03 Oct Strawberry cheesecake ice blocks recipe

These strawberry cheesecake pops are the perfect low-maintenance dessert for a dinner party, and with strawberries so cheap right now it’s the perfect time to give this recipe a go!

Makes: 12–15

Ingredients
900 g coarsely chopped strawberries
2 tablespoons caster sugar
225 g cream cheese, at room temperature
60 g icing sugar
Pink food colouring (optional)
125 ml thick (heavy) cream
100 g crushed shortbread biscuits
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
10 wooden popsicle sticks

Method

Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Allow to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar and beat until very well combined. Pour the strawberries and any accumulated juices into the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in. For an enhanced strawberry-looking pop, add a drop of pink food colouring.

Fold in the cream using large sweeping motions. Do not over beat.

In a medium bowl, stir the shortbread crumbs and butter together. The mixture should resemble wet sand.

Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a popsicle mould with ten 90 ml capacity cavities, filling each three-quarters full. Bang the mould once or twice on the counter to compact the mixture.

Spoon in the biscuit crumb mixture and press down gently to compact, add the wooden sticks, and freeze for 6 hours (overnight is best).

This recipe features in Sweet Celebrations! by Elise Strachan and is published by Murdock Books, $39.99, available now in all good bookstores and online.