Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes
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Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes are bite-sized cheesecakes, with a creamy lemon flavor cheesecake layer on top of a graham cracker crust, then topped with a sweet and fruity strawberry syrup. No springform pan is necessary for this Strawberry lemon cheesecake, which will become your favorite summery dessert!
I’ve been meaning to post a strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry lemonade probably for the last two or three months. I’ve kept thinking about it off and on and I’m not exactly sure why I haven’t made it yet, I always just wake up with a new craving I guess.
My neighbor brought me a bag of fresh lemons and I thought it was perfect, I was finally going to make lemonade… then I was like, nah I’ll make a strawberry lemonade cheesecake instead. (Check out my favorite cheesecake recipe here, too!)
Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes
I have a mild cheesecake obsession – it’s one of my all-time favorite desserts. A lemonade or a cheesecake, I’d always pick the cheesecake first. These are especially fun because mini cheesecakes are easier to take to a summer party or BBQ, plus you don’t need to worry about the springform pan or water bath.
Perfect Summer BBQ Dessert
So with that said, this is my idea of a strawberry lemonade in cheesecake form. It’s deliciously tangy, unbelievably creamy, and completely refreshing. For the sauce you could definitely make a raspberry or blueberry topping instead of the strawberry, any of them would be amazing. And of course, you can add a dollop of whipped cream on top, too! Use a spray can, a tub of Cool Whip, or use a mixer to create stiff peaks with heavy cream and sugar in a large bowl.
You know you want one (or two or three) of these cupcakes so go make them :). Enjoy!
Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecake Ingredients
- Vanilla wafer crumbs or graham crackers
- Salted butter
- Sugar
- Lemons (lemon zest, lemon juice)
- Cream cheese
- Large eggs
- Sour cream
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon extract
- Strawberries
Follow Cooking Classy
Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (from about 2 cups cookies)
- 3 Tbsp salted butter , melted
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
For the cheesecake
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp packed lemon zest
- 2 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened (I always recommend using Philadelphia for cheesecake)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 - 1 1/2 tsp lemon extract , to taste
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Sauce
- 8 oz fresh strawberries
- 1 Tbsp sugar , or to taste
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- FOR THE MINI CHEESECAKES: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together wafer crumbs, melted butter and 1 Tbsp granulated sugar until evenly moistened.
- Divide mixture among 12 paper lined muffin cups, adding about 1 1/2 Tbsp to each cup (use paper liners, don't use foil liners) and press mixture in each cup into and even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes then remove from oven and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- In a food processor, pulse together 3/4 cup granulated sugar with lemon zest (if you don't have a food processor you can just rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips).
- Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl and pour sugar mixture over cream cheese and using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend mixture together just until smooth. Stir in eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined after each addition.
- Blend in sour cream and heavy cream. Stir in lemon juice, lemon extract and vanilla extract. Tap mixing bowl against counter top to release some of the air bubbles, about 30 times.
- Divide mixture among muffin cups, pouring mixture over crusts and filling each nearly full. Bake in preheated oven 20 - 25 minutes until centers only giggle slightly (cupcakes will become puffed and domed but will sink when removed from oven).
- Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Serve with strawberry sauce.
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE: Add strawberries, 1 Tbsp sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice to a food processor and blend until pureed. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.