Instructions

Strawberry Sauce:

1. First make strawberry sauce. In a sauce pan combine diced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Stir well and cook on medium heat until strawberries release their juices and sugar dissolves.
2. Combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry and add it to the strawberries. Continue to cook for a few minutes until it thickens, then set aside to cool. You should get about 1 ½ cups of the sauce.

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, line with parchment paper (leaving large overhang the sides), then spray the paper and set aside, too.
2. First, in a large bowl stir together flour, sugar and lemon zest. Then, add chunks of butter and cut it in until crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter or two forks to make the coarse crumbs. Remove ¾ cup of this mixture and set aside, you will use it for topping.
3. Next, add baking soda, baking powder and salt to the remaining crumb mixture and stir with a fork.
4. Finally, mix in egg, sour cream and vanilla. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Spread it into prepared pan and make the sides are a half an inch up.

Filling:

1. First, beat softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then add sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. Finally add egg and mix until incorporated. Spoon over the bottom layer, but don’t go all over to the edges, cheesecake will burn during baking.
2. Then, top with strawberry sauce (don’t go all over to the edges).
3. Finally, sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture over top.
4. Bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely.