Easy No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

If you are looking for an easy, light, and fluffy dessert made from simple ingredients this No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake made with fresh strawberries is just the one for you! This Strawberry Cheesecake is the perfect summer dessert and makes a great gift for family and friends.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

For the Base

• 300 grams Shortbread Cookies

• ⅓ cup (75 grams) Butter, unsalted, melted

For the Strawberry Sauce 

• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 

• 2 tbsp Water

• 2 Sachets (14 grams) Powdered Gelatin 

• 600g (500 ml/2 cups Pureé) Fresh Strawberries, 

• ⅓  cup (67 grams) Sugar 

• ½ tsp Salt

For the Cheesecake Filling

• 250 grams White Chocolate, melted and cooled  

• 2 Blocks (500 grams) Cream Cheese, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

• 1 cup (240 ml) Whipping Cream 35% fat, chilled

Method

1. In a resealable bag or a food processor, crush the shortbread cookies into a fine crumb. Pour the cookie crumbs into a bowl and add the butter. Using a spatula, work the butter into the crumb till the butter is absorbed by the crumb and it resembles wet sand. 

2. Pour the mixture into an 8” (20 cm) or 9” (22 cm) round springform pan lined with parchment paper. Pour the prepared cookie crumbs into the cake pan and using a spatula first even it out, then press down to form a firm base. Keep it aside for later.

3. Chop and melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments for 1 minute till the chocolate has just melted. Stir till all the chocolate has melted and it turns smooth.

For the Strawberry Sauce

1. Add lemon juice, water, and gelatin into a bowl and leave for 5 minutes for the gelatin to bloom. 

2. Wash and cut the strawberries into small chunks. Add them to a blender and pureé it. Pour the pureé into a small pot. Add sugar, salt, and the bloomed gelatine.

3. Cook on medium heat for 5-8 minutes until the pureé thickens to form a sauce. Pour it through a sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds and pulp. Set it aside to cool to room temperature before using.

For the Cheesecake Filling

1. Add the cream cheese into a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.  Turn the mixer first on medium speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium-high, and whisk until the cream cheese turns light, smooth, and fluffy. Occasionally scrape down the bowl to ensure all the cheese is creamy and smooth.

2. Now add the vanilla extract, and melted cooled white chocolate and mix well. Scrape down the bowl occasionally.

3. Add the whipping cream and whisk till the mixture thickens a little and increases in volume.

4. Pour the cooled strawberry sauce into the mixture and whisk till everything is well blended. Do not overmix.  Finish it off by folding the mixture with a spatula to ensure there are no white cheese streaks in the mixture.

5. Now pour the cheesecake filling into the cake pan on top of the set cookie base. Lightly tap the cake pan on the work surface to take out any air pockets and also give the cake pan a little giggle to smooth out the surface of the cheesecake. 

6. Cover the cake pan with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight or until the cheesecake is fully set. 

7. Once fully set, use an offset spatula or a knife to loosen the top of the cheesecake from the pan. Then release the clasp of the springform pan and take off the ring of the cake pan. It should be released with ease.  

8. You can slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate and decorate it with swirls of whipped cream, strawberry halves, and white chocolate curls.