Love and Olive Oil

Strawberry Almond Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Strawberry Almond Goat Cheese Cheesecake

Goat cheese cheesecake. I mean, why not, really? Cream cheese and goat cheese aren’t all that different. I think, when I first envisioned a goat cheesecake I really intended something like this, not the savory tastes-like-a-cheese-dip version I actually made. Lesson learned. Because this version is as tangy and sweet as it is rustic and beautiful.

I was originally going to do a strawberry basil flavor combination (yes, yes, months later I’ve still got basil on the brain), but after tasting the heavenly almond biscotti (from Trader Joe’s) that I chose to use for the crust, I decided that the basil flavor would be lost in the midst. And that strawberry almond was equally as enticing.

Strawberry Almond Goat Cheese Cheesecake

The filling itself is a swirl of plain almond and strawberry. Just a word of warning that baked strawberry does not stay delightfully pink, rather, turns more of an off shade of mauve. If you want pink (and next time, I think the pink would be much prettier), add a few drops of red food coloring to the strawberry batter.

The strawberry flavor, however, comes through loud and clear, tasting like a grown up strawberry milkshake with hints of almond and a slight tang from the goat cheese; however goat cheese skeptics just know that it is very mild and I doubt anyone would guess there was goat cheese in it if they didn’t know. Try it. I think you’ll like it and it might just convert you to the light side.

Strawberry Almond Goat Cheese Cheesecake

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Ingredients:

For Crust:

  • 2 cups finely ground almond biscotti (from about 8 ounces whole cookies), or substitute 1 3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs and 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

For Filling:

  • 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 11 ounces (1 log) goat cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • pinch salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 10 ounces whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed and drained if frozen

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. To prepare crust, mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl until evenly moistened. Butter and line the bottom of a 9-by-2-inch deep cake pan with parchment paper; butter parchment (alternatively, you can use a 9-inch-round springform pan if you like). Press crumb mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of prepared pan and set aside.
  3. To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, sugar, and sour cream, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until completely smooth and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no large chunks and that all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in vanilla and almond extract.
  4. Pour half of the filling into prepared crust.
  5. Purée strawberries until smooth. Add to remaining filling in food processor and pulse to combine. Pour on top of plain filling in a decorative swirly pattern. Use a butter knife or skewer to create additional swirls in the top of the cheesecake.
  6. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until the top is just barely jiggly. Remove from oven and run a thin knife or spatula around the edge to release the cake from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and return cake to the oven for another 15 minutes to finish baking. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack; let cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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480 Comments

  1. I tweeted!

  2. Spinach, cranberry, and goat cheese salad!

  3. I’ve been wanting to make goat cheese ice cream since the summer. Maybe I’ll get around to it eventually! And I’d definitely try this cheesecake out!

  4. And I tweeted about the giveaway (@ahealthyjd)! Thanks for hosting the giveaway :)

  5. I like Love and Olive Oil on Facebook!

  6. I love using goat cheese in my farro and wild rice side dish which includes squash, walnuts and dried cranberries!

  7. Your cheesecake sounds so good! What a unique combo of flavors, I bet it was awesome. I’d like to have goat cheese on crostini with herbs and some kind of fruit jam. I could just eat goat cheese by itself!

  8. I would serve goat cheese plain with some delicious buttery crackers. It’s tough to beat straight up cheese although this cheesecake looks like it could compete!

  9. I love Goat Cheese, and have been drooling over this palmiers recipe that calls for goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and pine nuts, so that is what I would use the goat cheese for.

  10. I like my goat cheese simply on a nice slice of bread.

  11. I’m making stuffing with goat cheese in it (from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe). I am really excited about it.

    Frankly, though, I could eat goat cheese plain. . .

  12. It might sound boring, but my husband and I would sit on the couch with goat cheese, fresh cracked pepper, still warm crusty bread, a bottle of wine, and go to town!

  13. I just found your website and I absolutely love your blog! My sister and I are going to use your beet & kefir soup for thanksgiving! My dad is french so we always will have lots of cheese. We will be keeping it simple with a nice cheese platter including goat cheese, gruyere and brie!

  14. I’ve always wanted to try making fried nut-encrusted goat cheese medallions to serve on a salad. I had one over the summer that came with a beet salad and it was wonderful.

  15. i would make roasted sweet potato rounds with a goat cheese relish on top. it is one of my favorite recipes!

  16. This looks so beautiful and delicious!

  17. It’s great on pizza.

  18. I am a fan on Facebook.

  19. I haven’t figured out how to use goat cheese in anything other than salad, so that will be it for now.

  20. also, I am a fan of you on Facebook – which I LOVE, because it brightens my day to see new posts and new recipes from my favorite food blogs!

  21. Oh my goodness. This recipe looks fantastic — and I love that I could easily make it gluten free with some gluten free biscotti that I make. I’m loving it! I would use mine to smear on stir-fries for extra protein and flavor…it’s one of my favorite ways to use goat cheese!

  22. this is absolutely gorgeous. I’m going to make it soon! and let’s see…one of my favorite ways to use goat cheese is as a simply sprinkled topping in a spinach/pecan/strawberry salad. I’m considering making that for a Christmas party :)

  23. Fantastic looking cheesecake, but no surprise there. you are inspiring.

    my family didn’t didn’t raise me on traditional holiday fare or lovely homemade sweets so the cooking game has been new to me in my college years (I told my dad I was going to attempt your golf themed cake for his birthday and I’m very excited to try my hand at baking!) that being said my version of a holiday meal is less traditional, but mix that in with my adoration of soft cheeses and you’re still going to be eating well! I’d do a stuffed chicken breast; goat cheese, baby spinach and sliced home grown tomatoes inside simply seasoned with sea salt, basil leaves and ground pepper on top and a side salad (now that I think of it goat cheese can go on this guy as well!)

    for dessert I’d break out my good pal’s famous cookie recipie, but instead of chocolate chips I’d make it a bit more festive with nuts and cinnamon and perhaps i could substitute goat cheese to add a creamy accent to the nutty flavors?

    Also, I’m already a Facebook fan and now that I know you have twitter I’ll be following/entering there too!

    thanks!

  24. Tweeted – @mputzer

  25. And follow you on twitter (kirikiri1)

  26. I’m likign you on facebook! (Kerstin Wolff)

  27. Wow – that is the prettiest cheesecake ever! And just because I’ve never had a goat cheese cheesecake, that
    s what I’d use my chavrie for :)

  28. By the way, I “liked” your facebook page, too!

  29. Already a facebook fan – that’s how I got here!

  30. I would use the goat cheese to make a goat cheese icing for nutty apple cupcakes! The cupcakes are stuffed full of apple bits, cider, and nuts! It’s like a bite of fall! The icing adds a creamy tangy twist! I like you on fb!

  31. Goat cheese + cranberries = yum! Or add herbs and make it a spread for leftover turkey sandwiches.

  32. This looks super tasty! I need to make it.

  33. Yum! I love goat cheese. I’d probably use it in a frittata for a holiday breakfast!

  34. I love goat cheese every which way, but I enjoy sprinkling it on roasted butternut squash the most.

  35. Already a Facebook fan!

  36. Plain, as part of a cheese hors d’oeurve platter! I loooove cheese.

  37. I put goat cheese in my cornbread dressing with wild mushrooms and a ton of fresh herbs! It’s the one dish that stays the same every thanksgiving – the family REQUIRES me to make it!

  38. I like you on FB!

  39. I also “like” you on facebook.

  40. I tweeted the giveaway. (@BakeYourDay)

  41. I would make some goat cheese ice cream … I made some last summer that tasted like a lovely cheesecake. It would also definitely end up in some ravioli! And on salads. And probably in scrambled eggs.

  42. Beautiful cheesecake! I would make a goat cheese crostini of some sort.

  43. I like Love and Olive Oil on Facebook.

  44. Wow! This looks and sounds absolutely fabulous!! I can’t wait to try it.

  45. I have been wanting to make a goat cheese cheesecake for so long and this one sounds fabulous! I would make goat cheese nachos…I had some at a restaurant a while back and have craved them ever since. I love goat cheese on anything!

  46. I will use goat cheese to make my green bean casserole (from scratch) creamier and my mashed potatoes richer. Plus it will make a great sandwich spread with cranberry relish on my leftover turkey sandwiches.

  47. And I like you on Facebook! (as Lesley Eats!)

  48. I’ve been wanting to make a savory cheesecake for a long time now. I just need to find the motivation!

  49. This looks so incredibly beautiful – I love the pink swirls running through and the thought of an almond/strawberry milkshake flavour? Wow. I have to admit I was slightly put off by the thought of a *goat’s cheese* cheesecake but I’ll take your word for it that the flavour isn’t too strong! :-)

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