What is in a basic no-bake cheesecake?

I do love making no-bake cheesecakes! They are so versatile and incredibly easy to put together. You just need to remember the 4 main ingredients;

• the cookies for the base and for the filling,
• fresh cream
• cream cheese
• and sugar

What flavors can I make for a no-bake cheesecake?

You can play around and experiment with different flavor combinations, or make a very simple vanilla cheesecake and add a topping. You could even keep it really simple by adding a pie filling on the top as your topping if you were in a rush and didn't have time to make your own topping.

Can I use frozen fruit to make a cheesecake?

Keeping a small supply of fruits in your freezer or canned in your store cupboard comes in handy for when you wish for a cheesecake! Particularly in the Winter months when berries aren't as sweet as in the Summer.

If you have some frozen, they will be sweet.

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

4 Hours refrigeration

Yield

6 servings

Equipment

4 heart-shaped cookie cutters, approximately 4 inches in diameter or 1x 8-9 inch cake round springform pan.

Ingredients

The Base

2 & ½ oz or 75 g butter
8 oz or 220 g Digestive Biscuits (cookies, see below) or Honey Graham Crackers

The Filling

7 fl oz or 200 ml fresh whipping cream
7 oz or 200 g cream cheese (room temperature)
3 & ½ oz or 100 g of strawberries fresh or frozen
1 Tablespoons Icing sugar / powdered sugar (optional)
***Hold back a handful of the strawberries for the top decoration if you wish

1. Cut out some parchment paper and line the base of the tin.

2. Place all your digestives / Graham Crackers in a zippy bag,

and using a rolling pin bash them until they become fine crumbs.

If you are using frozen strawberries, dry them off after defrosting with kitchen paper. Mash the strawberries or put them in a blender to smooth.

3. In a mixing bowl (large enough to hold the digestives) melt the butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. It should be liquid. If not, heat for a further 10 seconds, or until it has completely melted. Add the crumbed digestives to the butter and mix very well until it is all incorporated.

5. Use the back of your hand and go along the edges pushing the mix down and compressing.

Use the bottom of a glass or other object and compress the digestives mixture as much as possible. The harder it is the less likely it will come apart when you take it out of the pan. 

Tips for making this no-bake cheesecake

• If you are worried the cheesecake has not set, place it in the freezer for 60 minutes before you are ready to serve it, and then remove it from the tin and cut whilst it is still cold.
• It is easier to cut 'clean' slices if you use a very sharp knife under hot water first, and cut straight through the pie.
• If you want to achieve a smooth finish on the top of the pie, use a long-bladed flat rounded knife, dip in a glass of hot water and smooth the surface and sides.