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.
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
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:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pour half of the filling into prepared crust.
- 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.
- 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.
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I will put the goat cheese on some baguette. It’s so simple and delicious!
i would make a pi with goat cheese and beets. :-)
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I LOVE goat cheese!! This holiday season I plan to stuff dates with goat cheese, honey, and walnuts! Mmmm :)
I have a hard time with things that I’ve always eaten sweet changing up to savory. :\ Especially since I have such a serious love of cheesecake! I do love goat cheese on bruscetta, though. Prob do something boring like that, heh.
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I would use goat cheese in a salad with pears, candied pecans and balsamic dressing. YUM!
“How would you use goat cheese this holiday season?”
I’m boring! I’d make it into a dip.
I’ve never actually had goat cheese in a sweet dish – – always savoury (with meats, in salads, etc.) Added to a desert is perfect though, the creaminess is incomparable – – great recipe!!
with pickled figs on a sliced baguette, yum!
I think this would be wonderful in a Mexican cheesecake I make or it would be wonderful for an appetizer with some herbs and prosciutto.
I’d love to make this cheesecake. But also, since there are so many fattening choices over the holidays, I’d love to use goat cheese in a nice spinach salad to help balance things out.
I love goat cheese so I was really excited to see the strawberry and goat cheesecake on your blog. I cannot wait to try it. Another ingredient that I love is pumpkin and this year I am trying to incorporate it into more recipes. My 14 year old son actually came up with the idea of making pumpkin and goat cheese empanadas (dessert) or guava and goat cheese empanadas. I will be making those soon.
I love to mix goat cheese into a salad with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
I would use goat cheese to make a delicious asparagus & goat cheese tart
This looks wonderful and while I think this might be what I will make with goat cheese this holiday season, I would like to make a pumpkin roll cake with goat cheese/cream cheese icing. I really love goat cheese and think it would be a great substitute for cream cheese in cream cheese icing.
This doesn’t sound very inspired after this post, but for the last month I’ve been planning to make a savory cheesecake to use as a dip at my family’s holiday get-together.
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Maybe a savory cheesecake – or this one!
omelettes to start, and then i think i would have to give this cheesecake recipe a try: it sounds divine!!!
Some sweet (like this recipe with raspberries!) and some savory (plain on chewy bread and warm with olive tapanade!).
To make this cheesecake obviously! YUM! And gorgeous!
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I absolutely love goat cheese and this cake sounds amazing. An idea for a goat cheese cheesecake has been simmering in the back of my mind for months now, but it isn’t something that I can really pull out for a family holiday. We go tradition all the way on that front.
Still, goat cheese is always featured on our cheese plate, and every year my grandma tells stories about the neighbors that had goats when she was a little girl.
I’ll order one cake please!! This is a must try recipe! Thanks for sharing. Oh and I love my goat cheese on just about everything, but i’m planning on making goat cheese ice cream Thursday. :)
How would you use goat cheese this holiday season? = I’d make truffles with it with crushed cookies, i.e. nilla wafers, gingerbread cookies, etc and dip them in chocolate!
Hmmm, I’d pop it on a pizza. With fresh home made pesto. Yum.
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Thanks!
I’m not very goat-cheese savvy … and your cheesecake sounds amazing. So that will be what I probably try :)
Thanks!
I would serve goat cheese with an assortment of crackers and wine, or to use in a delicious salad!
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I love goat cheese. At the holidays, I like to roll it in chopped cranberries, nuts, and herbs. It makes for a festive cheese platter!
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I think the real question is how would I NOT use goat cheese this season! Like you, I’m a real sucker for any recipe that involves goat cheese. My mum’s British, so we celebrate Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. We usually cook up some brussel sprouts with our “bubble and squeak”, so I was thinking about topping those off with some goat cheese and other delicious ingredients, to give them a bit more flavor.
ooh great prize! I love Chavrie spreadable goat cheese! I actually make a celery recipe with this exact goat cheese!
I love putting goat cheese in salads weirdly! haha
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I will toast french bread drizzled with olive oil. Top it with goat cheese, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries. Mmmm.
Thanks for the wonderful blog!
I want to make appetizers that no one would expect! We’ve never had a tradition of appetizers or any of the sort. It’d be nice to start something new, with something we’ve never tried! I have some fig preserves that needs a partner!
Have been looking for a recipe for blueberry and goatcheese pie with a crumb topping. That just might be my holiday dessert.
I would try goat cheese in a recipe that calls for cream cheese that I make every year. Mix goat cheese with garlic and onion powder and form a ball. Mix fresh cranberries, butter, and brown sugar in a pot and hear until boiling. Mash it up. add walnuts and pour it over the goat cheese ball. Serve with triscuits. Yum!
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I haven’t had goat cheese since like 7th grade when I first tried it. I think I’d like to make a fresh dip with it … try it again in its truest form before jumping into baking with it.
Oh my goodness! Looks amazing.
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Wow, just the other day I tossed in some Goat Cheese Crumbles into my delicious salad and realized Goat Cheese really DOES taste so much like cheesecake! Before I saw your blog I had been thinking of what I could use the goat cheese to sub with. lol
Well First off looking forward to creating a yummy cheesecake with your recipe. Love making Pita Pizzas with Goat Cheese..DELISH! The sky is the limit now that I’ve been introduced to it. I had heard of it for so long and finally tried it. Never looked back. Thanks for sharing a very yummy looking recipe! xo
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Fried goat cheese on top of an arugula salad!