Go Back

Strawberry Sparkling Wine Cheesecake

Recipe by Elaine Luxton - Inspired by the Novel, The Widows of Champagne
With it's beautiful pink and white color and the strawberry bubbly flavors that go so well together, this decadent dessert is the perfect way to bring the taste of the Champagne region to your book club or even your Valentine's Day celebration meal. The addition of Biscuit rose de Reims pink biscuits as the crumb base of the cheesecake and broken chunks on top for decoration compliment the creamy effervescent flavors in found in the sparkling wine.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

FOR THE CRUST

  • 1¾ cup Biscuit rose de Reims crumbs
  • 6 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 tbsp Optional-Dehydrated Strawberry powder

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

  • 1 cup Sparkling Wine ((any sparkling wine will work, I used canned Underwood Sparkling Wine from Oregon).
  • 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (clear if you have it)
  • ½ tsp Optional Sparkling Wine Extract
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup Crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp dehydrated strawberry powder - See notes

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan or 5 individual mini springform pans with cooking spray.
    In a medium bowl, add the melted butter to the Biscuit rose de Reims crumbs and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand, at this point you can combine the optional 1 tbsp of dehydrated strawberry powder.
    Pour the mixture into the 9-inch springform pan or 5 individual mini springform pans and press using your fingers or a flat bottomed cup into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan.
    Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes for 9-inch springform/ 8-10 minutes for individual springform pans or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
    TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE
    Reduce oven temperature to 325°F
    Over medium heat, heat the sparkling wine in a saucepan until it is reduced to 1/3 cup. Don't let it boil. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
    In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy, approx. 3 minutes. Add in the flour and salt until well combined and fluffy.
    Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just combined. Take care not to over mix at this point.
    With a spatula, mix in the vanilla extract, optional Sparkling Wine extract, Crème fraîche and reduced sparkling wine.
    Remove 1 cup of batter and place in a separate bowl. Add 2 tbsp dehydrated strawberry powder to the bowl with 1 cup of batter. Stir and fold in the powder gently until well combined.
    Pour the white cheesecake batter first into the pre-baked crust/crusts. Then gently spoon the dehydrated strawberry batter into the middle of the pan or divide among the individual pans, gently spread with a cake spatula and give a swirl to blend the two batters together, taking care not to hit the bottom or the crust.
    Tap the pan gently on the kitchen counter a couple of times to get rid of any air bubbles.
    Wrap the cheesecake pan with double foil and place the pan in a large baking pan and add boiling water to the baking pan, about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. (Be careful not to add hot water the cheesecake)
    Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour for 9-inch springform pan or 25-30 minutes for individual springform pans, until the edge of the cheesecake is set with only the center slightly wobbly.
    Turn off the oven and let cheesecake remain in the oven for another 45 minutes for 9-inch springform pan and 30 minutes for individual springform pans.
    Remove from the oven and cool the cheesecake to room temperature on a wire rack. Then remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan and foil wrap.
    Cover the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, overnight is preferable.
    Serve as is or decorate with whipped cream infused with Sparkling Wine extract, Biscuit rose de Reims and strawberries.

Notes

For the dehydrated strawberry powder, I used Trader Joe's brand and blended about 1/2 cup in my food processor to get the powder form needed for this recipe.