strawberry cheesecake tart

You guys, this strawberry cheesecake tart is SO EASY to make!  I even shortened the prep time by hours when I decided to go ahead and use a store-bought puff pastry crust.  This one is too good to wait for, you’ll see what I mean!

why I love this recipe

I realized this morning that Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away, and thought to myself that this would make such a fun and fancy dessert for my husband and children! If you like this, you'll also love my Blackberry Cheesecake Tart!

While I can’t find fresh strawberries right now in here in the sunflower state, our local supermarket had a new shipment arrive. The berries looked plump and juicy and I knew I needed to find some way to brighten up our lives with a fresh puff pastry dessert! Throw in a little cheesecake filling and voila! A strawberry cheesecake tart that is simple and delicious!

Jump to:

• why I love this recipe
• 3 HELPFUL TIPS FOR USING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
• HOW TO THAW PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
• MUST-HAVE BAKING TOOLS FOR A PERFECT CHEESECAKE TART
• CAN I MAKE A DOUBLE-BATCH OF THIS PUFF PASTRY DESSERT RECIPE?
• INGREDIENTS FOR STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART
• HOW TO MAKE A STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART
• Recipe
• 3 HELPFUL TIPS FOR USING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
• HOW TO THAW PUFF PASTRY SHEETS
• Comments

3 HELPFUL TIPS FOR USING PUFF PASTRY SHEETS

1. Meet your new bff, parchment paper. Once the pastry has warmed up for ten minutes, unfold the pastry onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper.
2. If the pastry cracks when unfolding, sprinkle the crack with water and press the edges back together to seal.
3. If thawed pastry sheets become warm or sticky after thawing, place them back in the freezer for five minutes to firm them back up. Once the pastry is chilled, continue with the steps of making the puff pastry dessert recipe.
4. Puff pastries truly do puff like a hot air balloon in the oven.  I accidentally let my first one swell into the oven rack above it… learn from my mistakes! Give them plenty of room to expand during baking. 
5. To go along with #4, the puff pastry can be fixed if it swells too high during baking.  Use a large, flat spatula or wooden spoon to gently press the pastry back down as soon as it comes out of the oven.  I had to do this with both of the tarts I made today.

HOW TO THAW PUFF PASTRY SHEETS

Remove the pastry from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for up to thirty minutes. The pastry sheet is thawed enough when it still feels cold, but can be unfolded without tearing.  

The pastry can also be thawed by using the microwave. To use this method, remove the frozen pastry dough from the box and outer wrapping.  Cover it with a paper towel and microwave it for 15 seconds on high.  Turn the pastry over and microwave for another 15 seconds.

TIP: Keep the pastry chilled!  It should never reach room temperature. Once it is ready to be unfolded and rolled out, work fast to get it in the oven quickly.

MUST-HAVE BAKING TOOLS FOR A PERFECT CHEESECAKE TART

As an amazon associate, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Here’s the bare minimum that is necessary to make this creamy lemon cheesecake filling.  No fuss, just the nitty-gritty.  Unless you have incredible bicep and forearm power, an electric mixer or stand mixer is totally necessary.  The soften cream cheese, whipping cream and sugar must be whisked until smooth and creamy.  Even when I use my mixer on a high speed, it still takes several minutes.  Feeeeeel the burn!  Or get a cheap hand mixer.  I’m using my DASH electric hand mixer.  Totally worth every penny and barely takes up any storage space.

I also would not attempt this recipe if I didn’t have a silpat mat or parchment paper.  Puff pastry dough is very delicate and prone to tearing.  I can’t imagine lifting it onto a baking sheet without a liner under it.

Honestly, that’s pretty much it.  Most tart recipes will say you need a tamper to press the puff pastry back down after it has baked (it tries to turn into a balloon, EVERY.DAMN.TIME). Would it be handy? Yeah, okay.  But using a hamburger-flipper style metal spatula works great, too.  

CAN I MAKE A DOUBLE-BATCH OF THIS PUFF PASTRY DESSERT RECIPE?

This might be the most important paragraph of this entire post.  If you have never bought or made a puff pastry tart, allow me to educate you real fast on what you get for your $$$.  The puff pastry sheets come in a frozen two-pack.  Two.  Double the fun! 

The lemon curd comes in (approximately) a ¾ cup sized jelly jar.  You only need ⅓ for this recipe.  Is the math clicking yet?  Cream cheese comes in an 8 ounce package… we only need four ounces for a tart.  

By now you have probably figured it out, BUY DOUBLE STRAWBERRIES AND JUST  GO AHEAD AND MAKE TWO TARTS.  Today I made a strawberry and a blackberry.  Literally just bought double the amount of berries and used up the leftover ingredients from the first one. It's like a BOGO cheesecake tart, and who doesn't love that?

INGREDIENTS FOR STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold
• 4 ounces softened cream cheese
• ⅓ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• ⅓ cup lemon curd
• 1 pint strawberries
• ¼ cup seedless strawberry jam, warmed
• Powdered sugar for dusting

HOW TO MAKE A STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART

TO MAKE THE PUFF PASTRY CRUST:

1. Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Gently unfold the thawed puff pastry onto an area lightly dusted with flour.  Carefully roll the pastry dough to a 10 x 11 inch rectangle. Transfer the puff pastry to the lined baking sheet. 
2. Brush the pastry edges with a bit of water. Fold each of the four edges over to create a lip. Use a fork to poke holes all over the middle of the tart. Gently brush the entire tart with an egg wash and sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of sugar. 
3. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. The center of the pastry will likely have puffed up. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently press the puffed area back down. Transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.

TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:

Whisk the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl until smooth.  Add the heavy cream and mix for one minute more. Fold in the lemon curd until just incorporated.

TO ASSEMBLE THE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE TART:

Carefully spread the cheesecake mixture over the center of the cooled tart crust. Arrange the strawberries in a grid pattern over the curd and drizzle with the warmed jam. Finish by dusting the tart with powdered sugar.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead

Recipe