No Bake Cheesecake

 

Oh how my mom loved cheesecake.  Next to carrot cake and coconut cream pie it was one of her favorite things to eat.  One time she asked me if I had a recipe for a simple and easy no bake cheesecake. 

I was only too happy to oblige by sharing this easy No Bake Cheesecake recipe with her!  I never did get to make it for her in person, but I like to think that she did make it for herself from time to time.

 

 

That is one thing (amongst many things) that always impressed me about my mother. Although she lived on her own for many, many years, she always did cook a meal for herself almost every day. 

If funny now, here I am almost mirroring her situation and living on my own, all alone for the first time in my life!  I am gaining an even deeper appreciation for her life and how she lived it.  Life does have a way of surprising you!

  

Before we know it the hot temperatures of summer will be upon us. Another month and we will be complaining that it is far too hot and muggy. 

That is when desserts such as this simple one will come in very handy.  Desserts where all you have to do is stir a few things together and stick them in the refrigerator to set up!

Quick and easy recipes such as this one are nice to have up your sleeve when you having company over and you want to feed them something tasty without having to break into a sweat!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

Just a few simple things and you, too, can make this lush dessert pie/cake! 

• 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
• 16 ounces (500g) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature (2 large packages)
• 14 ounce can (397g) tin of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1/3 cup (40g) full fat dairy sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

To serve (Optional):

• 1 tin of fruit pie filling
• whipped cream

 

I recognize that in the UK a ready made graham cracker crust will not be readily available.  And actually in all truth I much prefer a home made one myself. They are a lot sturdier.

If you want to make your own homemade crust you will need:

6 TBS butter, melted (86g)

1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs (in the UK 135g Digestives, made into fine crumbs)

1/4 cup fine granulated sugar (50g)

 

Just combine all of the ingredients together with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened and press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie tin, pressing them in evenly. You can chill this for a bit if you like in order for it to set.

I find the homemade crust sets a lot firmer than the store made ones.

Don't use half fat or low fat ingredients for this cheesecake.  In for a penny in for a pound. I cannot vouch for whether they will work well or not.

 

When I am talking about sweetened condensed milk here I am talking about what is called condensed milk in the UK.  It is thick and very sweet and not to be confused with evaporated milk which is very thin and comes in a much bigger tin! 

It does call for sour cream.  Again use full fat. It is the sour cream which helps this to thicken and set up. Do NOT be tempted to leave it out. You need the acid from it.

I always enjoy cherry pie filling with my cheesecake.  But you can top it with whatever you like.  At the Big Scoop they top their cheesecake with whipped cream.

 

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

The most difficult part of this quick and easy recipe is waiting for it to set up in the refrigerator.  I recommend at least three hours for it to do so, and in reality the longer you leave it the better.

Overnight is really good if you can wait that long! 

 

Using an electric mixer (hand or stand) beat the cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk until everything is smooth and well amalgamated. Stir in the sour cream.

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust, smoothing the top.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours. 

Longer is better. Overnight is ideal! (If you can wait that long!)

Cut into wedges to serve along with your favorite fruit filling spooned over top, whipped cream, etc. I love chilled cherry pie filling myself!

 

If you are fond of easy desserts that don't require a whole lot of cooking you might enjoy these ones below:

EASY LEMON REFRIGERATOR DESSERT - If you can use a hand mixer, then you can make this and your family will be so impressed with the end result, they will think you slaved all day! It boasts a base of shortbread fingers, lightly soaked and then topped with a lush lemon filling. I like to spoon jam over top to serve. 

EASY BLACKBERRY & LEMON DESSERT - All you need for these are a few simple things.  Berries, water, sugar, Greek Yogurt, cream, lemon curd and some crisp meringues.  Easy peasy. Not a lot of sugar either. Only 2 TBS, which is quite reasonable.

 

LUSH AND CREAMY LEMON MOUSSE - As simple as folding prepared lemon curd into softly whipped cream . . .  that's it! How much easier could you get than that!

 

LEMON CREAM PIE - This is an all time family favorite and very much requested any time of the year.  We all love LOVE this one! 

So there you have it.  A quick and easy dessert for the weekend. I put mine together early this morning and was able to enjoy it by early afternoon.  When something goes together as quickly as this, its not a very big hardship to take 15 minutes to put it together.

Your family will surely thank you for your efforts. No need to tell them how very easy it was to make! It can be our little secret!

No Bake Cheesecake

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinInactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M

This is a delicious no bake dessert that goes together in 15 minutes. The hardest part of this is waiting for it to chill and set up! It can also be done in individual jars with crumbs on the bottom and fruit filling on top for a quick and easy single serving dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
• 16 ounces (500g) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature (2 large packages)
• 14 ounce can (397g) tin of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1/3 cup (40g) full fat dairy sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

To serve (Optional):

• 1 tin of fruit pie filling
• whipped cream

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer (hand or stand) beat the cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
2. Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk until everything is smooth and well amalgamated. Stir in the sour cream.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust, smoothing the top.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours. Longer is better.
5. Cut into wedges to serve along with your favorite fruit filling spooned over top.

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