Easy Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Printable Version)

Creamy cheesecake filling with chocolate biscuit base and fresh strawberries in portable chilled cups.

# What You Need:

→ Base

01 - 5.3 oz chocolate digestive biscuits or chocolate graham crackers, crushed
02 - 1.8 oz unsalted butter, melted

→ Cheesecake Filling

03 - 8.8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 2.8 oz powdered sugar
05 - 6.8 fl oz heavy cream, cold
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Strawberry Layer

07 - 7 oz fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
08 - 1 tablespoon sugar, optional for macerating

→ Chocolate Ganache

09 - 2.8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
10 - 2.7 fl oz heavy cream

→ Garnish

11 - 6 whole strawberries
12 - Dark chocolate shavings, optional
13 - Crushed pistachios, optional

# Directions:

01 - In a mixing bowl, combine crushed chocolate biscuits with melted butter until evenly moistened. Divide mixture equally among six serving cups, pressing gently with the back of a spoon to form a compact base layer.
02 - Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and light. In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with vanilla extract to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated and creamy.
03 - Spoon or pipe the prepared cheesecake filling over the biscuit base in each cup, smoothing the surface with a spatula to create an even layer.
04 - Toss sliced strawberries with sugar if desired and let macerate for 10 minutes. Distribute the strawberry mixture evenly over the cheesecake filling in each cup.
05 - Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just reaches a simmer. Pour the hot cream over chopped dark chocolate and allow to sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and glossy, then cool slightly before spooning a thin layer over the strawberries in each cup.
06 - Refrigerate the assembled cups for a minimum of 2 hours until the ganache and filling are completely set.
07 - Top each cup with a whole strawberry and add chocolate shavings and crushed pistachios if desired before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • No baking required, just refrigeration, which means you can make these while doing something else entirely.
  • They look like you spent all day on them, but genuinely take about 20 minutes of actual hands-on time.
  • The chocolate-to-strawberry ratio feels luxurious without being heavy, and you can adjust it depending on your mood.
02 -
  • Don't skip the folding step when combining whipped cream and cheese—if you overmix, you'll deflate all the air and end up with dense filling instead of cloud-like texture.
  • The ganache needs to cool slightly before going on top, or it'll sink into the berries and make them weepy; let it cool for three to five minutes first.
03 -
  • Keep your cream cheese at room temperature before mixing, or it'll seize up and you'll end up fighting lumps instead of creating silk.
  • If your ganache ends up too thick after cooling, gently reheat it or thin it with a tiny splash of heavy cream to get it to the perfect pourable consistency.
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