A super easy no bake Strawberry Tart with a buttery shortbread biscuit crust and a smooth creamy cheesecake centre. Topped off with fresh strawberries and smothered in strawberry coulis, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.

This with definitely become my go to easy fridge cheesecake type dessert. As it contains no gelatine, it has a light mousse like texture but the same creamy cheesecake flavour we all love.

Feel free to use other biscuits for the crust, but the shortbread really gave it a delicious buttery flavour that works so well with the creamy centre.

If strawberries aren’t in season or aren’t at their sweetest, you can most definitely substitute with another berry.

Strawberry Tart

Vanessa Vermaak

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Setting/Chilling Time: 5

Total Time 5 40

Course Dessert, Sweet Treats

Servings

Ingredients

Crust

2 Cups Butter Shortbread Biscuits, crushed I used two 220g packs of shortbread biscuits
3 – 5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Melted

Topping

2 Cups Strawberries (fresh or frozen) I used frozen
¼ Cup Castor Sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Cups Fresh Strawberries to decorate Stems removed and halved

Cheesecake Filling

250 grams Plain Cream Cheese Softened to room temperature
½ Cup Icing/Powdered Sugar
½ tsp Vanilla paste, extract, or the seeds of half a vanilla pod
1 Cup Fresh Whipping Cream

Instructions

Crust

Crush your biscuits in the food processor to a fine crumb*
Place the crumbs in a medium bowl, then melt the butter and pour over the crumbs. Mix until thoroughly combined. If you use buttery shortbread as I did, start will the minimum melted butter. The crumbs should be able to stick together and not be dry, but you do not want puddles of oiliness so start with less and add more if needed
Once all the crumbs are coated and moist, pour them into your chosen pie/tart dish and use a spoon or silicone spatula to press the crumbs up the sides and then across the bottom to form a compacted crust. Ensure there are no cracks
Place in the fridge while you move on to the topping and filling

Topping

In a small saucepan, combine the first two cups of strawberries (I used frozen), sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and bring to medium heat
Stir frequently to let the strawberries release their juices. Once they start to soften, use a masher to crush the strawberries
Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute, then remove from the heat
For a smooth coulis/sauce, pour the mixture through a strainer, pressing all the juice through with a spoon, then discard any thick pulp or lumps of fruit left in the strainer
Set aside to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to cool a little further before adding to the tart

Cheesecake Filling

In a medium bowl, beat or whisk together the softened cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until combined and smooth
In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to stiff peaks
Fold the whipped cream, a few spoonfuls at a time, into the cream cheese mixture. Be gentle as not to knock out all the air and keep it light and fluffy, but ensure it's thoroughly combined
Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, gently smooth over the top as not to disturb the crust, and place in the fridge** while the coulis/sauce is cooling

Assembly

Once the coulis/sauce has cooled completely, prepare the fresh strawberries. Ensure they are washed and dry, remove the stems and halve them
Arrange the strawberries, cut side down, on the top of the cheesecake filling, then gently pour over the sauce to ensure a thin even layer
Place back in the fridge and allow to set for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight before slicing and serving
Enjoy!

Notes

*If you do not have a food processor, place your biscuits in a sealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin

**The filling will be ‘soft set’ once chilled. It will not set firmly as there is no gelatine in the mixture. This gives it a delicious mousse like texture with all the cheesecake flavour

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Keyword Cheesecake, Cheesecake Tart, Shortbread, Shortbread Crust, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake Tart, Strawberry Coulis, Strawberry Tart, Valentines Treats

Strawberry Tart