I’ve said time and time again on here that gifts that you make, from the heart, mean so much more than something you can buy online or in a store. On Valentine’s Day especially, you should get in the kitchen and make your certain someone (or your family or yourself) a sweet treat. It doesn’t have to be anything over the top or fancy, and you might not even knock it out of the park, but it’s the thought that counts and they’ll appreciate it ever so much. Lucky for us all though, this No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake is a show stopper of a dessert; no baking required. And if worse comes to worse, then you can just make the chocolate covered strawberry part and call it a day. No one would be upset about that. I know I wouldn’t be.
Let’s start with the crust, which happens to be my favorite part of any pie. Place the chocolate cookies in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the butter, sugar and salt until evenly combined.
**Tip: I used chocolate sandwich cookies and just removed the cream filling, but you can use chocolate graham crackers if you want to make it easier on yourself!**
Pour into a 9-inch springform pan that has been lightly greased and press down and slightly up the sides with a measuring cup. Chill in the freezer until ready to use.
To make the strawberry sauce, slice the strawberries in half and place in a medium saucepan along with sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat until the berries have softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend with an emersion blender until smooth. You could also blend in a food processor or blender and pour back into the pot.
**Note: If strawberries aren’t in season, you could also use frozen berries that have been thawed and the juiced drained. I’d cut the sugar in half though because frozen berries tend to be sweeter!**
Pour 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let sit for about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the gelatin mixture into the strawberry sauce and cook, stirring often, over low heat until the gelatin has dissolved and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
**Note: The plain gelatin helps firm up the cheesecake since this is a no-bake version. You can usually find it in the baking aisle or online!**
Let’s turn our attention to the cheesecake part. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Gently stir in about 2/3 of the strawberry sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream on high until soft peaks form. Transfer to the cheesecake filling and fold gently until evenly incorporated.
Pour the filling into the chilled crust and then top with the remaining strawberry sauce and swirl slightly. Chill in the fridge, uncovered, until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
**Note: The longer it sits in the fridge, the firmer the cheesecake will be. If you want to speed things up, you can place it in the freezer for half the time!**
Once chilled, remove the sides of the springform pan from the chilled cheesecake, and pour the ganache on top. Spread out into an even layer.
**Tip: You’ll want to run a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan before removing the sides of the pan!**
To make the ganache, heat the cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around the edges, do not allow to bubble over. Pour the chocolate into a small bowl and then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes and then stir until smooth and melted through.
Garnish the top with fresh whipped cream that you can pipe out with a piping bag with a star tip, and then place the chocolate covered strawberries on top of the cream.
To make the strawberries, melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts or over a double boiler until smooth. Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate has firmed up.
Cut and serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, but if you did your job right then there wont be any leftovers. I’m totally kidding though because no one can really eat that much cheesecake in one sitting…but maybe they can, I don’t like to judge.
If you want to really jazz up those strawberries, you can also drizzle them with melted white chocolate for that perfectly decadent Valentine’s Day dessert.
Have I mentioned how the best part of this recipe is that you don’t even have to turn on the oven to make this show stopping dessert. I feel like I haven’t stressed that part enough. This year’s Valentine’s Day dessert is the way to go. Everyone will thank you for it.
No-Bake Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- about 24 chocolate sandwich cookies cream removed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
Filling:
- 1 pound fresh or frozen strawberries rinsed and stemmed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1 pound cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Ganache:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips
Chocolate Covered Strawberries:
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 6 large strawberries rinsed and thoroughly dried
Instructions
- Place the chocolate cookies in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the butter, sugar and salt until evenly combined. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan that has been lightly greased and press down and slightly up the sides with a measuring cup. Chill in the freezer until ready to use.
- To make the strawberry sauce, slice the strawberries in half and place in a medium saucepan along with sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat until the berries have softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend with an emersion blender until smooth. You could also blend in a food processor or blender and pour back into the pot. Pour 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let sit for about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the gelatin mixture into the strawberry sauce and cook, stirring often, over low heat until the gelatin has dissolved and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in about 2/3 of the strawberry sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream on high until soft peaks form. Transfer to the cheesecake filling and fold gently until evenly incorporated. Pour the filling into the chilled crust and then top with the remaining strawberry sauce and swirl slightly. Chill in the fridge, uncovered, until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- For the ganache, heat the cream in a small saucepan until small bubbles form around the edges, do not allow to bubble over. Pour the chocolate into a small bowl and then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for about 5 minutes and then stir until smooth and melted through.
- For the strawberries, melt the chocolate in the microwave in short bursts or over a double boiler until smooth. Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate has firmed up.
- Remove the sides of the springform pan from the chilled cheesecake, and pour the ganache on top. Spread out into an even layer. Garnish the top with fresh whipped cream and the chocolate covered strawberries. Cut and serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Enjoy!
Gorgeous! Really sounds delicious!
Looks absolutely gorgeous and perfect for Valentines’ day!
That looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it.