No-Bake Vanilla Cheesecake

Cheesecakes, while being extremely delicious, are notoriously difficult to make. This No-Bake version retains all the rich, creamy goodness of a classic baked cheesecake while eliminating the elaborate process!

This recipe is gelatin-free; The lemon juice helps curdle the fats in the batter and helps the cheesecake set and become firm.

If you are unable to acquire graham crackers, you can substitute them with any unflavoured digestive biscuits (McVities is a good digestive biscuit brand to use) and follow the same procedure to make the crust.

While buying your whipped cream, purchase one that has a fat content of at least 30%. This ensures that upon whipping, the cream will form stiff peaks. Tropolite and True Whip are two Indian brands that have the necessary fat content required for whipped cream.

This cheesecake is quite sweet on its own. Pairing it with something slightly acidic such as fresh berries or a berry compote will balance the flavours and improve the overall taste.

Ingredients for the crust:

75g graham cracker crumbs

20g coarse sugar

A pinch of salt

40g unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for the cheesecake:

340g cream cheese (at room temperature)

55g castor sugar

30g sour cream (click here to make your own sour cream at home)

1 ½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

150ml whipping cream

45g icing sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Berry Compote:

1 cup fresh berries of your choice (blueberries, strawberries, mulberries, etc)

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Method to prepare crust:

1. Add the graham crackers (or digestive biscuits) into a food processor and blend them until fine crumbs have formed.

2. Alternatively, you can add the graham crackers into a ziplock bag, seal it and beat them the bag using a rolling pin until fine crumbs have formed.

3. Transfer the crumbs into a small bowl.

4. Into the bowl, add the castor sugar, salt and melted unsalted butter.

5. Stir the ingredients together until the mixture resembles the texture of wet sand.

6. Add the crust mixture into a 7” spring-form pan and press it down tightly using the back of a flat cup to form the base of the cheesecake.

7. Place the pan into the refrigerator to set until the cheesecake batter is prepared.

Method to prepare the cheesecake batter:

1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until well combined.

2. Add in the sour cream and mix well.

3. Add in the lemon juice, whisk all the ingredients together until well combined and then set the bowl aside.

4. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks have formed.

5. Add half of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently mix it in.

6. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining whipped cream into the mixture, ensuring that you do not deflate the whipped cream. Do not overmix at this stage or your cheesecake will turn out dense.

7. Add the cheesecake batter to the prepared crust and refrigerate for 5-6 hours (preferably overnight) or until firm.

8. This cheesecake remains fresh for 1 week when refrigerated.

Method to prepare berry compote:

1. Add the berries, ¼ cup water, sugar and lemon juice to a heavy bottomed saucepan and set it on medium heat.

2. Make a slurry by combining the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of cold water (this helps thicken the mixture).

3. Once the berry mixture in the saucepan comes to a boil, add the slurry.

4. Reduce the heat to low and mix constantly.

5. Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, take it off the heat and allow the mixture to come to room temperature.

6. Do not allow the compote to cool completely or else it won’t set on top of the cheesecake.

7. Pour the warm compote onto the cheesecake and set in the fridge until firm.