PREPARE THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place ginger snap crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and ground ginger in a small bowl and stir together. Add melted butter and combine. Pour crumb mixture into an 9” springform pan and tamp down crumbs into an even layer. Transfer to oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool completely.
PREPARE THE FILLING: Add sugar, milk, salt, egg yolks and gelatin into the top of a double boiler and stir until sugar and gelatin dissolve. With double boiler bottom 1/4 full with boiling water, put double boiler top in place. Reduce heat and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove top from double boiler and cool completely.
Pour cottage cheese into a fine sieve resting on a medium-sized bowl. Using a spoon, pass the cottage cheese through the sieve. Reserve.
Place cream into a small bowl and whip. Place egg whites into another small bowl and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
Add orange juice and zest to the cooled gelatin mixture and stir together. Pour onto the sieved cottage cheese and stir these ingredients together. Fold in whipped cream and egg whites.
ASSEMBLE: Pour cheesecake filling into crust-lined springform pan. Tap gently on counter to release any bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours, preferably overnight.
TO SERVE: Remove cheesecake from fridge and uncover 5 minutes before serving. With the pan sitting on a flat surface, gently release the springform clip and lift the ring up and away from the cheesecake. Cut into wedges and serve with assorted fresh berries.
No-Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
1½ cups ginger snap crumbs
1/3 of cup of granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling:
3 cups 4% cottage cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
pinch of kosher salt
2 egg yolks
2 pouches of gelatin
zest of one orange
juice of half an orange
1 cup 35% cream
2 egg whites
fresh berries for garnish
Directions
PREPARE THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place ginger snap crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and ground ginger in a small bowl and stir together. Add melted butter and combine. Pour crumb mixture into an 9” springform pan and tamp down crumbs into an even layer. Transfer to oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool completely.
PREPARE THE FILLING: Add sugar, milk, salt, egg yolks and gelatin into the top of a double boiler and stir until sugar and gelatin dissolve. With double boiler bottom 1/4 full with boiling water, put double boiler top in place. Reduce heat and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove top from double boiler and cool completely.
Pour cottage cheese into a fine sieve resting on a medium-sized bowl. Using a spoon, pass the cottage cheese through the sieve. Reserve.
Place cream into a small bowl and whip. Place egg whites into another small bowl and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
Add orange juice and zest to the cooled gelatin mixture and stir together. Pour onto the sieved cottage cheese and stir these ingredients together. Fold in whipped cream and egg whites.
ASSEMBLE: Pour cheesecake filling into crust-lined springform pan. Tap gently on counter to release any bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours, preferably overnight.
TO SERVE: Remove cheesecake from fridge and uncover 5 minutes before serving. With the pan sitting on a flat surface, gently release the springform clip and lift the ring up and away from the cheesecake. Cut into wedges and serve with assorted fresh berries.
No-Bake Cheesecake
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A light and soft textured filling made with creamy orange-scented cheese on a butter, sugar and ginger snap crust.
No two ways about it, this No-Bake Cheesecake is one tasty dessert!
This unexpected twist on the classic NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE recipe is another treasured find from my mom’s recipe box. I’ve found many a tasty sweet from back in the day: dump cakes, surprise casseroles and Jell-o salads. You are going to love this super tasty idea for cheesecake.
Let’s get back to this NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE, shall we?
Preparing this recipe had one or two challenges. My mom’s recipe card came complete with vague directions and missing quantities. Thankfully I love a challenge, especially when it involves a culinary endeavour. I tried and tested numerous versions until I got it right. I think my mom would approve.
This dessert is prepared using cottage cheese. I opted for the full-proof 4% thinking a rich flavour was the order of the day. The most difficult (read: frustrating) part of the recipe is where we pass the cottage cheese through a mesh sieve. It takes more time than I imagined, and got me thinking, “Why couldn’t we just use ricotta cheese?” Ah, I guess it’s just one of life’s great mysteries!
Making the ginger snap crust for this cheesecake is really easy. Melt the butter, stir in the cookie crumbs, spices and sugar, press and cool. Easy! The next part, not so much.
There’s a key step in the process where we heat milk, sugar, egg yolks and gelatin in the top of a double boiler. This too took longer than expected – about 10 minutes – before the mixture was thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be patient.
The original recipe calls for lemon zest and lemon juice, but because I had already made the cheesecake a number of times for the test runs, I decided to substitute the lemon for orange – I just prefer the flavour. That said, feel free to try your version using the lemon or even lime. A citrus flavour belongs in this recipe.
We like the idea of this dessert being a perfect make-ahead, so we tested different refrigeration times. Although we’re recommending refrigerating overnight, you’ll still have great results if you refrigerate for six hours. Stay cool!
Our NO-BAKE CHEESECAKE is a treasured recipe your family will love.
PREPARE THE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place ginger snap crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and ground ginger in a small bowl and stir together. Add melted butter and combine. Pour crumb mixture into an 9” springform pan and tamp down crumbs into an even layer. Transfer to oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and cool completely.
PREPARE THE FILLING: Add sugar, milk, salt, egg yolks and gelatin into the top of a double boiler and stir until sugar and gelatin dissolve. With double boiler bottom 1/4 full with boiling water, put double boiler top in place. Reduce heat and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove top from double boiler and cool completely.
Pour cottage cheese into a fine sieve resting on a medium-sized bowl. Using a spoon, pass the cottage cheese through the sieve. Reserve.
Place cream into a small bowl and whip. Place egg whites into another small bowl and beat until they hold stiff peaks.
Add orange juice and zest to the cooled gelatin mixture and stir together. Pour onto the sieved cottage cheese and stir these ingredients together. Fold in whipped cream and egg whites.
ASSEMBLE: Pour cheesecake filling into crust-lined springform pan. Tap gently on counter to release any bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least six hours, preferably overnight.
TO SERVE: Remove cheesecake from fridge and uncover 5 minutes before serving. With the pan sitting on a flat surface, gently release the springform clip and lift the ring up and away from the cheesecake. Cut into wedges and serve with assorted fresh berries.