In the kitchen with Elisa
Mini No Bake Creamy Strawberry Cheesecakes
Perfect way to enjoy cheesecakes during summer months
Who is excited about summer and strawberries? ME! :) I am still patiently waiting when I will be able to go and pick my first strawberries this season. I absolutely love going to the strawberry fields and picking those beautiful fresh aromatic strawberries! Yum! :) And then to come home, grab a big bowl of strawberries and start enjoying them just as they are. I don´t think ripe seasonal strawberries need anything to make them taste better, but it is always great to use some of these beauties for some delicious summery strawberry recipes. This year one of my first strawberry creations is this easy to make mini no bake strawberry cheesecakes recipe.
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I ​have to admit I was not inspired by the strawberries this time, but it was rather the cream cheese that inspired me. In Finland no bake cheesecakes are a very big thing, I would even say they are more of a thing than baked cheesecakes. I don´t think they taste better than the baked cheesecakes (nothing beats a really good baked cheesecake), but I think they are absolutely perfect for summer months when you don´t feel like baking anything and are craving for a creamy and light dessert. Also you can add fresh fruit and berries to the cheesecakes to bring out more flavour. Oh, so, yes, I saw that cream cheese in a local store and it reminded me of those Finnish no bake cheesecakes and so I added it to my shopping trolley, got some fresh strawberries and mint, and decided to create something out of it :)
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You ​are probably thinking, what if I cannot get any strawberry flavoured cream cheese, can I not make the recipe then? No, you can! :) You can substitute with 150g natural flavoured cream cheese and mix in about 50g of strawberry jam. The rest of the recipe will stay the same. Depending on the jam that you are using, I would also suggest a quick taste test before adding the gelatine, just to make sure there is enough sweetness in the filling.
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The recipe calls for a strawberry sauce, but this is actually optional. However, I must admit it tastes great and it adds that extra strawberry flavour to the cheesecakes. So if I were you, I would make it :) But you can also serve your cheesecakes just decorated with some sliced strawberries and some fresh mint.
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I hope you will also enjoy this easy to make summery strawberry cheesecake, and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.
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Happy Baking!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
Perfect way to enjoy cheesecakes during summer months
​INGREDIENTS
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90g whole wheat butter cookies
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35-40g butter
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200g strawberry cream cheese at room temperature
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200g whipping cream (30% fat)
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1tsp vanilla paste
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3 gelatine leaves
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20 small strawberries
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3-4tsp sugar
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some extra strawberries for decoration
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fresh mint (optional)
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DIRECTIONS
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Melt the butter and leave aside to cool slightly.
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Crush the cookies in a blender or put them into a freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until you have a fine crumb.
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In a medium bowl combine the cookie crumb with the melted and cooled butter and mix until all well combined. Ensure that all of the cookie crumb is well covered in the butter. Test by squeezing some of the cookie crumbs in your hand and if it sticks together the base for the cheesecake is ready, if not add a little more melted butter.
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Lay 10 paper cupcake cases into a cupcake/muffin tray and spoon about 2-3 teaspoons of the cookie crumb into each form. Press the cookie crumb to the bottom of the form with your fingers to form the base. Leave aside. (See video)
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To make the filling, soften the cream cheese with a spatula in a medium bowl. Add vanilla and mix shortly. Soak the gelatine leaves in some cold water for about 10 minutes. In the meantime whip the whipping cream until soft peaks. Fold in about half of the whipping cream into the cream cheese until almost combined, then add the rest of the cream and fold until smooth. Strain the water from the gelatine and mix a couple of tablespoons of boiling water into the gelatine just until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Take about two tablespoons of the filling and mix into the gelatine, then pour the gelatine into the rest of the filling. Mix fast and thoroughly to combine the gelatine well with the filling.
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Fill the cupcake cases almost to the top with the strawberry cream cheese filling. Allow to set in the fridge for at least 5-6 hours.
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To make the strawberry sauce, blend the strawberries with the sugar using an immersion blender until you have a smooth puree. Make the strawberry sauce right before serving the dessert.
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Remove the cheesecakes from the fridge and remove the cupcake cases. Decorate with some sliced strawberries, fresh mint and serve with some strawberry sauce.
