This chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake is creamy, sweet, and the perfect recipe to use up a haul of fresh strawberries! It’s made with a Nilla wafer crust and a vanilla mousse topping loaded with strawberries and drizzled with chocolate.
This creamy chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake is pure perfection. It’s rich, it’s sweet, and it will definitely leave you licking your plate. It starts with a cookie crust, then the cheesecake filling is added into the mix. All of that is topped with a vanilla mousse layer, and the chocolate covered strawberries are the ‘cherry’ on top.
Why I Love This Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake
- Romantic. What’s better than chocolate covered strawberries on a homemade cheesecake? This creamy, silky chocolate strawberry cheesecake recipe is a romantic dessert, perfect for Valentine’s Day.
- Easy. If you’re like me and worry about the possibility of a cracked cheesecake, this recipe has the best solution: cover the whole thing with mousse, strawberries, and chocolate!
- Quick. Make this chocolate strawberry cheesecake in an hour. I like to break up the steps by making the crust ahead of time.
- Make it your own. Leave the top covered with chocolate as is, or drizzle the cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce! This recipe is very versatile and easy to customize.
What You’ll Need
Below are some notes on the ingredients needed to make this easy baked cheesecake recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full recipe amounts and details.
- Nilla Wafers – Or your choice of cookies, crushed. You can also make this recipe with an Oreo crust or graham cracker crust.
- Butter – Melted to combine with the crushed cookies. I use salted butter, but unsalted works, too.
- Cream Cheese – You’ll need softened cream cheese for the cheesecake filling and the mousse topping. Make sure to use full-fat cream cheese that comes in bricks and not the tub kind.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar works best (I don’t recommend substitutes like honey, etc., in this recipe).
- Eggs and Vanilla – Bring the eggs to room temperature as well.
- Cool Whip – Take it out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge before you use it.
- Strawberries – I used about 1 pint of fresh strawberries, but you may need more, depending on their size. Rinse, hull, and then slice the strawberries horizontally. You could also use frozen berries; just be sure to thaw and drain them fully first.
- Chocolate – I like to use semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate wafers. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between so that it doesn’t burn.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
This chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake comes together in a handful of easy steps. First, you’ll make the crust, then the filling and mousse, and finally, you’ll top the whole thing off with strawberries and chocolate. Here’s an overview of the recipe, and you’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
- Prepare the crust. While the oven preheats to 350ºF, mix crushed cookies with butter, and then press the crust firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan.
- Mix the cheesecake batter. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, mixing until it’s smooth. Slowly mix in the eggs, one at a time.
- Bake. Now, pour the batter into your prepared crust. Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes until it’s just set in the center. If it cracks, don’t worry. We’ll cover it with mousse! When you remove the cheesecake from the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it from the sides. Afterward, cool the cheesecake completely in the pan.
- Add the mousse. Once the cheesecake cools, beat the softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Then, whisk in the Cool Whip, taking care not to overmix. Spread the mousse in an even layer over the top of the cheesecake. Finally, cover and chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Add the strawberries and chocolate. When the cheesecake has chilled thoroughly, arrange sliced strawberries over the mousse. Last but not least, drizzle melted chocolate on top of the strawberries. Slice and serve!
Tips for Success
- Save time with a store-bought crust. If you don’t have Nilla wafers or another cookie to use for the crust, or if you’re really in a bind time-wise, a pre-made graham cracker crust from the store works perfectly as a base for this chocolate strawberry cheesecake.
- Mix by hand. When incorporating the eggs into the cheesecake filling, mix gently by hand until everything is combined. Using a mixer brings extra air into the batter, which can cause the cheesecake to crack or rise and then sink in the oven.
- Do I need a water bath? Nope, baking in a water bath isn’t necessary for this recipe. I’ve found that this cheesecake comes out moist and crack-free without one. (And if it does crack, simply cover it up with chocolate and strawberries! Nobody will notice.)
- How to tell when it’s done. The cheesecake is done baking when the outside edges look and feel firm, but the center still has a slight wiggle when you gently shake the pan. Be careful not to overbake it, as it’ll make the cheesecake dry.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Keep this chocolate covered cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Freeze. I highly recommend freezing the cheesecake before adding the chocolate and strawberries. Freeze the baked, cooled cheesecake in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before decorating.
More Strawberry Desserts
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy homemade cheesecake meets chocolate-covered strawberries in this easy chocolate-covered strawberry cheesecake recipe! It’s a rich baked cheesecake topped with fluffy mousse, fresh strawberries, and a drizzle of melted chocolate.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheesecake
- 40 Nilla wafers crushed
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 3 (8 oz) pkgs of cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
Vanilla Mousse Topping
- 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
- 1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip, thawed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Strawberry Topping
- 1 pint of strawberries, sliced
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Mix crushed cookies and butter and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9 or 10- inch spring-form pan.
- Mix on medium the 3 pkgs of cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth.
- Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated.
- Pour mixture over the crust and bake 45-50 minutes until center is set. If it cracks, don’t worry.
- Remove from oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen from sides.
- Cool completely in pan.
- When the cheesecake is cooled make your mousse topping.
- Mix your 8 ox softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl with the sugar and vanilla with mixer until smooth.
- Whisk in your Cool Whip until combined. Don’t over mix.
- Spread the mousse layer on top of cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- When cheesecake is completely chilled arrange your sliced strawberries on top.
- Drizzle the melted chocolate on top of strawberries.
- Slice and serve!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 461
- Sugar: 40.6 g
- Sodium: 457.1 mg
- Fat: 24.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.4 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 105.4 mg
I have made this recipe several times and everyone always loves it!
Love hearing this!!!
Can I make this with a gram cracker crust?
absolutely!!
I absolutely love this recipe. This is the most requested recipe I get for parties, with lots of WOW from everyone and am more than happy to make. It is devoured in a matter on minutes, although I do warn it is messy which no one seems to mine. I use generous amount of dark chocolate drizzled on top which goes great with strawberries. Soooo delicious!!!!!!
I really wish I could rate this higher but i can’t. Nowhere in this recipe did you mention the SIZE of your pan, which is really important for measurements. My cheesecake is probably going to burn, and it rose entirely too much, and could be ruined. I desperately hope this turns out or this is money wasted.
you can use a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. It will rise slightly, but if it rose too much you might have over-mixed it. If you think it’s going to burn you should tent a piece of foil over the top to prevent that from happening 🙂