These easy mini strawberry cheesecake tarts are the perfect refreshing spring dessert you need. They are made with tart shells, homemade strawberry preserves and a no bake strawberry cheesecake filling which is topped with some freshly cut strawberries. You can simplify the process by using store-bought tart dough and a strawberry jam instead. You can also customise these tarts and pair the silky & luscious cheesecake filling with any type of fruit or crust. This is a small-batch recipe which makes three mini tarts but you can always scale it according to your needs and make it ahead of time for any party or a special occasion like Valentine’s Day!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- Unsalted Butter: You will need a few tablespoons of softened butter for the crust to help it form a dough. It is very important to have your butter at room temperature. You can ensure this by lightly pressing your finger on the block of butter. It should slightly leave an imprint. I also prefer to use unsalted butter because salted butters have varying amounts of salt content in them and it is always a good idea to add it on your own and avoid your bakes from being too salty.
- Egg yolk: Use large eggs and bring them to room temperature before mixing in. Eggs strengthen the binding of your bakes and also add moisture. Having your eggs at room temperature makes it easier to incorporate them and allow them to mix thoroughly in your bread. A good way of doing this is by letting them sit in a bowl filled with room temperature water for around 10 minutes or until they come down to room temperature.
- Almond Extract: Almond extract goes very well with this filling. However you can always use equal quantities vanilla or chocolate instead.
- All-purpose flour: I highly recommend weighing all your ingredients using a kitchen scale for accurate recipe results. If you’re using cups, don’t scoop your cup into the flour. Spoon the flour into your cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Fresh Strawberries: You will need strawberries for making the preserves and some more fresh ones to top your tart with. Fresh and ripe strawberries are best to make a juicy, jammy filling for these mini tarts. You will need them sliced and cut into small pieces. You can also use store-bought strawberry preserves or jam instead.
- Granulated Sugar: You will need this to make the strawberry filling for these tarts. Along with adding sweetness, sugar helps to give the jammy texture to it.
- Lemon Juice: I always prefer using homemade lemon juice for its freshness & best natural flavour. However, you can even use store bought one instead if necessary.
- Vanilla: You must use a high quality pure vanilla extract in your recipes. This helps to add a rich flavor to your baked goods. Pure vanilla extracts are typically dark brown in color. This enhances the flavor of all ingredients and you should never leave this out.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to thicken the strawberry jam and bring it to the desired consistency.
- Cream cheese: You will need block cream cheese and I suggest bringing it to room temperature before using. This makes it easier to incorporate into the mixture properly.
- Powdered sugar: You will need powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar here as this is a no bake cheesecake and hence granulated sugar will not dissolve if used. However, powdered sugar incorporates very well and gives a silky & luscious filling.
- Heavy Cream: You will need to whip cream until stiff peaks for these tarts. Make sure you’re using only heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Anything else will make your mixture watery and thin and not give a stable whipped cream.
FAQ
Even though this recipe is made for tartlet pans, you can bake these mini tarts in muffin pans as well. Line & grease a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Place the dough only on the base and not around the edges. You can also use a graham cracker crust instead. Crush graham crackers together in a mixer. Mix these graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and press onto the base. Proceed with the other instructions as it is. This recipe should yield around 6-8 such mini tarts.
1. While the galette dough is chilling, cut the strawberries into small pieces.
2. Add the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla to a small heavy bottomed saucepan.
3. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until berries start to break down.
4. Turn the heat down to low, and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Add in the cornstarch and salt and stir it continuously for about 1-2 minutes with a wooden spatula until thickened.
6. Transfer this strawberry sauce to a bowl and then place in the refrigerator until cool and ready to use.
You can always bake this strawberry cheesecake recipe ahead of time. They freeze & refrigerate very well in an airtight container. Make sure to thaw them if you’re freezing them. However, I won’t recommend storing them for very long as you will also end up with a soggy tart shell base due to the strawberry preserves. It is best if you instead make the creamy cheesecake filling, preserves and shells ahead and assemble them when you serve.
How to make the best strawberry cheesecake mini tarts:
- Make your own crust. Yes you can easily run a trip down to the store to buy a tart dough. But trust me, this one is so easy and flavourful. You’ll need just a handful of ingredients that you probably have in your pantry and 30 minutes of chilling time before you can bake it.
- Use the very best ingredients. Since these mini cheesecakes require so few ingredients, it’s best to bet on the good stuff! Use the very best and fresh ingredients to get the most out of this recipe. If you go strawberry picking, now is the time to use those fresh, ripe and juicy strawberries. Truly, there’s nothing like them.
- Allow the crusts to cool completely. Once the mini tart shells have baked, allow them to cool completely in the pan before flipping them out. Trust me there’s nothing worse than kneading, rolling and baking the dough only for your tart shells to crumble and break. Allow them to cool completely & grease your pans properly before baking so they come out with ease. I highly recommend using a non stick spray with a combination of both flour and oil.
- Let it chill. Even though these strawberry cheesecakes are going to be so tempting to dig into right away, they taste the best once chilled. Allow them to chill in the refrigerator for atleast an hour before serving them.
HOW TO GET THE BEST RESULTS FROM THIS RECIPE?
All of the recipes on the blog are thoroughly tested multiple times and carefully designed so that anyone can reproduce these delicious baked good in their own kitchen and enjoy them to the fullest. The only way to make this possible is when anyone can exactly replicate the measurements and temperatures.
- In order to standardise the way ingredients are measured, I highly recommend that you weigh them in grams. Volume measurements are nearly not as accurate and have a lot of scope for errors. To precisely be able to replicate the recipes, all you will need is a kitchen scale!
- Every oven heats up differently. Your oven might be over heating or under heating by around 50 degrees or more and you might not even know. In order to ensure that you are baking at the right temperatures, I highly recommend investing in an oven thermometer!
If you would still like to bake using volume measurements, I mentioned those below. However, I primarily test my recipes in grams and cannot promise the best results if you do so. Trust me, once you’ll start using these tools you’d never want to go back.
I hope you’ll enjoy these mini strawberry cheesecake tarts this Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to bookmark this recipe for later. These pretty & delicious tart would make the perfect delight to share with your friends & family!
Happy Baking!
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Mini Strawberry Cheesecake Tarts
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 3 mini tarts 1x
Description
These easy mini strawberry cheesecake tarts are the perfect refreshing spring dessert you need. They are made with tart shells, homemade strawberry preserves and a no bake strawberry cheesecake filling which is topped with some freshly cut strawberries.
Ingredients
TART DOUGH
- 56g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 94g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Strawberry Jam
- 200g ripe strawberries, cut into small pieces
- 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cornstarch
- pinch of salt
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 112g (4oz) block cream-cheese, at room temperature
- 60g (&189; cup) powdered sugar
- 120ml (½ cup) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
TART DOUGH
- In a large bowl, add the unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg yolk. Beat again until combined. The mixture will now be light and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl mix together the all purpose flour and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until the mixture is crumbly. Using your hands or a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until combined. You will have a smooth dough at the end.
- Cover the dough tightly with a plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and grease three tartlet pans with a nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Once chilled, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes. It should be cool yet pliable when touched. Using a tiny bit of flour or between two pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough out using a rolling pin to about ¼ to ⅛ inch thick.
- Divide the dough into three equal parts and roll each of them out into ¼ inch thick circles using a rolling pin of diameter around 2-inch larger than the base of your tartlet pans.
- Gently left and press the dough circles into the greased tartlets pans, one at a time. Press the dough into the sides and trim the dough hanging out by running the back of a knife around the top edge of the pan. Fill in any gaps or cracks by pressing in bits of dough.
- Line the dough in all pans with a small piece of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or lentils.
- Blind bake the tarts for about 15 minutes or until they have golden brown edges.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and line the browned edges with foil. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Return the baking tray to the oven and bake the tarts for around 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the pans from the tray and transfer to a wire rack. Let the shells cool completely before removing them from the pan.
STRAWBERRY JAM
- Cut the strawberries into small pieces. Add the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla to a small heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until berries start to break down. Turn the heat down to low, and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Add in the cornstarch and salt and stir it continuously for about 1-2 minutes with a wooden spatula until thickened.
- Transfer to a mason jar or bowl and then place in the refrigerator until cool and ready to use.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Add the cold cream to a (chilled) mixing bowl. Using a stand-up or hand-mixer, and starting on low speed, and gradually increasing, beat the cream until soft, fluffy peaks form. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Use a spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
ASSEMBLY
- Remove the cooled tart shells from the pan and add around 1-2 tablespoons of strawberry preserves or as required in them.
- Using a cookie scoop, add the cheesecake filling on top of the preserves and spread it on the base evenly using the back of a spoon.
- Transfer the shells to the freezer for about 15-3o minutes until the cheesecake filling is completely set.
- Top with freshly cut strawberries and enjoy!
- Store tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for upto 5 days.
Notes
- Be sure to use block cream cheese and bring it to room temperature before mixing in any other ingredients.
- You can also make these tarts in a muffin pan lined with muffin liners. Place the dough only on the base and not around the edges, you can also use a graham cracker crust instead. This recipe should yield around 6-8 such mini tarts.
- You can always use a store bought tart dough or strawberry preserves/jam instead of making your own and make these delicious tarts quickly.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cheesecake, strawberry, tarts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: No bake cheesecake tarts, mini strawberry tarts, strawberry cream cheese tarts, strawberry cheesecake mini, mini strawberry cheesecake, mini strawberry cheesecake tarts
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