Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Printable version)

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

# What You'll Need:

→ Base

01 - 5.3 oz chocolate digestive biscuits or chocolate graham crackers, crushed
02 - 1.8 oz unsalted butter, melted

→ Cheesecake Filling

03 - 8.8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 2.8 oz powdered sugar
05 - 6.8 fl oz heavy cream, cold
06 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Strawberry Layer

07 - 7.1 oz fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
08 - 1 tbsp sugar, optional for macerating

→ Chocolate Ganache

09 - 2.8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
10 - 2.7 fl oz heavy cream

→ Garnish

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

# How to Make:

01 - Combine crushed chocolate biscuits with melted butter in a bowl until well incorporated. Distribute mixture evenly among six serving cups, pressing gently to form a compact base.
02 - Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with vanilla extract to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream gently into cream cheese mixture until fully combined and creamy.
03 - Spoon or pipe prepared cheesecake filling over biscuit bases in cups, smoothing the tops evenly.
04 - Toss sliced strawberries with sugar if desired and let rest for 10 minutes. Layer macerated strawberries evenly over cheesecake filling in each cup.
05 - Heat heavy cream to a gentle simmer. Pour over chopped dark chocolate and let sit for 1 minute without stirring. Stir until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly before spooning a thin layer over strawberries in each cup.
06 - Refrigerate prepared cups for a minimum of 2 hours until fully set.
07 - Top each cup with a whole strawberry, dark chocolate shavings, and crushed pistachios as desired before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • No oven required, which means your kitchen stays cool and you get dessert without heating up the whole house.
  • These cups sit beautifully in the fridge for up to twenty-four hours, so you can prep them the day before and actually relax when guests arrive.
  • The textures contrast—crunchy base, silky filling, juicy fruit, glossy chocolate—keeps every spoonful interesting.
  • It feels fancy enough to impress but honest enough that you'll actually make it on a random Tuesday.
02 -
  • Cold cream whips faster and holds peaks longer than room-temperature cream, so resist the urge to use what's sitting on the counter.
  • The ganache should be cool enough to touch before you spread it, or it will melt right through your strawberry layer and look messy.
03 -
  • Invest in a small offset spatula for spreading the ganache; it makes the difference between a rustic finish and a polished one.
  • If your ganache is too thick to spread when it cools, warm it gently over a double boiler for thirty seconds—precision in this moment prevents wasted chocolate.
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