Step 1

You can make the crust in advance (at least I did.)

Step 2

Crush your graham crackers until they resemble fine crumbs. Mix in sugar and butter, stirring until combined. Press crust into the bottom of your 10" springform pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Step 3

*I forgot to grease my springform pan but my cheesecake still turned out. Don't fret, things happen!

Step 4

Grease the sides of your 10' springform pan with butter (don't worry about the bottom part.) Wrap a couple of layers of aluminum foil around the outside of the bottom of the pan (and about half way up the sides of the pan.) Do not skip this part! Have available another pan that is big enough to hold your 10" springform.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 300F.

Step 6

Add the eggs and sour cream into a large bowl and beat well with a hand mixer. *Note, you will see I am not using a stand mixer. You really do not want to over-beat this cheesecake, trust me! In another bowl, add in the cream cheese and butter. Mix with your hand mixer until smooth (no lumps.) Pour this mixture into the sour cream mixture. Beat again until combined and smooth.

Step 7

Add in the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon zest and orange zest. Beat until combined, about 2 minutes (you want a nice, soft batter, but you don't want to over-mix either.) Pour the mixture over your crust and shake/jiggle the tray for a smooth layer. Place into the larger pan. Fill the larger pan up with hot tap water, just about halfway up the springform pan (mine was a bit less than halfway, maybe even only 1/4 of the way but it still worked.)

Step 8

Place into oven and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or until lightly brown (note: start checking the cheesecake around the 2 hour mark but don't stick anything into the cake as it may cause the cake to crack.)

Step 9

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cheesecake out of the water and onto a cooling rack. Leave the aluminum foil on for the first 30 minutes to half an hour. Then remove the foil and continue to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight preferably.

Step 10

To create the topping, add the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt to a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir. Bring to a simmer, and turn down the heat, allowing the mixture to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve over your cheesecake!