Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Print Version)

Layers of chocolate biscuit, creamy filling, and fresh strawberries in individual cups.

# What You'll Need:

→ Base

01 - 5.3 oz chocolate digestive biscuits or chocolate graham crackers, crushed
02 - 3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

→ Cheesecake Filling

03 - 8.8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 2.8 oz powdered sugar
05 - 6.8 fluid ounces 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 fluid ounces heavy cream

→ Garnish

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

# How to Make It:

01 - In a mixing bowl, combine crushed chocolate biscuits with melted butter until well incorporated. Divide mixture evenly among 6 serving cups, pressing gently to form an even base layer.
02 - Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with vanilla extract to soft peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until fully combined and creamy.
03 - Spoon or pipe the cheesecake filling evenly over the biscuit bases in each cup, smoothing the tops with a spatula.
04 - Toss sliced strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar if desired and allow to macerate for 10 minutes. Layer macerated strawberries evenly over the cheesecake filling in each cup.
05 - Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan just until it simmers. Pour hot cream over chopped dark chocolate and let rest for 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Allow ganache to cool slightly before spooning a thin layer over the strawberries in each cup.
06 - Refrigerate the assembled cups for at least 2 hours until set.
07 - Before serving, top each cup with a whole strawberry, dark chocolate shavings, and crushed pistachios if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • No baking required, which means no oven heat in your kitchen and no waiting around wondering if things are cooking evenly.
  • Genuinely looks like you spent hours in the kitchen, but honestly takes maybe 20 minutes of active work.
  • You can make these a full day ahead, so entertaining becomes stress-free and actually fun.
02 -
  • The cream cheese must be soft or it won't blend smoothly, and once you start folding in the whipped cream, stop as soon as it's combined or you'll deflate all those air bubbles you just worked to create.
  • Don't skip the maceration step for the strawberries because it seems like an extra thing—those 10 minutes of sitting with sugar is what makes them taste juicy and concentrated instead of just cold and firm.
03 -
  • Whip your heavy cream in a cold bowl with cold beaters and it'll reach soft peaks in about two minutes instead of five, which sounds small until you're standing there watching it.
  • Keep your chocolate shavings in the freezer until the last second so they don't melt when you sprinkle them on the warm ganache.
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