Tequila Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry Margarita Topping
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Cook time: 
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Serves: 1 - 9" cheesecake
 
Ingredients
  • 8 graham crackers
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • ⅓ cup ricotta (see note)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tequila
  • zest + juice of 1 lime (about 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice)
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tequila
  • 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 325. Lay a sheet of parchment paper across the removable bottom of a 9" springform pan and then close the pan around it, keeping the paper smooth. There will be lots of additional paper hanging out the sides of the pan -- leave it. It will help you later.
  2. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Stir them with the sugar and melted butter to make the graham cracker crust. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan and go up the sides just a little.
  3. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sour cream and ricotta. Beat until combined.
  4. Beat in the granulated sugar, the tequila, the lime zest and the lime juice.
  5. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
  6. Pour the batter over the crust and bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Reduce the heat to 250 and bake for 45 more minutes.
  8. Raise the heat to 300 and bake for 15 more minutes. The center will be set/firm but still slightly jiggly.
  9. Turn the oven OFF and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven all the way to room temperature.
  10. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
  11. While the cheesecake cools, toss the berries with the cornstarch. Place them in a medium saucepan.
  12. Throw the sugar and the tequila over the strawberries and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.
  13. When the strawberries start to break down they will stick to the pan a little. Stir in the water when this happens and continue cooking and stirring for 30 minutes.
  14. Let the sauce cool and serve it over the cheesecake slices.
Notes
Instead of using ⅔ cup sour cream and ⅓ cup ricotta you could use 1 cup of sour cream. Don't buy extra ingredients! I just used what I had on hand and the results were great. ***Room temperature cream cheese and eggs are KEY to baking a cheesecake that doesn't crack! Take the time to set your ingredients out ahead of time.
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/tequila-lime-cheesecake-with-strawberry-margarita-topping/