V-Day Mini Heart-Shaped Strawberry Cheesecakes

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These no-bake heart-shaped mini cheesecakes are the cutest cheesecakes you could possibly offer your loved one for Valentine’s Day. These hearts are super smooth and silky with a crunchy speculoos biscuit base and a sweet strawberry coulis. Your special one won’t be able to resist!

Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to make some sweets and overload them with cuteness!

We normally always celebrate V-Day, with a sweet breakfast, a nice and cosy homemade dinner, or just a dinner out at the restaurant to avoid doing dishes : ) Some will argue that Valentine’s Day has a too commercial purpose, but for us, it’s just an excuse to eat (again) some yummy food – not that other regular days don’t deserve nice meals, don’t take me wrong.

This year, no fancy sushi plate, nor a red velvet cake but some bright red super tiny and extra flavorful cheesecakes. A while ago I came across this set of 3 molds on Amazon and thought they would definitely serve some purpose, particularly for Valentine’s Day.

Then I thought to myself, which sweet does everyone in the world love and fit in these molds? Well, cheesecakes! Who isn’t fond of a creamy cheesecake that melts in your mouth… For a fruity touch and for a visually red heart, I added some strawberry coulis on top. The combination of the crunchy speculoos with a smooth and silky cheesecake topped with a sweet fruity strawberry coulis is truly perfect – and all of this in a bite-size heart!

What is the difference between no-bake and baked cheesecake?

As opposed to a baked cheesecake, a no-bake cheesecake contains less cream cheese and includes whipped cream. As a result, its texture is much lighter than a baked cheesecake. In terms of taste, both of them taste similar. A baked cheesecake also has eggs in it, a no-bake cheesecake doesn’t. Finally a no baked cheesecake sets in the fridge whereas a baked cheesecake sets while in the oven.

For the purpose of these mini cheesecakes, I chose to go for a no-bake cheesecake to ensure their color remains bright white. Baked cheesecake tends to slightly turn golden on top. I wanted this white-red contrast to pop! On the plus side, no-bake cheesecake spared me the baking time : )

Which ingredients do I need to make mini heart-shaped strawberry cheesecakes?

For the biscuit:

• speculoos – I used speculoos for this recipe, I personally love this biscuit for cheesecake purposes plus they’re from Belgium – where I grew up : ) but you can use any other type of biscuit such as Oreo, Graham biscuits, etc.
• melted butter – adding enough butter is important to solidify the crust and prevent it from crumbling apart.

For the cheesecake:

• cream cheese – ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature to obtain a smooth texture.
• sugar – just enough sugar to sweeten the cream mixture. No need for too much, at least if you use a base like speculoos which is already a biscuit with added sugar.
• vanilla essence – a few drops are enough for a mild vanilla taste.
• lemon juice – I felt like adding some lemon juice to these tiny hearts, lemon and strawberry tastes pair well with each other.
• whipped cream – since this is a no-bake cheesecake, we’re adding some whipped cream to it. Use full-fat cream and whip it until firm.

For the topping:

• fresh strawberries – I used strawberries for the topping since I wanted a red fruit, but in case you fancy any other fruit you could swap it with another juicy fruit. As long as the juice comes out of it when cooked.
• sugar – add enough sugar to sweeten the fruits.
• liquid red food coloring – to obtain a bright red that pops, I added some liquid red food coloring. If using another fruit for topping, use another color. For instance, if you’re using kiwi juice, add some green food coloring. Or skip the food coloring, this is just for the visuals.

How long do these mini cheesecakes last in the refrigerator? Can I freeze them?

You can keep these mini cheesecakes for about 4 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to keep them well-covered. It’s best to add the fruit topping when you’re about to eat them. As for freezing, place them back into their mold and wrap the mold with foil or plastic wrap, alternatively place them in a container with a lid. Just make sure to freeze them without the fruit topping.

How to prepare mini heart-shaped strawberry cheesecakes?

Make the biscuit

1. Crush the speculoos into powder: place the biscuits inside a zip plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
2. Melt butter. Combine melted butter and speculoos.
3. Press the speculoos/butter mixture into the bottom of the mold (2 mm thickness).
4. Chill in the freezer for 15 min to set.

Make the filling

5. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla essence. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
6. In another bowl, whip the cream with your hand mixer for 2-3 min until the cream is 100% whipped.
7. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a spatula. Work gently to avoid deflating the whipped cream.
8. Transfer the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag and fill up the heart-shaped molds to the top.
9. Using the flat side of a dough cutter, wipe off the excess cheesecake mixture from the top.
10. Place in the freezer for 1 hour. Unmold cheesecakes.

Make the strawberry topping

11. Chop strawberries.
12. Combine sugar and strawberries. Crush them into a puree using a fork.
13. Transfer the mixture to a pot. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 min.
14. Let it cool down.
15. Sift the mixture to squeeze the juice out and discard the strawberry bits.
16. Add red food coloring. Blend it into the juice.
17. Transfer the strawberry coulis into a piping bag (nozzle tip: 1 mm). Cover the top of the cheesecakes with strawberry coulis.
18. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Did you want more cute treats? Check these!

• Bunny Custard Steamed Buns
• Honeycomb-Shaped Pineapple Coconut Cheesecakes
• Bungeoppang – Fish-Shaped Korean Fish Pastry
• Valentine’s Day Bear & Heart Macarons