Cheesecake Mousse with Strawberry Crumble

What if we could enjoy thick, luscious, creamy cheesecake without the hours of assembling, baking, and cooling? While we’re at it, let’s add a crumble that reminds you of the coating on an ice cream treat from your childhood! Two favorites collide to create Cheesecake Mousse with Strawberry Crumble!

The no-bake filling…

The “faux cheesecake” filling is similar to what we used for the Orange Blueberry Dessert Shooters. We start with two dairy-based mixtures, then fold one into the other. The first is similar to cream cheese frosting (cream cheese with confectioners sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest) which gives us a smooth, tangy, dense cream, which serves as the base of the cheesecake mousse. By gently folding the second into the first, the cream cheese transforms into a mousse. It’ll still coat your tongue like cheesecake would and will even hold its shape when piped! This brings the flavors and textures of a baked cheesecake without having to turn your oven on!

Adding some texture…

Remember those strawberry shortcake bars on the ice cream truck? Or the ones you still sneak into your grocery cart? No? Just me? Ok, then… For me, the best part was the outside crumble coating, so I thought it’d be the perfect way to add texture and flavor to this shortcut cheesecake!

My favorite way to replicate this is by crushing freeze dried strawberries with golden Oreos! It’s the perfect combination of sweet and creamy from the Oreo, and tart, concentrated strawberry flavor. Start with one or two cookies, and slowly add the fruit pieces until you have the color and taste you want for the crumble.

You can make the crumble in a Manual Food Processor or even in a ziplock with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. If you happen to have a mortar and pestle set sitting on the shelf begging to be used, this is a great reason to dust that off! How much or little you crush them will determine how crunchy they will be. There’s no right or wrong answer, so have some fun with it!

Crumble or Crust – You Decide…

These two elements are a lot of fun to assemble in a strawberry shortcake cheesecake mousse dessert. You can layer them alternately in little cups or jars for mini parfaits or shooters. The mousse can be piped with a star tip into a martini or wine glass, then sprinkled with the crumble on top. You can press the crumble into the bottom of a shaped silicone mold (or any pan, really), and then top with the mouse. If you’re using a mold, freeze it and then it will pop right out. They will hold their shape and can even be drizzled with a sauce of your choice! You can also keep it real and eat it out of a bowl with a spoon. Any way you do it, it’s going to taste delicious!

This week’s Feature Dessert…

I enjoy chocolate covered strawberries, but I rarely indulge because it’s always a gamble. If strawberries aren’t in season, I might bite into a sour or bland strawberry. This dessert features those familiar flavors, but can be made year round, with fresh or frozen fruit! On top of a Quadruple Chocolate Brownie, is a generous helping of our no-bake cheesecake mousse, topped with naturally flavored strawberry cream, sauce, and crumble! Stay tuned for the complete series of recipes!

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Print Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Cheesecake Mousse with Strawberry Crumble

A thick, dense no-bake cheesecake filling, topped with a crunchy strawberry crumble

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

Cheesecake Mousse

• 160 g cream cheese room temperature
• 45 g confectioners' sugar
• 3 g vanilla
• 2 g lemon zest or to taste
• 120 g heavy whipping cream

Strawberry Shortcake Crumble

• varied golden oreo cookie
• varied freeze dried strawberry (or freeze dried fruit of choice)

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

For the mousse

• Whip heavy whipping cream to a medium stiff peak. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined and fluffy. This works best with an electric mixer. The fluffier you cream this, the lighter your mousse will be.
• Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream, and stir until well incorporated. Don't worry about being too careful with this first addition.
• Gently fold in remaining whipped cream in two separate additions. Folding and cutting down through the center until well incorporated.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the crumble

• In a food processor, mortal, or plastic bag, add 2-3 cookies and a small handful of freeze dried fruit. Crush until desired consistency, adding more of either to reach the flavor and color desired.
• Store in ziplock bag until ready to use.

To assemble

• Mousse may be piped or scooped into dish.
• Crumble can be used as a crust or sprinkled on top of mousse. See above notes for specific ideas.

Notes

Store mousse in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Crumble can be stored in an airtight bag/container at room temperature until used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 40g | Sodium: 77mg | Calcium: 29mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Vitamin A: 489IU | Sugar: 6g | Potassium: 39mg | Cholesterol: 43mg | Calories: 150kcal | Saturated Fat: 7g | Fat: 13g | Protein: 2g | Carbohydrates: 8g | Iron: 1mg