No-Bake Cheesecake with Cherry Compote
Speed - 100%
Simplicity - 97%
Tastiness - 95%
97%
Amazing!
Wow, I thought cheesecake was a complicated affair but this No-Bake Cheesecake with Cherry Compote was easy and fantastic. Will definitely make again!
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 1 8-9" Graham Cracker Crust store-bought
- 12 ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
- 0.5 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Vanilla Bean seeded
- pinch Salt
- 0.5 cups Heavy Cream
Cherry Compote
- 1 pound Frozen Cherries
- 0.5 cups Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- lemon juice
- Lemon Zest
- pinch Salt
Instructions
No-Bake Cheesecake
- Using a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese till smooth.
- Stream in sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean, and salt and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to medium stiffness.
- Fold into the cream cheese mixture till just blended.
- Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and spread evenly, placing in fridge to chill.
Cherry Compote
- Toss cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest and pinch salt.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the mixture to a simmer and let cook out for a couple minutes till thick.
- Set aside to cool.
- Serve no-bake cheesecake sliced with a spoonful of cherry compote over top.
This no-bake cheesecake is a great treat for summer, a quick and light-feeling dessert that can literally be whipped up in minutes. If you love the decadence and satisfaction of a classic American-style cheesecake, this recipe satisfies the craving in less than half the time it would take to bake one. This is also sometimes known as an “icebox cheesecake” given that you chill it in the icebox before serving!
Here I have called for you to purchase a pre-made cheesecake crust (hey, if we want to make a speedy dessert, why not really push the speediness factor?), but if you have a little extra time and graham crackers around, making your own is simple. Crush graham crackers till they are completely sandy and measure about a cup and a half, and add melted butter until the crumbs just begin to hold together. Press into a pie tin and bake for 5-8 minutes at 325 degrees F. Let cool before filling!
As for the cherry compote, I have called for frozen cherries as they may be easier to find than fresh. However, if you're ambitious and the season is right, fresh cherries make a wonderful compote. I like to cook half of them per these same directions, and leave half fresh to fold in at the end. If you're using the frozen, proceed as indicated and your results will be no less delicious.
For the cheesecake filling, using a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese till smooth. Cream cheese, depending on the brand you favor, will often have little clumps that stubbornly remain in it so be mindful of this and take your time to cream it well. Remove the bowl off the stand mixer if needed to scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle attachment midway through.
Stream in the sugar, and continue beating to aerate it a bit. Add the fresh lemon juice, vanilla bean, and salt and mix all together well. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to medium stiffness– this means the peaks on the whipped cream ‘waves' will stand up fairly pointed, then the very tip will gently fall over. Any further stiff and you've gone too far, but because this recipe is so simple it's not the end of the world! Add a touch more of cream if that happens and fold to combine and loosen. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture till just blended.
Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and spread evenly, then place in the fridge to chill.
For the cherry compote, toss the thawed cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest and pinch salt. This should really get the juices in the fruit going! In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the mixture to a simmer and cook out for a couple minutes, stirring well the whole time, until the cornstarch is activated and the mixture thickens a good amount. Set aside to cool.
Serve no-bake cheesecake sliced with a spoonful of cherry compote over top.
Ingredients
Cheesecake
- 1 8-9" Graham Cracker Crust store-bought
- 12 ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
- 0.5 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Vanilla Bean seeded
- pinch Salt
- 0.5 cups Heavy Cream
Cherry Compote
- 1 pound Frozen Cherries
- 0.5 cups Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- lemon juice
- Lemon Zest
- pinch Salt
Instructions
No-Bake Cheesecake
- Using a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese till smooth.
- Stream in sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean, and salt and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to medium stiffness.
- Fold into the cream cheese mixture till just blended.
- Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and spread evenly, placing in fridge to chill.
Cherry Compote
- Toss cherries with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest and pinch salt.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the mixture to a simmer and let cook out for a couple minutes till thick.
- Set aside to cool.
- Serve no-bake cheesecake sliced with a spoonful of cherry compote over top.
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