Irresistible Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes: Easy Recipe with Homemade Compote

Prepare yourself for an exquisite treat! These Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes with a vibrant Homemade Strawberry Compote topping are nothing short of delightful. Imagine a creamy, rich cheesecake nestled atop a crisp cookie crust, crowned with a bright, fruity compote – each bite is a burst of fresh strawberry flavor. These individual cheesecakes are beautifully light, incredibly flavorful, and perfectly portioned, making them an ideal choice for any occasion, from an elegant afternoon tea gathering to a lively party dessert spread. What’s even better? They are remarkably easy to prepare and can be made well in advance, whether you’re using luscious fresh strawberries or convenient frozen ones. Get ready to impress your guests and treat your taste buds to a truly irresistible dessert!

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Why You’ll Adore This Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Our baked Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes, crowned with a luscious homemade Strawberry Compote, are truly a beacon of light, fresh flavor, especially during the sunny seasons of Spring and Summer. Each bite delivers an incredibly fresh taste combined with a velvety, creamy texture that rivals even the most indulgent full-sized cheesecakes – much like the delightful experience of my popular Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies!

Just like their blueberry cousins, these Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes, these individual Strawberry Cheesecake Bites are incredibly versatile. They are perfect for elevating an afternoon tea party, making a special event or celebration even more memorable, or simply enjoying as a delightful everyday dessert. This recipe for individual strawberry cheesecakes stands out for several compelling reasons:

• Effortless Make-Ahead Option: One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is its fantastic make-ahead potential. You can prepare these delightful cheesecakes in advance, and they will stay perfectly fresh and delicious in your refrigerator for several days. This makes them an absolute lifesaver when planning for parties, gatherings, or simply when you want to have a beautiful dessert ready to go without last-minute stress.
• Versatility with Strawberries: Whether you have an abundance of fresh, ripe strawberries from the farmer’s market or a stash of frozen berries in your freezer, this recipe accommodates both! You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for both the creamy cheesecake batter and the vibrant strawberry compote topping, ensuring you can enjoy this treat year-round, regardless of seasonality.
• Simple, Wholesome Ingredients: Forget complicated techniques or obscure ingredients. This recipe relies on a handful of easily accessible, simple pantry staples. There’s no need for gelatine to achieve that perfect set, nor do you need to fuss with whipping cream to create a luxurious texture. The ingredients come together seamlessly for a naturally creamy and stable cheesecake.
• No Special Equipment Required: You don’t need a specialty mini cheesecake tin or the hassle of a water bath for these beauties. They are designed to be effortlessly made in a standard muffin pan, utilizing simple paper liners. This accessibility means anyone can whip up these gorgeous individual cheesecakes with minimal fuss and maximum enjoyment.

Essential Ingredients for Your Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

This delightful recipe masterfully combines three distinct, yet harmonious, elements to create a symphony of flavors and textures: a wonderfully crunchy biscuit crust, a luscious strawberry cream filling, and a bright, homemade strawberry sauce topping. Each component plays a crucial role in the overall enjoyment of these mini cheesecakes.

For precise quantities of each ingredient, please refer to the detailed recipe card located at the bottom of this page.

For the Crust:

Our simple yet irresistible crust is formed from a classic combination of rich, melted unsalted Butter and finely crushed Digestive Biscuits / Cookies. While digestive biscuits are a popular and excellent choice, feel free to substitute them with any other type of crushed cookies you prefer or have on hand, such as Graham Crackers for a more traditional American cheesecake base, or even Biscoff cookies for a spiced twist, if digestive biscuits are not readily available in your area.

For the Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Batter:

• Strawberries: The star of our show! You’ll need either fresh, ripe strawberries or their convenient frozen (and fully thawed) counterparts. These will be blended into a smooth, vibrant puree that infuses the cheesecake with natural fruit flavor. For an extra-silky texture, you can optionally pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any small seeds or fibrous bits.
• Cream Cheese: This is the foundation of our cheesecake’s rich, tangy profile. It is absolutely crucial for your cream cheese to be at room temperature. If it’s cold, you’ll struggle to achieve a lump-free, smooth cheesecake batter. Plan ahead and take it out of the refrigerator at least a few hours before you intend to start baking.
• Sour Cream: Adding a delightful tang and an extra layer of creaminess, sour cream is a vital component. Like the cream cheese, it should also be at room temperature for optimal blending. If sour cream isn’t available, natural or Greek yogurt (full-fat recommended) makes for a suitable substitute, contributing a similar rich and tangy note to the cheesecake.
• Sugar: We recommend Caster Sugar (also known as superfine sugar) or a fine white granulated sugar. Its fine texture dissolves easily, ensuring a smooth batter without a gritty feel.
• Vanilla: A touch of vanilla elevates all the other flavors. I personally love using Vanilla Paste for its intense flavor and speckled appearance, but high-quality Vanilla Extract will work perfectly fine to impart that warm, aromatic sweetness.
• Eggs: Essential for binding the cheesecake and giving it its signature custardy texture. Make sure your eggs are of medium size and, importantly, also at room temperature. This helps them incorporate smoothly into the batter, preventing curdling and ensuring a uniform bake.

For the Fresh Strawberry Compote Topping:

This simple yet sensational compote is a delicious, thick, and wonderfully chunky strawberry sauce. It’s crafted from succulent Strawberries (again, fresh or frozen work beautifully), bright fresh Lemon Juice which enhances the strawberry flavor, a balanced amount of Caster Sugar for sweetness, and a hint of fragrant Vanilla. This compote is the perfect vibrant complement to the creamy cheesecakes.

Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Perfect Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

Creating these exquisite baked strawberry cheesecakes involves four manageable main steps: first, preparing the sturdy and flavorful cookie crust; second, creating the vibrant strawberry puree; third, assembling the smooth and creamy strawberry cheesecake batter; and finally, crafting the luscious, thick strawberry compote that crowns each mini dessert. Follow these steps for cheesecake perfection!

Preparing the Irresistible Cookie Crust

• Photo 1: Begin by crushing your chosen biscuits or cookies, such as Digestive Cookies, into very fine crumbs. A food processor makes this task quick and easy, yielding perfectly uniform crumbs. Alternatively, for a no-fuss method, place the cookies in a sturdy freezer bag and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin until fine. Once crushed, add the melted unsalted butter to the crumbs.
• Photo 2: Using a spatula, thoroughly mix the crushed cookies and melted butter together. Continue mixing until the mixture resembles wet sand and all the cookie crumbs are evenly coated with butter. This ensures a stable and flavorful crust.
• Photo 3: Line a standard muffin pan with paper cupcake or muffin liners. Take a spoonful of the biscuit crumb mixture and firmly press it into the bottom of each liner. It’s crucial to press down very well to create a compact base, leaving no loose crumbs. This prevents the crust from crumbling when the cheesecakes are removed.
• Once all the crusts are formed, place the muffin pan in the refrigerator. This chilling step helps the butter solidify and the crust to firm up while you prepare the creamy strawberry cheesecake filling.

Crafting the Velvety Strawberry Cheesecake Batter

• Photo 4: First, create your smooth strawberry puree. Combine the fresh or thawed frozen strawberries in a regular blender or use a stick blender until the mixture is completely smooth and vibrant. For an exceptionally refined texture, you have the option to pour this puree through a thin mesh sieve into a small bowl. This step will remove any tiny seeds or unblended fibrous pieces, resulting in a silkier cheesecake. Set this puree aside.
• Preheat your oven to a gentle 140°C (285°F). A lower temperature is key to baking cheesecakes without cracks.
• Photo 5: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room-temperature Cream Cheese and Sour Cream. Mix on a low to medium speed for a few minutes until the mixture is perfectly smooth and free of any lumps. It’s important to stop mixing as soon as it’s smooth to avoid incorporating too much air into the batter, which can lead to cracks during baking.

A note on temperature: Ensuring your cream cheese and sour cream are at room temperature is absolutely vital. Cold ingredients will result in a lumpy batter that is difficult to smooth out, no matter how long you mix. If you don’t have a stand mixer, this recipe can still be successfully made in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer.

• Photo 6: Next, add the Caster Sugar, the prepared Strawberry Puree, and the Vanilla (paste or extract) to the cream cheese mixture.
• Photo 7: Mix these new additions until they are just combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated without over-mixing.

• Photo 8 & 9: Finally, incorporate the Eggs. Add them one at a time, mixing slowly and gently until each egg is just combined with the batter.

Crucial Tip: It is paramount to avoid over-mixing the cheesecake batter, especially after adding the eggs. Excessive mixing introduces air bubbles, which can cause the cheesecake to puff up dramatically during baking, only to collapse and crack significantly as it cools. If you prefer, you can even fold in the eggs by hand with a spatula to ensure minimal air incorporation.

• Photo 10: Carefully scoop the velvety cheesecake filling over the chilled cookie crusts in the muffin pan. Once filled, gently tap the muffin tin on a hard surface a few times. This helps to release any trapped air bubbles to the surface, where they can be popped with a toothpick, leading to a smoother top on your baked cheesecakes.
• Bake the cheesecakes on the lowest rack of your preheated oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. The center of each cheesecake should still be slightly wobbly when gently jiggled, while the edges appear set. Don’t worry, they will continue to set as they cool.
• Once baking is complete, turn off the oven, but do not remove the cheesecakes immediately. Instead, open the oven door slightly and allow the cheesecakes to cool down gradually inside the oven for about 30 minutes. This slow cooling process is vital for preventing cracks. After 30 minutes, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature for another 30 to 60 minutes. Finally, transfer them to the refrigerator and chill until they are thoroughly cool and firm, typically a minimum of 3 hours, or ideally, overnight.
• While your strawberry cheesecakes are chilling and setting, this is the perfect time to prepare your homemade Strawberry Compote, following the instructions in the linked recipe. The compote can also be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week, making your assembly even quicker.
• Once the cheesecakes have fully chilled and set, gently remove them from the muffin pan by lifting the paper liners. Carefully peel off the paper liners. Then, spoon a generous amount of the luscious fresh strawberry compote over the top of each cheesecake. For a final elegant touch, garnish each mini cheesecake with a fresh strawberry slice. Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to serve to maintain their perfect texture and freshness.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

Expert Tips for Cheesecake Perfection

• Room Temperature is Key: For a silky-smooth cheesecake filling, it is absolutely paramount to use room temperature ingredients for your cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs. Cold ingredients will resist combining properly, leading to a lumpy batter that requires excessive mixing. Room temperature ingredients emulsify beautifully, ensuring a uniform and smooth consistency without any unwanted lumps or excessive air.
• Avoid Over-Mixing: This is a golden rule for cheesecakes! You want to mix your cheesecake batter only until the ingredients are just combined. Over-mixing introduces too much air into the mixture, causing the cheesecake to puff up dramatically during baking, only to collapse and crack significantly as it cools. Gentle, slow mixing is your best friend here.
• Bake Low and Slow, Cool Gradually: To prevent your mini cheesecakes from sinking in the center or developing unsightly cracks on the surface, a low and slow baking method is essential. This means baking them at a moderate temperature, ideally on the lowest rack of your oven, to ensure even cooking. Equally important is the cooling process: allow them to cool down very slowly, first within the turned-off oven with the door slightly ajar, then at room temperature, and finally in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled. A rapid change in temperature is the primary culprit behind cheesecake cracking.
• Chill Until Fully Set: Patience is a virtue when it comes to cheesecakes! Wait until the mini strawberry cheesecakes have completely chilled and set in the refrigerator before attempting to remove them from their paper liners. When still warm or not fully set, the delicate cheesecake batter tends to stick to the liners, making removal difficult and potentially damaging the cheesecake’s perfect shape.

Storing and Freezing Your Delicious Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

To maintain their optimal taste and texture, these mini strawberry cheesecakes should always be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. When properly stored, they will remain wonderfully fresh and delicious for up to 3 days. While you can prepare both the cheesecake bases and the luscious compote topping in advance, we highly recommend combining the two elements only a few hours before serving. This ensures the compote remains vibrant and the cheesecake maintains its structural integrity.

For longer storage, these cheesecakes (and the strawberry compote, separately) freeze beautifully. Once the baked cheesecakes have completely cooled, place them uncovered on a flat tray in the freezer until they are fully frozen solid. This prevents them from sticking together. Once frozen, transfer the individual cheesecakes into a freezer-safe airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag, layering them with parchment paper if necessary. The compote can also be frozen in a separate container. To enjoy, simply thaw the frozen cheesecakes in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours. Once thawed, top them with the strawberry compote and a fresh strawberry slice if desired, and serve.

Explore More Delightful Cheesecake Recipes

• Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
• Biscoff Cheesecake
• Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
• Apple Crumble Cheesecake
• Coffee Cheesecake
• Raspberry Passion Fruit Cheesecake
• Passion Fruit Cheesecake
• Mini Biscoff Cheesecakes

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Recipe

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

5 from 3 votes

These Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes with Strawberry Compote topping are delicious light and flavourful treat that are perfect for afternoon tea or a party. They can be made in advance with fresh or frozen strawberries.

Servings: 12

Author: Sylvie

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Chilling Time3 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Print Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

• 150 gr (1 1/2 cup crushed) Digestive Biscuits, crushed
• 75 gr (5 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, melted

Strawberry Cheesecake

• 100 gr (3,5 oz) Strawberries, fresh or frozen (see note 1)
• 450 gr (16 oz) Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 120 gr (1/2 cup) Sour Cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
• 80 gr (1/3 cup) Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs, at room temperature

Strawberry Compote Topping

• 175 gr (6 oz) Strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 25 gr (2 tablespoons) Caster Sugar
• 15 ml (1 tablespoon) Lemon Juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Cookie Crust

• Melt the unsalted butter and crush the Digestive Biscuits (or your chosen cookies) into fine crumbs. You can use a food processor or a freezer bag and rolling pin.
• In a small bowl, combine the crushed biscuits and melted butter. Mix thoroughly with a spatula until all the cookie crumbs are evenly coated and the mixture resembles wet sand.
• Line a standard muffin pan with paper cupcake or muffin liners. Firmly press a spoonful of the cookie crust mixture into the bottom of each liner, ensuring it’s compact and well-formed. Place the muffin pan in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

Strawberry Cheesecake

• Prepare the strawberry puree: blend the strawberries (fresh or thawed frozen, see note 1) with an immersion blender or regular blender until completely smooth. Optionally, pour it through a thin mesh sieve to remove any seeds or unblended chunks (see note 2). Set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 140°C/285°F.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the room-temperature Cream Cheese and Sour Cream for a few minutes until the mixture is very smooth and lump-free (see note 3). Avoid over-mixing.
• Add in the Caster Sugar, the blended Strawberry Puree, and Vanilla Paste/Extract. Mix until just combined, stopping to scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl with a spatula if required to ensure everything is incorporated.
• Slowly mix in the Eggs, adding them one at a time and stopping as soon as each egg is just combined. It is crucial to avoid over-mixing at this stage to prevent incorporating too much air (see note 4).
• Carefully scoop the creamy cheesecake filling over the chilled cookie crusts in the muffin pan. Gently tap the pan on a hard surface a few times to release any air bubbles to the surface; pop them with a toothpick if necessary.
• Bake on the lowest rack of your oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The center of the filling should still be slightly wobbly when gently jiggled, but the edges should be set (see note 5).
• Turn the oven off, open the door slightly, and leave the cheesecakes to cool down gradually inside the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature for another 30 to 60 minutes. Finally, transfer them to the fridge and chill until they are completely cool and set (a minimum of 3 hours, ideally overnight).

Strawberry Compote Topping

• If using fresh strawberries, cut them in half. Place the strawberries (fresh or frozen) in a small saucepan with the Caster Sugar, fresh Lemon Juice, and Vanilla Extract. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon (see note 6).
• Turn the heat to low to medium and leave the compote to simmer for 10 to 20 minutes (see note 7). Cook until the fruits have softened and the liquid has thickened to your desired consistency.
• Remove from heat, allow the compote to cool down completely, then transfer to an airtight container and place it in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembling the Cheesecakes

• Once the cheesecakes have completely set and are fully chilled, carefully remove the paper liners. Then, spoon a generous amount of the homemade strawberry compote over each cheesecake. Optionally, finish them with a fresh strawberry slice for garnish. Keep the assembled mini cheesecakes in the fridge until you are ready to serve to maintain their freshness and perfect texture.

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Notes

1. If using frozen strawberries, make sure to thaw them fully and drain any excess liquid before blending them. This prevents extra moisture from thinning your cheesecake batter or compote.
2. Optionally, you can pour the strawberry puree through a thin mesh sieve to remove any seeds or unblended chunks. This step will result in a silkier, smoother cheesecake filling.
3. Make sure the cream cheese and sour cream are at room temperature or it will be hard to combine, potentially leaving lumps of unmixed cream cheese. Stop mixing as soon as the cream is smooth to avoid incorporating too much air into the batter, which can lead to cracks.
4. It is really important to avoid over-mixing the mixture after adding the eggs because you do not want to add air bubbles into the cream, which can cause the cheesecake to rise and then crack. You can also mix the eggs in gently by hand with a spatula if preferred for maximum control.
5. To check if the cheesecakes are baked, gently move the pan back and forth. You should see a little bit of movement (a slight wobble) in the very center of the cheesecake, but the edges shouldn’t move. They will set completely upon cooling.
6. If using fresh strawberries for the compote, I recommend adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the saucepan to help the fruits release their juices and start cooking evenly. This step is generally not necessary when using frozen strawberries, as they release more liquid as they thaw.
7. The exact cooking time for the compote will vary depending on the size and ripeness of your strawberries, as well as their natural water content. Cook until the desired thickness is achieved.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

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