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
Yield: 2 parfaits
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons strawberry curd, jam, or sauce
- Graham cracker crumbs, shortcake pieces, or cookie crumbs
Whipped Cream:
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon 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.
- For 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: Adapted from Cooking Club Summer 2011
Jen @ Juanita's Cocina says
So, I’m drooling. Don’t mind me. I blame my friend Carla. She did after all just make parfaits.
kelly (@kelly_bakes) says
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 :]
Laura Janssen says
These parfaits look so cute and absolutely delicious!
Joy says
The partaits looks perfect
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Oh man, these babies are gorgeous. I should definitely make them for Father’s Day.
Alaiyo Kiasi says
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.
Carla says
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.
Liz says
These are beautiful. I definitely must try this recipe. Where can I find parfait glasses like yours? Thanks!
Carla says
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.
Sarah says
I don’t have sour cream will I be able to omit it from the recipe?
Carla Cardello says
I will preface this by saying I haven’t had it without the sour cream. However, since it’s only 2 tablespoons, it’s there to bring some tang to the cheesecake. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt if you have it, but if you don’t, you can leave it out. Again, I haven’t tried it, but I’m guessing it’ll just affect the flavor slightly and not ruin the dish. It’ll still be cheesecake without the tang.