Buttercream Caramel

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup caramel sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Cheesecake Filling

  • Preheat your oven to 275°F. In a cup, combine the heavy cream and the scraped vanilla bean. In a bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream cheese until smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure all of the cream cheese is smooth.
  • Add the sugar and mix well. Next, add the eggs in one at a time.
  • Add the sour cream, salt, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and the heavy cream (remove the vanilla bean). Mix well and scrape the sides to incorporate everything.
  • Take a 9” springform pan and wrap the outside in aluminium foil. This will prevent any water from entering the pan. Spray the inside of the pan with non-stick spray. Carefully line the pan with parchment paper. All of these steps will prevent the cheesecake from sticking, making it easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan.
  • Pour the batter into the pan. To remove excess air bubbles from the cake, drop the pan on a counter several times.
  • Place the cake pan in a large, deep baking tray. Pour hot water in the baking tray until about halfway up on the cake pan. This is done to avoid harshly cooking the cake and to prevent major cracks from forming on the top.
  • Bake for one hour. After it is done baking, keep the cheesecake in the oven but turn the heat off. Leave it in there for another hour. This allows the cheesecake to finish cooking inside without cracking the top.
  • Remove from the oven and the deep baking pan and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate for at least four hours (overnight is best).

Strawberry Sauce

  • Take your fresh hulled strawberries and puree them.
  • Pour the pureed strawberries through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
  • Place the now seedless pureed strawberries into a saucepan with a cinnamon stick over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat and add the sugar and vanilla extract. Simmer for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Remove the cinnamon stick and add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and whisk until it has slightly thickened.
  • Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator. The sauce will fully thicken as it cools, so allow it to refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).

Buttercream Caramel

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter until smooth. Add the salt and caramel and whisk until combined.
  • Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time. Continue to add confectioners’ sugar until you are happy with the flavor and make sure the frosting is thick. I would recommend using a pastry bag with a closed star tip to make the top dollop on the cheesecake.