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Remember the strawberry curd I made last week? Did you know you can do a lot more with it than eat it with a spoon? Assuming that you have any left, layering it with cheesecake makes a great summer treat. It’s strawberry curd. It’s cheesecake. It’s Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits, and it’s love in a glass.
I made these parfaits last year when black raspberries were in season. The original recipe called for lemon curd, but as you can see, I subbed strawberry. The cheesecake makes a great base to do any flavor you want. Don’t have curd? Use jam (I also made small-batch strawberry jam last week). Need something less time-consuming? Try some strawberry sauce (also from last week).
The bottom layer is a sponge cupcake from the Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes last week (are you sensing a theme?). However, you can change it up – graham cracker crumbs, pound cake cubes, gingersnap cookies, crushed Oreos. Or you can skip the bottom layer and just do cheesecake and curd/jam/sauce. Feel free to add mix-ins, such as chocolate chips or mini marshmallows.
In case it wasn’t obvious, these Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits can be adjusted for any mood and can reflect whatever fresh produce is in season. Or if you aren’t into fruit, you can do hot fudge or caramel sauce. Seriously, the only limitation is your imagination.
Word of advice – if you taste the cheesecake batter right after you make it, don’t be alarmed by how it tastes. I promise the flavor develops with time (hence chilling overnight). The first time I made this recipe, I was upset because the batter definitely didn’t taste like cheesecake, but once it chilled, the parfaits were almost gone immediately.
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
Serves: 2 large parfait glasses
Ingredients
- Parfaits:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 Tbsp strawberry curd, jam, or sauce
- Graham cracker crumbs, cake pieces, or favorite cookie crumbs
- 2 strawberries for garnish
- Whipped Cream:
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla for 1 minute or until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup cream for 2 minutes or until thickened. Make sure you get all of the lumps. Fold in sour cream.
- In the bottom of each parfait glass, place the graham cracker crumbs, cake pieces, or cookie crumbs. Layer in cheesecake batter with the curd/jam/sauce, ending with cheesecake layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Before serving, make the whipped cream: In a small bowl, whip together 1/3 cup cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Top each parfait with whipped cream and berry before serving.
Source: Cooking Club Summer 2011
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So, I’m drooling. Don’t mind me. I blame my friend Carla. She did after all just make parfaits.
these look delicious! I went strawberry picking last weekend and attempted to make jam without my mom (epic fail the first go). I ended up with a delicious strawberry sauce and kept two jars of it (the rest ended up in a successful batch of jam). I may need to make these–they seem perfect for a summer afternoon on my little patio :]
These parfaits look so cute and absolutely delicious!
The partaits looks perfect
Oh man, these babies are gorgeous. I should definitely make them for Father’s Day.
Hi Carla,
The parfait looks amazing! You mentioned the 50 mm 1.8 lens. Were these photos taken with your 50 mm lens? If so, I’m getting one yesterday!
Very nice post.
The first two with the blurry backgrounds were with my 50 mm f1.8. Because you can’t get too close to the subject, the last two were taken with my 28-135mm lens. I highly recommend the 50mm! If you can afford f1.4, go with that. Otherwise f1.8 is a great starter.
These are beautiful. I definitely must try this recipe. Where can I find parfait glasses like yours? Thanks!
Hi Liz! I actually found them at a thrift store. I would try Walmart or Target because they usually carry a variety of dishes and glasses in their home/kitchen section.