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
- 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
Amazing recipe! I want to make this for my grad school poetry workshop but I was wondering – could you suggest a modification to make it more chocolatey? I was thinking about maybe adding chocolate to the cool whip section, but I don’t want to mess with the chemistry and have it all fall apart. Any suggestions?
Hello,
If I don’t have a springform pan could I cook it in a pie or cake tin?
Thank you!
Kathy
The springform pan makes it easier to remove, plus it’s much deeper than a pie or cake plate…sorry!
Am making the cheesecake right now for a function tomorrow night and all is going smoothly….when do I take it out of the pan?
After it’s cooled and chilled completely!
I made this cheesecake a year ago, and I couldn’t believe how well it turned out. So easy. So, I am making it again tonight. It’s going to be the 1 year anniversary cake for a wonderful man whose treated me, well, nothing short of wonderful. If he wasn’t wonderful, I’d be eating it alone. 😉
Super easy to make. I too was scared about making cheesecakes. My first attempt. Worried about baking the crust prior to putting cheesecake filling in – didn’t and it turned out ok. Brought it here to work and everyone LOVED it! will keep this recipe in my recipe box! Thanks for sharing this!
Love this!!
This cheesecake looks amazing! I would love to make it. What size pan did you use?
10″ Springform pan!
I’m trying this today for my sister’s birthday. 🙂
I love all your recipes!! Your website is my go-to for desserts 🙂 I always messed up pancakes, until I made them on a griddl…never going back to a pan again! I u se Bisquick, and I make them small…theyareperfect every time!! Maybe this will help you, I have used so many of your recipes, thank you!!! 🙂
This was my very first attemp at cheesecake. Made it today, it came out absolutely amazing!!! I am definitely keeping this recipe in my book for sure. Thank you soooo much!!!
Yay! This makes me so happy!!
I really don’t like to cook but had some family coming in town. I looked at the directions and figured it was easy enough I could do it. I got amazing reviews from everyone who tried it and the strawberries with chocolate on top made it look super gorgeous (I love pretty food presentation). I was asked that this be my families Christmas gift and official birthday cake! It was not too rich like that of cheese cakes made with ricotta cheese so it didn’t weigh everyone down after a big mean. Thanks so much for sharing!
I love this! Thanks so much for the sweet comment! So glad you liked it 🙂