Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

These strawberry cheesecake cupcakes are creamy, delicious, and an easy way to get your cheesecake fix—no water bath necessary!

This recipe was originally posted in May of 2018. I’ve rewritten the post to include more information about the mini cheesecakes and step-by-step photos of the process. The recipe remains the same.

What’s better than regular cheesecake? Mini cheesecakes. (Built-in portion control is always a good thing if you ask me.)

And these strawberry cheesecake cupcakes are essentially just mini cheesecakes hiding under a pretty little swirl of strawberry.

This is the dessert I’ll be craving all spring long. Super creamy and rich with a sweet-tart tang from the berries, they’re an adorable and irresistible treat!

Why you’ll love these strawberry cheesecake cupcakes:

• All of the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store; you probably have most of them on hand already!
• Even if you’ve never made cheesecake before, you can absolutely make these successfully because the recipe is very straight-forward and you don’t have to bake them in a water bath.
• These cheesecakes call for sour cream, which makes them extra light and creamy. And as a bonus, the sour cream adds a delicious tang to offset the sweet berries.

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How to make your cupcakes

You’ll start by making a simple strawberry puree:

• Place sliced strawberries in the bowl of a food
• Processor and process until the berries are liquid
• Strain the berry puree through a fine mesh sieve; discard the solids and stir sugar into the puree

Next, you’ll make the filling:

• Beat room temperature cream cheese until smooth
• Gradually beat in granulated sugar
• Beat in eggs, sour cream, and a few other ingredients

Then you’ll put it all together:

• Line muffin cups with Golden Oreos (or another sandwich cookie of your choosing)
• Divide cheesecake batter between the muffin cups; fill them almost completely full
• Spoon a little strawberry puree over the top of each cheesecake and swirl with a toothpick

Then you’ll bake for about 20 minutes, cool to room temperature, and chill overnight!

When you’re ready to serve, top each strawberry cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes:

• If your food processor has a small bowl, use that to puree the berries; if it doesn’t, just keep stopping the processor and scraping it down until the berries are fully pureed.
• Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature or your mini cheesecakes could end up with chunks of un-mixed cream cheese.
• Before chilling your cheesecakes overnight, be sure they’ve cooled to room temperature. You don’t want to put hot cheesecake in the fridge.
• Don’t use non-fat or low-fat cream cheese. Your cheesecake won’t set up properly.

Can I use other berries?

Yes! Blackberries or raspberries (or a combination of the two!) would be especially good.

Can I use frozen berries?

You can. I preferred the cheesecakes made with fresh berries but you can use frozen if that’s all you have. 

Defrost the berries a little first or you won’t have much juice. (They shouldn’t be fully defrosted but you don’t want them totally frozen; 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature is probably plenty depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)

How to store your cupcakes

Uneaten cheesecake cupcakes can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. Cover them with plastic wrap or put them in airtight containers first!

You can also store your cheesecakes, tightly wrapped, in the freezer for about 2 months.

Eat your cheesecakes frozen, defrost them in the fridge overnight, or leave at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour before eating (I just eat them frozen because I can’t usually wait for them to defrost but you do you!).

A few more recipes you might enjoy
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Cake
Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Did you make these strawberry cheesecake cupcakes? Awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!

5 from 8 votes

Print

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Prep Time

35 mins

Cook Time

18 mins

Chilling Time

8 hrs

Total Time

53 mins

 

Strawberry cheesecake cupcakes are easy to make--no water bath required--and they're a wonderful dessert for spring and summer!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 16 vanilla sandwich cookies
• 1 cup sliced strawberries + more for garnish
• 1 pound full-fat cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Topping

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 16 to 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners and set one sandwich cookie in the bottom of each. Set pan aside.
2. Place the sliced berries in the bowl of a food processor and process until liquid. If your food processor has a small bowl, use that; if not, just keep stopping the processor and scraping it down until the berries are fully pureed.
3. Pour the puree into a fine mesh sieve set over a mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to press as much liquid out as possible. Discard solids. Stir 1 tablespoon sugar into the puree. Set aside.
4. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer set to medium speed until very smooth. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.
5. Beat in the vanilla, eggs, sour cream, and salt stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
6. Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each most of the way full.
7. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the strawberry puree over the top of the batter in each muffin cup and use a toothpick to swirl the puree into the cheesecake.
8. Bake until filling is set, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Topping

1. After the cupcakes have chilled overnight, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Dollop each cupcake with whipped cream and garnish with a sliced strawberry. Serve.

Recipe Notes

• Remember that your cheesecakes need to chill overnight before you serve them.
• Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature or your mini cheesecakes could end up with chunks of un-mixed cream cheese.
• Before chilling your cheesecakes overnight, be sure they’ve cooled to room temperature. You don’t want to put hot cheesecake in the fridge.
• Don’t use non-fat or low-fat cream cheese. Your cheesecake won’t set up properly.
• Uneaten cheesecakes can be stored in the fridge, covered or in airtight containers, for 3 or 4 days.
• You can also freeze them, tightly wrapped, for about 2 months.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes