Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cups (Printable)

Rich chocolate biscuit base layered with creamy filling and fresh strawberries in chilled 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 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

# How To Make It:

01 - In a mixing bowl, combine crushed chocolate biscuits with melted butter until well incorporated. Divide mixture evenly among six serving cups, pressing gently to form compact base layer.
02 - Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in large bowl until smooth. In separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream with vanilla extract to soft peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until fully combined and creamy.
03 - Spoon or pipe prepared cheesecake filling over biscuit bases in cups, smoothing tops evenly.
04 - Toss sliced strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar if desired and let stand for 10 minutes to release juices.
05 - Distribute macerated strawberries evenly over cheesecake filling in each cup.
06 - Heat heavy cream to just below simmer in small saucepan. Pour over chopped dark chocolate and let sit 1 minute undisturbed. Stir until smooth and glossy. Cool slightly then spoon thin ganache layer over strawberries in each cup.
07 - Refrigerate assembled cups for minimum 2 hours until ganache and filling are fully set.
08 - Top each cup with whole strawberry, dark chocolate shavings, and crushed pistachios if desired before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • No baking required means your kitchen stays cool and you avoid the stress of timing a finicky oven.
  • These cups can be prepped a full day ahead, so you're actually relaxing while your guests arrive instead of frantically assembling dessert.
  • The layered look in a glass cup is honestly Instagram-worthy, but it tastes even better than it photographs.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step where you let macerated strawberries sit—those 10 minutes are when the sugar draws out their juices, creating a subtle syrup that ties the whole dessert together.
  • If your ganache looks grainy instead of glossy, it overheated, so next time let the cream cool for 30 seconds before pouring it over chocolate, and stir slowly and deliberately.
03 -
  • Use a piping bag to fill the cups instead of a spoon, and you'll get professional-looking layers that look almost too pretty to eat.
  • Keep your chocolate biscuits in an airtight container because once they're exposed to humidity, they'll soften and won't give you that satisfying crunch anymore.
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