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A semi-sweet, heart-shaped chocolate bowl filled with a creamy vanilla bean cheesecake mousse topped with a sweet berry compote. An easy-to-make, impressive dessert to share with the ones you love this Valentine’s Day.
Making chocolate bowls to serve desserts in has been on my to do list for a while now. Many recipes create chocolate bowls using balloons that you blow up, dip in chocolate and then pop to create a bowl. I’m a little bit balloon-blowing-up-challenged, so I wanted to find an easier way.
A few years back I bought some Wilton heart shaped silicone baking cups. I decided they would make a perfect mold for a Valentine’s Day dessert. Initially, I dipped the outside of the mold in chocolate, but it was hard to remove the mold, and the inside of the cup was prettier than the outside.
So I switched and ladled chocolate in to the cup, then swirled it around to evenly coat the sides of the baking cups. Now the inside and the outside looked pretty, and they were much easier to remove from the mold.
When I was searching for ideas for fillings for my chocolate hearts, I stumbled on the White Chocolate Mousse Cups recipe on Taste of Home. Their recipes gives directions on how to make chocolate cups in cupcake papers if you don’t want to purchase silicone molds. I decided to make a cheesecake mousse instead of white chocolate mousse, and I added a quick berry compote on top.
There are several steps to make this dessert, but they’re all pretty quick and easy. And best of all, this beautiful dessert tastes as good as it looks.
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Chocolate Cheesecake Mousse Cups with Berry Compote
Ingredients
Cups
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped*
Cheesecake Mousse
- 8 oz. light Neufchatel cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup whipping cream
Berry Compote
- 1 cups frozen sliced strawberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups fresh berries
Instructions
Chocolate Cups
- Place chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly. Continue to microwave and stir at 15 second intervals until smooth and completed melted.
- Put 2 tablespoons chocolate in the bottom of a heart shaped silicone cupcake mold. Slowly rotate the mold at an angle so the chocolate evenly coats the sides of the mold.
- Chill until set, about 25 minutes. Carefully loosen the edges and then slowly peel the baking cup away from chocolate cups. (If you’re using a heart shape, start peeling at the v instead of the point.)
Cheesecake Mousse
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla bean paste. Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Pipe in to chocolate cups. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with mixed berries
Berry Compote
- In a medium saucepan, mix together the frozen strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Over medium heat, bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and is syrupy about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool slightly.
- Add fresh berries and stir to coat berries. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to use
Notes
More Valentine’s Desserts you might like:
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis, Barbara Bakes
Valentine Trifecta Cookies, Barbara Bakes
Valentines Day Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe, Vintage Mixer
Red Velvet Brownie Cups, Taste and Tell
Almond Meringue Recipe with Raspberry Sorbet, Cookin’ Canuck
Linda
I didn’t see the yield on how many dessert cups / filling. How many chocolate cups should I prepare to use up all of the cheesecake filling?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Linda – it will make 8 cups. Enjoy!
Mel
These are absolutely beautiful. I was wondering if full fat cream cheese could be used for this recipe..or is there a specific reason that the lighter version is used?
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Mel – either will work just fine. I used the lighter because that’s in my fridge more often.
Radhika
Hi Barbara,
Just found your lovely blog through Brown Eyed Baker. Love your chocolate cups. I recently made orange parfaits in chocolate cups, and had such a difficult time with the cups.
Radhika
Becky
Love your new site and the mousse cups!! Both are elegant! Hope you are doing well in your full house 🙂 Also, thank you for including my link!!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Becky! We’re doing well. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Maggie
Thanks for this recipe! I made them last night for a group of ladies and they were blown away! This dish looks so fancy yet wasn’t hard to prepare at all..I bought a bag of silicone cups that were muffin liner shaped and had no problem with the chocolate molding..I just made the cups a little on the thick side. I didn’t think my cheesecake filling was very thick, I chilled it a while and it didn’t change…so when I tried filling my pastry bag with it, it went pouring out the tip lol…but it still tasted amazing…do you have any idea what I could add to thicken it up for next time? I added a half cup of powdered sugar but didn’t help. Maybe more? I am going to make this dish often!!!
Barbara Schieving
Hi Maggie – so fun that the ladies loved the dessert. Since you had problems getting the cream to thicken up, next time I would whip the cream separately from the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Then gently fold the whipped whip cream into the beaten cream cheese mixture. Fold in one third of the cream at a time for easier mixing. Then let it set up in the fridge for a bit. You shouldn’t have to add anything else.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know you made them. I need to buy muffin shaped silicone liners.
Maggie
Thank you so much for the advice!! I will definitely try that next time…your blog is one of my favorites and every recipe I have made so far has been delicious!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen
I never would have thought of using those silicone molds for making chocolate forms! Now, I’m keeping my eye open…
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife
ooo those are beautiful!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles
Those look beautiful and delicious. And I’ve never known quite what to do with those baking cups, but now I want to make some of those chocolate shells – fun!
carrian
You are such a pro, Barbara! These look amazing!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
These are so pretty! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Rocky Mountain Woman
I am visiting an ill friend Saturday and told her I would bring a yummy treat. This is perfect, Barbara. She’s going to love it and she could really use a boost right now…
xxoo,
RMW
Barbara Schieving
Sounds perfect! Let me know how she likes them.
patsy
How adorable! I wish I had seen these sooner so I could make them for my kids tomorrow! Maybe we’ll do a sweet treat this weekend instead – wouldn’t want to miss out on trying these out.
Candace
These are beautiful! How many servings/cups does the recipe make?
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Candace! It will make 8 cups (servings).
Claire @ Claire K Creations
Oh yum Barbara, beautiful and delicious looking. I’ve never attempted chocolate baskets. I’m not too good with chocolate!
Auntiepatch
Yum! Thanks!
teresa
oh my goodness, SO YUMMY!! i just requested this for valentine’s day.
ps, i made your trifecta chocolate heart cookies today. i’m having a really hard time not devouring them all!
Barbara Schieving
Hi Teresa – So glad you like the cookies! I know you’ll like these cups too. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
Beautiful!
Laura
Love it, I need to get those silicone cups!
Rosa
Heavely! This dessert is amazing.
Cheers,
Rosa
Maria
SO pretty!