You're a few minutes away from the perfect party dish - my no-bake strawberry cheesecake recipe is bursting with fresh strawberries and elegant charm.
- ¼ cup (2fl oz/60 ml) water
- 2 sachets (16 g/5 teaspoons) unflavored powdered gelatin
- 3 cups (9 oz/255 g) plain biscuits (graham crackers or digestive biscuits)
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter, melted
- 3 cups (15 oz/426 g) fresh strawberries, hulled
- ⅓ cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (24 oz/675 g) block cream cheese*
- 1 ½ cups (12 fl oz/360 ml) heavy whipping cream
- extra strawberries and whipped cream for decoration
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In a small bowl add the water and sprinkle over the gelatin. Set aside to set for 10 minutes.
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Blend the biscuits in a food processor until fine crumbs are fine. Pour in the butter and blend until the cookie base comes together.
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Press the cookies into a 9-inch springform pan in a even layer. Cover and place in the fridge until needed.
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Place the sponged gelatin in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until liquified. Let cool down for 5 minutes.
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In the food processor, puree the strawberries and sugar together until lump free.
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Add in the cream cheese and blend until smooth.
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Add about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the cooled liquid gelatin and swiftly whisk to combine. It's the same technique as tempering and will ensure the gelatin does not lump when added and it will effectively set your cheesecake.
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While the machine is running, pour in the cream and the liquid gelatin mixture and continue blending until your mix has thickened.
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Pour cheesecake filling over the prepared crust, cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
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When ready to serve pipe on some whipped cream rosettes and place on fresh strawberries. Store the cheesecake for up to 3 days in the fridge. It also freezes well. Decorate with more lovely things--raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, lemons, roses, lavender, and honeysuckle--on top to create an impressive dessert.
- Use block cream cheese NOT spreadable cream cheese from a tub. Tubs of cream cheese have water added and are softs which will yield you a soft cream cheese that might not set.
- Do NOT skip gelatin. European cream cheese can have a tendency to be softer than what I get here in America. For that reason I made the addition of gelatin mandatory to ensure your cheesecake sets. In European a good option is Neufchâtel which is on the firmer side.
- Incorporate gelatin properly. When adding in the liquid gelatin to the cream cheese mixture it's important it is not too hot or it will set in lumps and will not be effective. Best practice when using gelatin is to mix a tablespoon or so of the cream cheese mixture into the cooled liquid gelatin and mix swiftly together. This will ensure the gelatin does not lump when added to the rest of the cheesecake batter and it will effectively set your cheesecake.
- If you want to try a vegan and dairy-free substitute for whipping cream or heavy cream, try whipping coconut cream instead.
- Prevent leaking. Wrap the bottom piece of your springform pan with parchment paper or tin foil, then assemble the pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with tinfoil to further prevent leakage.
- I saw a gorgeous cheesecake decorated with flowers by ‘Call Me Cupcake’ on Pinterest. That’s where I got the inspiration to adorn my beautiful No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake. I adore Linda Lomelino’s recipes and think you should definitely check out her blog.
- If you're looking for more ways to use fresh strawberries, check out my Strawberry Shortcake, Sublime Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler, Strawberry Cornmeal Quick Bread, and Strawberry 3-Ingredient Microwave Jam.