Sweet Treats
Strawberry cheesecake has always been one of my favourite dishes to make. Quick and easy, this no-bake cake would suit anyone looking to try their hand at desserts. This particular cheesecake is light and creamy in texture with bursts of sweetness from the strawberries mixed throughout.
Perfect for a Sunday evening dessert, or a Valentine’s day treat, this cheesecake is sure to have the people in your life smiling from ear to ear.
Ingredients
Base:
275g digestive biscuits
100g real butter
Strawberry filling:
400g cream cheese
100g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract
85ml double cream
400g strawberries
Keep a few strawberries aside for decoration
Method
Place the digestive biscuits in a reusable bag and crush until you are left with fine biscuits crumbs. Place the crumbs in a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter over a low heat until completely liquid and pour over crumbs. Mix through and pour into 8” pan. Push the crumb down, pressing it into the pan to create the base. I like to use the bottom of a glass to push the crumb base together as tightly as possible. I tend to add a bit more of the crumbly base than typical cheesecakes, so if a thinner base is what you prefer, reduce the quantity of digestive biscuits to 200g. Leave the base in the fridge to set while you are making the filling.
In a separate bowl, combine your cream cheese and icing sugar. You can use a hand held mixer here to whip it up, but a wooden spoon would be just as good for this step. When the filling is creamy and smooth, add your vanilla extract and double cream. The double cream will loosen the mixture up, but have no fear, the more you stir it through, the better the texture will become. Chop the strawberries into quarters and mix through the filling.
Take your base from the fridge and pour in the velvety strawberry mix. Use a spatula to push the filling down into the pan and smooth the top. At this point, you could decorate with more strawberries but the choice is yours.
Chill the cheesecake before serving. Overnight would be best for a firm filling, but if you really can’t wait, 2 hours in the fridge is a good marker for time needed.
This particular recipe makes one cheesecake in an 8” springform pan. However, you can double the ingredients as needed or you can create individual cheesecakes by placing the base and filling into ramekins and leaving to chill overnight.