This no-bake lemon cheesecake with stone fruit and berries is a fragrant and tempting dessert that will have you doing more eating and entertaining than cooking. It's a simple cake that looks and tastes like a million bucks.
Hooray! After all of your searching the internet you have finally found the no bake cheesecake you've been looking for!!!!
This no bake lemon cheesecake is the perfect recipe WITHOUT gelatine or condensed milk!!! I like my cheesecake soft and light and very creamy. So, I knew that I had to get rid of the gelatine. When your ingredients are of good quality and well mixed a recipe doesn't need the gelating anyway. This recipe was designed to be perfect without, so we don't need the gelatine to act as an insuracne policy. A no-bake cheesecake is always a winner in these mid-summer months and this cake checks all the boxes.
Top 5 Reasons to make No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
- Make Ahead
- Buttery biscuit base
- Soft fluffy texture
- Gelatine free
- Layered with honeycomb, fresh berries and cream this is perfect for a fancy garden party or a BBQ
When I was creating the recipe for this cheesecake, I knew I wanted to make it approachable for everyone. So that meant making it vegetarian-friendly. It also meant that I wanted it to be really simple. That meant limiting ingredients.
I found a ton of no bake cheesecake recipes that called for condensed milk or gelatine or a mixture of the two. This no bake lemon cheesecake had to be as easy as it could be. So I scrapped gelatine, making it perfect for veggies and I got rid of the need for condensed milk, making it all a little quicker and simpler to pull together quickly.
Step By Step No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
Step 1.
- To make the crust (the best part!) all you need to do is blend the biscuits in the food processor until they're sandy in texture. Melt some butter either in a pan on the stove or in a microwave. Add the melted butter to the biscuits or graham crackers and mix them together.
- Press this mixture into the cake tin (use a springform or a loose bottom tin) and press up the sides of the pan. Let that set for about 1 hour in the fridge.
Chef's pro tip: Pop the tin in the freezer for about 20 minutes to speed up the process and you'll be ready for filling.
Step 2.
- Whip the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon zest and juice until it's really soft and fluffy. Set this aside. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- Pour into the crust and let set overnight or for at least 6 hours. If you are in a real hurry, you can pop this in the freezer for 3 hours to set, but then remove to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
*This part is really important- you may be tempted to whip the cream a little bit stiffer to ensure that you have a thicker cream to help the cake set better. If the cream is too stiff you will need to overmix the cake and you'll end up with split cream and it will be a mess. Avoid the temptation!
Can you freeze a no bake cheesecake?
Absolutely!!! This is perfect for freezing. Because I cook so much, we often portion up desserts like this no-bake lemon cheesecake and freeze them wrapped individually. That way we can take the pieces out one at a time and not have to worry about waste, or having to eat a whole cheesecake!
If you need a real make-ahead solution, this cake can be made the day before. You could even make this two days before you need it. Just leave any decoration and garnishes until the day of serving.
And don't worry, you won't have leftovers!
Thanks so much for reading and cooking along with me! If you make these bars or have a question, I'd love it if you left a comment and a rating. You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to see what we're eating, pinning and a little behind the scenes too!
Lemon No Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 250 g digestive biscuits or graham crackers crushed
- 100 g butter melted and cooled
- 600 g soft cream cheese
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 100 g icing sugar sifted
- 285 ml pot double cream whipped
- For the toppings
- Double cream or heavy cream whipped
- seasonal fruit
Instructions
- In a food processor, crumb the biscuits until they are the texture of sand, about 3 minutes. While the processor is mixing, add the melted butter in a steady stream to the crumbs. It should start to clump and look like wet sand. Pour the buttered crumb into the bottom of a prepared tin and press firmly into place and part way up the sides of the tin. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set firmly.
- Whip the double or whipping cream to soft peaks and set aside.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Add the sifted icing sugar and the lemon juice and zest. Mix until combined.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture being careful not to over mix and knock all the air out. Pour into the prepared tin and place in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Unmould the cake by gently running a hot dry knife around the edge of the cake tin. Release the cake and top with extra whipped cream and fresh fruit.
TRISH GARDINER says
This was very easy to make and it was delicious. This is the first cheesecake I've ever made (and I have made lots), without using gelatine, it was super soft and flavoursome My family are not big cream fans so next time I may not put the whipped cream on top. I'm sure it will be just as yummy. Thank You.