Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake

Step 01

Make the strawberry filling: put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the strawberries release their liquid, about 10 minutes, mashing gently as you go. Continue cooking until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes more then remove from the heat, cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 02

Make the macerated topping: toss the sliced strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl then cover and refrigerate to macerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.

Step 03

Make the crust: preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line the bottom of a deep 23cm springform pan with baking paper. Process the biscuits in a food processor until finely crushed then stir in the butter, brown sugar and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan then bake for 10 minutes and cool at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Step 04

Reduce the oven to 157C/315F. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, about 5-7 minutes, gradually adding the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Beat in the vanilla paste then the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. Beat in the heavy cream and sour cream until silky and smooth, about 5 minutes.

Step 05

Pour half the cheesecake batter into the cooled crust then add the cubed pound cake in a single even layer followed by the strawberry filling. Top with the remaining batter and smooth the top, gently tapping the pan on a flat surface to remove air pockets.

Step 06

Place a small baking dish of boiling water on the rack beneath the cheesecake then bake for about 1½ hours until browned around the edges and only slightly jiggly in the centre.

Step 07

Prop the oven door open slightly and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour then remove and cool completely, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 08

Tightly wrap the cheesecake and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or up to 4 days.

Step 09

Make the whipped cream: beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to slightly stiff peaks, about 5 minutes with an electric mixer.

Step 10

Serve topped with the whipped cream and macerated strawberries then enjoy!