Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes, a delicious no-bake treat for Valentine's Day, but also for warmer days, family gatherings or whenever you crave something sweet that is easy to whip up, and comes together quickly with very little effort. Made with a simple biscuit and butter base, a filling made of mascarpone, cream cheese and freeze dried strawberries, then topped with a strawberry reduction, these miniature cheesecakes are incredibly delicious, and a lovely treat for the whole family.
Cheesecake must be one of the easiest desserts to whip up, and one that leaves room for so much creativity. There are endless fillings you can choose from, as well as toppings and even the standard base of crushed plain biscuits and melted butter can be tweaked to your own liking.
You can go as simple or as fancy as you wish, make it a large cheesecake that feeds a crowd, or miniature cheesecakes that are perfect for portion control, and look incredibly pretty.
My mini strawberry cheesecakes require no oven, minimal effort and they have maximum strawberry flavour in every bite. Unlike other strawberry cheesecakes that only use a strawberry topping, mine use strawberries in both the filling and topping.
For the filling I opted for freeze dried strawberries which have an intense strawberry flavour, are sugar free and give a lovely bright colour. Just blend them to a fine powder, sieve out the seeds for a smooth texture, and done!
For the topping I opted for a strawberry reduction that has the consistency of a soft jam, and strong flavours. It's made with only 2 ingredients, fresh strawberries and sugar, and it's ready in less than 10 minutes.
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Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
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Ingredients overview
- freeze dried strawberries - easily available online or in bigger supermarkets, they comes in packets of various sizes. They are incredibly versatile and perfect to use in the winter months when strawberries are out of season
- mascarpone - use full-fat one for maximum results, the cheesecake filling will be smooth and creamy and rich
- cream cheese - same here, full-fat cheese is the best, low fat options have a higher water content that will change the consistency of the filling
- biscuits / crackers - I used digestive biscuits, as they are the most popular bicuits in the UK, but graham crackers are you best bet in the US
- sugar - I used granulated sugar, but icing / confectioners' sugar can be used as well
- fresh strawberries - used for the topping, you can use frozen strawberries too, as they will be cooked anyway
- butter - salted or unsalted, it will be melted for the biscuit base
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- start by making the base
- add the biscuits to a ziplock bag, and use a rolling pin to bash them well into fine crumbs - alternatively, add them to a food processor and blitz
- add the melted butter and mix well
- divide the mixture between 12 muffin tin holes that have been lined with muffin / cupcake cases - I used both silicone and paper cases, and they both work just fine
- make sure to press firmly on the biscuits mixture with a teaspoon to create an even base
- refrigerate until ready to use
- add the freeze dried strawberries to a blender or food processor, and blitz to a fine powder
- pass the powder through a fine sieve to discard of any seeds
- in a large mixing bowl, add the mascarpone, sugar and cream cheese, and use a hand mixer to beat them for 1 minute until smooth and creamy
- add the strawberry powder, and beat again to incorporate
- spoon the mixture over the chilled base and refrigerate again
- to make the topping, wash and quarter the strawberries
- place them with the sugar in a pan set over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the fruit softens and turns into a soft jam - you can use a masher to mash the larger fruit pieces
- remove the mixture from the heat, and allow to cool down completely before topping the cheesecakes with it
Expert tips
Use full fat cream cheese and mascarpone for the creamiest texture, this combo sets perfectly once chilled, so you don't need to use gelatine at all. The individual cheesecakes set a lot quicker than a large one, which reduces the chilling time considerably.
Let the topping cool fully, to keep the filling neat and firm. A warm topping would melt the cheese filling, and the cheesecakes will look like a mess. The topping should be firm enough not to run off the cheesecakes.
Use muffin cases, either silicone or paper, otherwise it will be really hard to remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin without wrecking them. Once set, the cheesecakes will peel of the cases easily.
You can make the mini cheesecakes ahead, they freeze well for up to 4 days, and freeze well for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge fully before serving.
Why freeze-dried fruit makes better cheesecakes
Using freeze-dried fruit in a cheesecake filling ( it works the same with cake fillings, buttercream frostings or icing) is a simple technique that delivers stronger flavour, better texture and a neater finish.
I used freeze dried raspberries before in many desserts like raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, raspberry white chocolate truffles, raspberry bounty bars and raspberry white chocolate covered pretzel rods with excellent results.
The freeze dried raspberries can be swapped for freeze dried strawberries or any other freeze dried fruit with no issue whatsoever. In cheesecakes, where too much liquid can weaken the structure, this concentration is a massive advantage.
Other cheesecake recipes
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Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes (No Bake)
Ingredients
- 150 g digestive biscuits (5 oz, graham crackers)
- 250 g full-fat mascarpone (8.8 oz)
- 250 g full-fat cream cheese (8.8 oz)
- 75 g melted butter (2.6 oz)
- 45 g freeze dried strawberries (1.6 oz, 1 cup)
- 400 g fresh strawberries (14 oz, 3 cups)
- 100 g granulated sugar, divided (3.5 oz, ½ cup)
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Instructions
- Add the digestive biscuits to a ziplock bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs - alternatively, add them to a food processor and blitz.
- Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter.
- Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper or silicone cases, and divide the biscuit mixture evenly, pressing down firmly with a teaspoon for an even base.
- Chill the tin in the fridge until ready to use again.
- To make the filling, add the freeze dried strawberries to a blender or food processor, and blitz to a fine powder.
- Pass the powder through a fine sieve to discard the seeds.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, mascarpone and half the sugar, and use a hand mixer to beat them until smooth.
- Add the strawberry powder, and mix again.
- Spoon the mixture over the chill bases, and refrigerate again.
- To make the topping, wash and quarter the strawberries, and add them to a pan together with the remaining sugar.
- Cook them over a medium heat stirring occasionally until the fruit softens and turns into a soft jam; you can use a potato masher to get a finer texture.
- Leave the reduction to cool down completely, then spoon it over the chilled cheesecakes.
- Refrigerate again for at least 2 hours before serving.
Video
Notes
- use full fat cream cheese and mascarpone for a naturally-firm, creamy set; no gelatine needed
- cool the topping fully before adding it to the cheesecakes, so the filling stays neat and firm
- line the tin with silicone or paper muffin cases for easy removal
- store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to one month
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