Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Print)

Layers of chocolate biscuit, creamy filling, and fresh strawberries in easy-to-serve cups.

# Ingredients:

→ 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 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 fl oz heavy cream

→ Garnish

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

# Directions:

01 - Combine crushed chocolate biscuits with melted butter in a bowl until well incorporated. Distribute evenly among serving cups and press gently to form a compact base layer.
02 - Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with vanilla extract to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined and creamy.
03 - Spoon or pipe the cheesecake filling over the biscuit bases in each cup, smoothing the tops evenly.
04 - Toss sliced strawberries with sugar if using and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Distribute the macerated strawberries evenly over the cheesecake filling in each cup.
05 - Heat heavy cream until it just reaches a simmer. Pour over chopped dark chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Allow to cool slightly before spooning a thin layer over the strawberries in each cup.
06 - Refrigerate the cups for at least 2 hours until the layers set completely.
07 - Top each cup with a whole strawberry, dark chocolate shavings, and crushed pistachios as desired before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • No oven required, just a fridge and about 20 minutes of actual hands-on time.
  • It feels fancy enough to serve at dinner parties but tastes like pure indulgence without the fuss.
  • The combination of chocolate, cream cheese, and fresh strawberries never gets old, no matter how many times you make it.
02 -
  • If your cream cheese has even tiny lumps before folding in the whipped cream, they will stay there forever—beat it longer than feels necessary.
  • Cold strawberries weep less, so if you're making these ahead, keep them in the fridge right up until you layer them, and add them only an hour or so before serving if you want them to stay crisp.
03 -
  • If your ganache hardens before you can spoon it onto the cups, warm it gently over a double boiler for about 30 seconds and it'll flow beautifully again.
  • Don't skip the cooling step for the ganache—pouring it warm over the strawberries will make them mushy and sad.
Back