Whip up some fantastically indulgent little pots of strawberry cheesecake in only 10 short minutes!

QUICK, SWEET AND CREAMY

When it comes to enjoying the sweeter things in life, who wants to have to wait? Certainly not me! That’s why I’m a huge fan of creating quick recipes for tasty desserts that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and yet still manage to satisfy the most discerning of sweet toothed friends among us.

So many sweet treats can be make in record breaking time, for those of us who just don’t have time to wait! Check out my 5 Minute Chocolate Fudge Mug Cake, my Quick Puff Pastry Cinnamon & Raisin Twists and my Quick Prep Bread & Butter Pudding for further sweet-toothed, quick recipe action!

These super quick strawberry cheesecake pots hit all the right notes for a dreamy, summery dessert that can be created in no time at all. They’re a delicious, every day treat and yet elegant enough to serve up at a dinner party for guests.

SUMMERY STRAWBERRY GLUT INSPIRATION

I created this recipe in the height of summer when I was lucky enough to have a bounty of ruby-red strawberries from my garden. Despite my family and I scoffing a ton of them freshly picked, we still had loads left over and didn’t have a clue what to do with them. (What a horrible problem to have, eh?!)

Whole strawberries don’t freeze particularly well, and tend to turn into a soggy mess which is fine if you plan to blitz them up into a smoothie on a cold, winters day, but not so great if you’re hoping to keep their delicious shape, texture and fresh flavour. This is why I fully advocate using them fresh if possible and that’s exactly what this super quick strawberry cheesecake recipe enables you to do!  

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

I like to keep things simple so don’t tend to use too many ingredients in any of my recipes and these quick strawberry cheesecake pots are no exception. Traditional cheesecake recipes will tell you to slowly bake it or chill it for hours on end but these cumbersome steps are not necessary for this recipe as quick prep is the name of the game! All you need is a decent food processor or blender and some individual glass ramekins and you’re all set.

Of course, any half decent cheesecake relies on great quality ingredients to make it what it is. Let’s have a peek at each ingredient in turn and how all of them combine together to create a super quick and delicious end result!

STRAWBERRIES;

Obviously the star flavour of this 10 minute recipe, a strawberry cheesecake would be nothing without its strawberries of course!

I love to look on the bright side with my recipes and although of course, cheesecake has a decent amount of sugar in it (perhaps not so great!), you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that the strawberry topping is actually rather healthy. The humble strawberry, a staple feature of so many English gardens is kind of a super food!

They’re especially rich in vitamin C and antioxidants which are so important for health. As a bonus, the strawberries in this recipe do not require cooking, which ensures the maximum amount of vitamin C which tends to be easily destroyed by heating.

So these 10 minute strawberry cheesecake pots have a delicious ruby-red strawberry coulis as it’s crowning glory. Now, to create a coulis, many other recipes will recommend simmering the strawberries with some sugar slowly, then straining and refrigerating it for a long stretch of time…

….but who has time for that!? Certainly not readers of a quick cooking blog, which is why this recipe’s strawberry topping can be quickly whipped up in a matter of seconds using only fresh strawberries and a bit of strawberry jam. The jam adds the sweetness and helps to thicken the texture so the topping does not end up watery.

Of course, the combination of fresh strawberries and strawberry jam also creates a fantastic strawberry explosion of flavour which crowns a cheesecake off perfectly. Delicious, and so quick & simple!

CREAM CHEESE;

The cornerstone to any decent cheesecake recipe is of course, the cream cheese. I’d certainly recommend using the full fat variety as the low-fat types don’t have as much flavour and when mixed with the sugar can become rather thin and watery. A sloppy mess is the last thing you want to be pouring on top of your crushed biscuit base, So quality is key when it comes to the creamy filling in your strawberry cheesecake and don’t feel guilty about using the full fat varieties.

VANILLA ESSENCE;

A classic, key flavouring in so many types of cheesecake recipe, the vanilla essence adds a warm and creamy sweetness that elevates the flavour and pairs absolutely beautifully with the glossy strawberry coulis on top. It’s important to use vanilla essence in your strawberry cheesecake and not just vanilla flavouring, as flavouring just does’t pack such a true, vanillary punch. So, although more expensive, it’s definitely worth investing in a bottle of vanilla essence for your kitchen pantry.

ICING SUGAR;

Another essential ingredient in creating the perfect quick strawberry cheesecake, icing sugar quickly melts easily into the cream cheese with some vigorous stirring, allowing you to add the sweetness without any fuss or time-consuming steps.

 BISCUITS;

No strawberry cheesecake would be complete without a classic buttery biscuit base! Traditionally, digestive biscuits often used for this purpose but these can be a bit bland in flavour and lacking in texture so I fully recommend using an oat-based sweet biscuit such as the ever-popular hobnob. This just makes the base extra yummy. Hobnobs may not be available where you live, but any other sweet biscuit made with oats will do just as well.

Traditional strawberry cheesecake recipes will have you putting the biscuits in a large plastic bag and bashing them with a rolling pin until they transform into a fine dust. Although this may be very satisfying (and perhaps you can visualise your worst enemies whilst undertaking this rather aggressive process…!) This certainly is not a quick process. This is why you can quickly blitz your biscuits in a matter of seconds in a blender or food processor and the job is done! 

Now let’s look at the step-by-step guide to making these quick and delicious 10 minute strawberry cheesecake pots with some super useful hints and tips along the way. This recipe makes 4 delicious strawberry cheesecakes;

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MAKING THE PERFECT 10 MINUTE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE POTS

STEP 1;

To get started on making your delicious strawberry cheesecake pots, first take seven oat-based biscuits – such as hobnobs – and pop them into a blender or food processor. Whizz them up for 10-20 seconds until you’ve created fine crumbs.

STEP 2;

Pop 2 level tablespoons of butter or plant-based spread into the food processor with the blended biscuits and whizz a further 20 to 30 seconds until all nicely combined.

Next, divide the buttery biscuit mixture equally between four individual glass ramekins. Press the mixture firmly into each base using the back of a spoon. Try and get this layer nice and even but it absolutely doesn’t have to be perfectly flat (it’ll still taste delicious!) Give the food processor a quick rinse as you’ll need it for the strawberry topping later.

STEP 3;

Next, grab a medium-size bowl and put 250g (9 oz) of full fat cream cheese into it. Next, add 5 heaped tablespoons of icing sugar into the bowl. If your icing sugar has some lumps in it you may want to sift the first before adding it, but if it’s relatively lump-free already, this is not essential. Next, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla essence to this bowl and stir it all together until smooth.

Spoon this cream cheese filling into the biscuit-based ramekins. Make sure it’s divided nice and equally between each of them. Give them a little spread with a small knife or even the back of a spoon to make the tops nice and level.

STEP 4;

Next, to make the coulis, take 100g (3.5 oz) of fresh strawberries, chop off the stems then pop them whole into the food processor. Add 2 level tablespoons of strawberry jam. Blitz this up for around 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Note, there may still be a few little chunks of strawberry remaining – that’s absolutely fine, as it will add to the texture as long as there are no giant chunks in it. 

Pour the coulis equally on top of each of the ramekins to create the strawberry topping. That’s it! you’re done. You can chill the pots in the fridge for an hour or two (if you have time) but this isn’t essential – the cheesecake pots can be eaten straight away. Delicious!