This cheesecake fruit salad is awesome for a side at a potluck or BBQ or even as a dessert! Plus it’s so easy it’s foolproof! The perfect summer salad!
Ummmmm I could eat this berry cheesecake salad recipe for the rest of my life and die happy. Seven years ago we posted this recipe and I’ve been waiting all winter for berry season to hit so we could bring this recipe back to the front for everyone to enjoy.
It’s sweet deliciousness. It seems a little wrong to take all of those healthy berries and turn them into a calorie fest with everything you put in this dish, but guess what, WORTH IT!!
Seriously, you should all make this on a perfect sunny day and eat outside with the family. Or maybe take it to a BBQ so everyone can ask you what the amazing recipe is.
Cheesecake Fruit Salad Ingredients
This fruit salad recipe is so versatile. I’m going to list out the ingredients that we love, but know from the start that you can totally swap out different fruits or flavors of yogurt. Here is what you will need:
- Instant Cheesecake Pudding: You want just the pudding powder to add that yummy cheesecake flavor.
- Cool Whip: adds sweetness and creaminess
- Strawberry Yogurt: adds more fruity flavor and creaminess to the salad
- Bananas: cut into 1/2 inch slices
- Strawberries: stem removed and sliced
- Raspberries: left whole but rinsed
- Optional: Blueberries, Blackberries, Peaches, Cherries or Grapes
- Graham Crackers: If you really want to make this salad taste like a true cheesecake, add crushed up graham cracker.
PRO TIP: After trying many different combinations of fruit in this recipe, I’ve decided my favorite concoction is fresh bananas, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh blackberries. So fresh! Haha!
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Cheesecake Fruit Salad
One of my favorite things about this side dish is that it couldn’t be easier! Just two quick steps and you have a delicious fruit salad.
- In a large bowl, mix the pudding powder, whipped topping and yogurt together.
- Add the fruit and carefully fold it into the creamy cheesecake mixture. Then let it chill in fridge until it’s ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).
These instructions can also be found in the recipe card below where you can also print or save the recipe.
Watch How This Fruit Salad is Made…
Indulge in a delicious and nutritious treat with this recipe for healthy chocolate and strawberries. Perfect for satisfying your sweet cravings without any guilt!
My girlfriend is always saying that she needs to stop eating my treats because I’m always having her try my “experiments”. The other day I was thinking of making a fruit and dip experiment as a healthier treat for her. I was trying to think of something to do with Nutella and strawberries…stuff them, mix it with cool whip, etc, but nothing seemed right.
We had a little vanilla greek yogurt, so I tried swirling a little with the Nutella. Healthy Chocolate and Strawberries was born! It’s fresh and delicious, and much healthier than your typical dip. In fact, one little Chobani Greek yogurt has 16g of protein. Much better for you than chocolate sauce, wouldn’t you say?
So, we concluded that this is the perfect after school snack, fruit and dip for a party, or a late night treat. It tastes like chocolate covered strawberries but with less work and they are fresh, healthy and delicious.
Ingredients for Healthy Chocolate Dip Recipe
You only need 2 ingredients for this healthy chocolate fruit dip! It’s so simple, the kiddos could even make it on their own. Here is what you need:
- Vanilla Greek Yogurt: choose your favorite brand, we prefer Chobani
- Nutella: you can buy large jars at Costco for a great price
You can scale this recipe up for larger gatherings or make a single serving for a quick healthy snack. Using Nutella for the chocolate flavor is so tasty! No cocoa powder needed, which means it is plenty sweet with the vanilla yogurt and Nutella combined.
What to Serve with Chocolate Yogurt Dip
I am a total sucker for all things strawberry! You all know that my favorite dessert of all time is strawberry shortcake, so I always default to strawberries or anything berry.
But you don’t have to stop at just strawberries with this chocolate yogurt dip. This a list of great options for dipping in this yogurt Nutella dip:
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Bananas
- Apples
- Pretzels
- Nilla Wafers
- Graham Crackers
NOTE: If you like a little texture in your chocolate fruit dip, toss a few mini chocolate chips in it.
Variation for Chocolate Fruit Dip
So hear me out…this makes a fabulous dip for fruit or other treats, but since we are using yogurt as the base for the dip, we could also use it in a yogurt parfait. Spoon some Nutella yogurt into a small glass, add some sliced strawberries o
Soft, moist vanilla sheet cake topped with strawberry buttercream – you’ll love the flavor combo and pretty pink color of this vanilla cake with fresh strawberry frosting.
I don’t know about you, but every spring I get so excited as fresh berries come into season. The change in season rejuvenates me, and the new fresh produce always makes me so excited to get into the kitchen and bake.
So when I was grocery shopping and saw ripe, juicy, bright red strawberries coming back in season – it was the perfect reason to make this classic vanilla cake recipe with fresh strawberry frosting.
The cake is a simple vanilla sheet cake that’s made in a 9×13 inch pan. It has a fluffy and moist texture with a soft cake crumb and delicious buttery, vanilla flavor. But it’s the strawberry buttercream made from fresh berries that really makes this cake special.
The buttercream frosting is fluffy and creamy with a delicious strawberry flavor that comes from fresh berries, so there’s nothing artificial or unnatural tasting. I love how the subtle strawberry flavor of the frosting compliments the vanilla cake, without overpowering.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
Here is what you will need to make this tasty vanilla cake and strawberry buttercream frosting:
For the Vanilla Cake
- Dry Ingredients: Cake Flour (sifted, not self rising), Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt
- Wet Ingredients: Unsalted Butter, Granulated Sugar, Eggs, Egg Whites, Vanilla Extract, Sour Cream and Milk
For the Strawberry Frosting
- Fresh Strawberries
- Unsalted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Whipping Cream
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Now making strawberry frosting using fresh berries takes a few extra steps, but it’s definitely worth the process. So I’m going into a little extra detail here on the process, and the full instructions and ingredients are listed in the recipe.
- First we process the fresh berries in the blender. Then the puree is pushed through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- The strawberry puree is then boiled in a saucepan to remove the water/excess liquid. The mixture will boil as you gently stir, and after the mixture boils down it will be thick in consistency and about 1/4 to 1/3 of the original volume. It’s so important to really boil down the puree and remove the excess liquid. Otherwise your frosting will be watery.
- Then the puree needs to cool fully. I recommend putting it in the freezer or refrigerator.
- From there, making the strawberry buttercream is straight fo
This strawberry rhubarb crisp is pure comfort with the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness and a buttery oat topping. I always eat it a la mode!
I grew up with a rhubarb obsessed father. Is it a generational thing? I’m going to bet most people these days have never even tried rhubarb yet everyone’s Mom and Dad seem to love it. I hated it. I mean, wouldn’t even touch the stuff! I’m still a bit weird about it depending on how it is used, but cook it down with sweet berries and sugar and I don’t even know how to explain it, it becomes a whole new creature! It’s so good!!
Recommended Equipment
Before You Begin…
Get about 3 cups of water boiling over high heat. You’ll use the boiling water to soften and prep the rhubarb for the crisp. Rhubarb can be quite bitter but letting in sit in boiling water for a couple of minutes will dull the bitterness.
Ingredients for Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
For the Filling
- Rhubarb: A vegetable that has edible stalks that are usually pink in color. It is quite sour like a lemon but it becomes sweeter as it cooks. It is a great source of antioxidants, fiber and vitamin K.
- Strawberries: You will want to wash and hull the strawberries before cutting them up.
- Sugar: Helps sweeten the filling.
- Brown Sugar: Adds richness and sweetness to the filling.
- Sure Gel Ultra Gel: Thickens the filling so that the filling isn’t water. You can also use flour or cornstarch.
- Lemon Zest: Adds an extra pop of flavor and brightness
- Cardamom: A spice commonly used in Indian food that has a complex flavor that is floral but also citrusy.
For the Topping
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: You can use quick oats too but I love the texture and chewiness the old fashioned oats add.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness to the topping
- Flour: Adds structure to the topping
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and flavor
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors of the topping
- Unsalted Butter: Adds flavor and binds all the ingredients together
The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below. This is just meant to be an overview of the ingredients so keep on scrolling down for all the details.
What are Substitutes for Ultra Gel?
I prefer ultra gel over flour or cornstarch for thickening. I feel like there’s a flavor that accompanies both whereas the ultra gel is flavorless. But if you don’t have ultra gel or you don’t want to buy it, you can use flour or cornstarch.
These chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting start with moist, fudgy chocolate cake. Then they’re topped with creamy strawberry buttercream made from real strawberries.
Chocolate and strawberries – could there be a better combo? There’s just something about fudgy, creamy chocolate and fresh, sweet, juicy berries that go so perfectly together. And when Valentine’s day rolls around, these chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting are the perfect thing.
I always get really excited for Valentine’s Day, and I love the idea of taking a day to appreciate the people we love – and after cold, dreary January, I think everyone can use something to brighten their day.
I don’t typically buy gifts or do anything too fancy for Valentine’s Day – but I love to make a special treat to celebrate. And these chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting are great for February 14th, or whenever you’re looking for a chocolate cupcake recipe that’s just a little extra special.
How to Make Chocolate Cupcakes
The chocolate cupcakes are moist, fudgy, and have a perfectly soft cupcake crumb. Oil keeps the cupcakes moist. Then we’re using buttermilk for a soft, delicate cupcake crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand – you can make your own with vinegar and 1% or 2% milk. Then for a super fudgy rich chocolate flavor, I recommend using dutch process cocoa.
Start by whisking all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together all the wet ingredients. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon the batter into a cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners and bake. Let them cool completely before adding the frosting.
How to Make Strawberry Buttercream
For the strawberry frosting, we’re using real strawberries. You can use fresh or frozen berries – but if using frozen berries just make sure they aren’t packed in syrup or sugar.
First process the berries in your food processor or blender, and then put the juice through a metal sieve to remove the seeds. I usually do about 1/2 at a time and push the mixture through using the back of a spoon. It can be a little tedious – so if you don’t mind seeds in your frosting, you can skip this step.
Then boil the juice down until it’s thick like jam, and place it in the fridge or freezer to cool. After this is done – making the strawberry buttercream frosting is straight forward. Beat the butter until fluffy, then slowly beat in the powdered sugar followed by the cooled, boiled down strawberry puree.
PRO TIP: If you really want to amp up the strawberry flavor (and color), pulverize a half cup or so of freeze-dried strawberries, and mix those in.
What Piping Tip to Use on Cupcakes
You can either frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and tip (I used a 1M) or simply frost them with a knife.
You’ll