Making No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake

This cake goes out to Rubberbend (and a slice goes to YourstrulyJustin who answered the MENSA question correctly) who said that I should try out this recipe because he strongly feels, and I quote, that “it’s the bomb”.

I’ve always evaded making cheesecakes because A. I’ve never liked it that much (it’s more of the sister’s favourite - the more reason not to make it) and B. I don’t have a springform tin, which is crucial when it comes to successful cheesecakes. But since this was a foodwish, I had to make it and so I lined a circular casserole dish of some sort with some cling film and prayed that it’ll come out intact. It did.

The recipe itself is actually pretty straightforward; the most difficult part is having to wait for the cheesecake to firm up for 5+ hours (preferrably overnight). I was glad that the recipe didn’t include chocolate because for some reason I find the combination of chocolate and cheesecake (not cheese) one of the worst chocolate combination out there (next to the watermelon and chocolate combo). I had also initially wanted to make a mirror glaze for this cheesecake because of watching that Antique Bakery trailer,

but decided not to in the end because I was afraid it might mess up the cheesecake. That and the sister’s “You’re not pro enough yet, these people studied for years in France before they could do it!” was persuasion enough.

NO-BAKE CHERRY CHEESECAKE (recipe from AllRecipes):

[ 1 1/2 cup cracker or biscuit crumbs + 1/3 cup packed brown sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/3 cup butter, melted + 2 cups cream cheese + 2 teaspoon lemon juice + 2 cups heavy cream + 1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 can cherry pie filling or some jam for topping ]

In a bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the melted butter mix until combined.

Press into a springform tin or a normal tin lined with cling film and using the bottom of a glass or something similar, press lightly on the crumb layer so that it’s tightly packed.

Chill crust in the fridge.

Beat the cream cheese and lemon juice until soft. Add in the heavy cream and continue to beat until thick.

Add in the sugar and continue to beat until stiff.

Pour into the chilled crust and return to the fridge.

Chill for several hours to overnight.

In the last hour before serving, either buy or make some cherry pie filling (or just use some jam).

CHERRY PIE FILLING:

[ 2 cups pitted cherries or canned cherries + 1/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon water ]

Place cherries into a saucepan over medium heat, and cover the pan; heat cherries until they release their juice and come to a simmer, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir often.

Add in the sugar and stir again.

Whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth; pour the mixture into the hot cherries and juice, and stir until thoroughly combined.

Return to low heat, bring to a simmer, and cook until the filling has thickened, for about 2 minutes. You’ll know if it’s thick enough when the juice can coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and let cool before using.