No bake lemon berry cheesecake

Jump to Recipe

I am the first to admit, I am not a baker.

Part of baking takes patience. With two kid on the Autism spectrum, I don’t invest my patience in cooking.

Part of baking is being exact. It’s about the chemistry, right? I like to tweak recipes; switching things changes the chemistry and often results in failures.

Although my daughters’ Autistic traits make them great bakers, baking just isn’t my thing. That’s why I turn to no bake treats as much as I can.

Now when it comes to eating cheesecake, that’s a whole different story.

After all, I come from NY, the home of the cheesecake.  Or is it?

Well, sort of. Like any history, it depends on who is telling it.

You see, we do know ancient Greece used a basic cheesecake recipe: simple ingredients of flour, honey and cheese were formed into a cake and baked. It was considered to be a good source of energy, and there is evidence that it was served to athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. Greek brides and grooms were also known to use cheesecake as a wedding cake.

Move forward thousands of years and know that one of the staples of a modern cheesecake – cream cheese, was invented in 1872. A New York dairy farmer was attempting to replicate the French cheese neufchatel. Instead, he accidentally discovered a process which resulted in the creation of cream cheese. Three years later, cream cheese was packaged in foil and distributed to local stores under the Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand. And the rest is… well, history.

This cheesecake recipe is just something I whipped up (literally) with some things I had on hand, including lemon curd – which seems to be my-go-to of late with so many lemons.

What I love about this recipe:

1. It doesn’t quite taste like cheesecake. The lemon evolves the taste into something more refreshing.
2. The ginger crust gives the whole dessert a lift and sophistication for what’s basically some sweetened cream cheese.
3. Lemon and berries – how can it be any better?
4. You have some options. If you don’t like ginger, use graham crackers. I also like mine a more lemony (and have tons of lemons on hand) so I added some extra lemon to my mixture, as well as zest. That is also optional. Choose the berries that you like. I tend to use raspberries and blueberries. Strawberries are also lovely.
5. It’s no bake, of course.

Melt the butter in the microwave using a medium microwave safe bowl. Crush up (I simply used a rolling pin and smashed the suckers!) the ginger snaps into crumbs. Personally, I dig the super-thin ones from Trader Joe’s. (Thin means easier crushing for crumbs.) Add the crumbs to the melted butter and coat thoroughly.

You can choose to do individual or one large cheesecake. (Just remember the bigger the size, the more time it needs to set.)  Press the ginger mixture into the base of each chosen ‘cake holder’ to create your crust. Put in the refrigerator to chill and firm up while you make the cheese portion of the cake.

Whisk the cream with the sugar until thick. Add the cream cheese and the lemon curd and beat until mixed well. Add half the berries and mix again. Depending on the berries, they make break up a little in the mixture. That is completely okay and gives a great swirl of color to the cheesecake. Load the cheesecake mixture on top of the ginger crust. Put back in fridge for a few hours until set. Top with the rest of the berries (dusted with sugar if preferred) and dig in.

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

No-Bake Lemon Curd Berry Cheesecake

Refreshingly light citrus melds with berries on a gingery crust for a winning dessert

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 min

Total Time21 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake, dessert,, lemons, no-bake

Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

For the crust

• 8 oz ginger snap cookies
• 1/2 cup butter, unsalted

For the cheesecake filling

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 24 oz cream cheese (3 blocks)
• 1 large lemon, zested and juiced (optional)
• 1 cup lemon curd
• 2 pints fresh berries of choice slice strawberries if using

Instructions

To make the crust:

• Choose individual size (glass jars look very pretty) or one big cake. If just one, please use a spring-form pan.
• Melt the butter in a medium sized, microwave safe bowl.
• Crush the ginger snap cookies to make crumbs.
• Combine the crumbs to the bowl with butter and toss thoroughly until it begins to stick well together.
• If using individual servings, divide the crumb mixture equally in the containers. If using a spring-form pan, dump the entire contents into the pan. Either way, press the crumb mixture firmly on the bottom of the container. 
• Chill the crumb mixture in the container(s) while making the cheesecake filling.

To make the cheesecake filling:

• Use a beater to whip the cream, sugar and lemon zest, if using, together until very thick with hard peaks forming.
• Whisk in the lemon juice (if using) and cream cheese and the lemon curd. Fold in half or more of the berries.
• If using a spring-form pan, pour the cheesecake filling into the tin and smooth off. If using individual servings, divide and fill evenly into each container.
• Put in the refrigerator to set. (The spring-form pans will take at least 3 hours.)
• If you choose, dust the remainder of the berries with sugar. Put berries on top of cheesecake(s) and serve.

Notes

Don't have ginger snaps? Use graham crackers and add a couple of teaspoons of ground ginger. 

Or if you don't like ginger, just use graham crackers for the crumb base.