The delightful flavours of citrus and berries make this no bake strawberry lemon cheesecake perfect for a summer gathering.
Are you a messy baker or a tidy one? I confess I am a messy baker. And for some unknown reason, I love to use a lot of utensils. I do try and clean as I go sometimes. Colleagues at work keep asking why I don’t take part in baking competitions, like Great British Bake Off. Erm no!!! I will be that baker with the messiest station, who will probably have a melt down if anything goes wrong. Maybe one day I will enter a competition. Just not now.
Let’s talk cheesecake
No bake cheesecake are my favourite kind of desserts to make. It requires no baking and very few ingredients.
The best pan to use for cheesecakes is a springform pan. The removable sides make it easy to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the cake tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. Press the cookie crust made with crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter into the bottom of the pan. Use the back of teaspoon to press the crust down. Chill the crust in the fridge whilst you make the cheesecake layers.
To create the tangy flavours of the lemon cheesecake layer cheesecake, I used a combination of lemon juice and extract. Add the zest of one lemon if you want a more intense lemon flavour.
The strawberry cheesecake layer is filled with lots of berry flavour. I started off by making a strawberry compote. The compote was made by cooking fresh strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and corn flour. To finish off the strawberry cheesecake layer I folded the cooled compote into the cheese mixture.
The cheesecake is light , yet still creamy and rich. All the textures and flavours my tatse buds love to feel when eating a cheesecake. I whipped cream until soft peaks formed and then added melted gelatin. Gelatin helps set the cheesecake. It also makes it more stable and easier to slice. Fold the whipped cream in a mixture of mascarpone and cream cheese.
This strawberry lemon cheesecake tastes so amazing. The flavours of berry and citrus compliment each other . Plus it is light which makes it the ideal dessert to serve at a barbecue.
You can make the cheesecake at least a week in advance and froze until you are ready to serve. Thaw in the fridge a day before you are ready to serve.
Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 300 grams (2 cups) crushed digestive biscuits
- 60 grams (1/4 cup) melted butter
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Lemon Cheesecake Layer
- 7 grams gelatin powder
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 250 grams (8.81 ounces) cream cheese
- 250 grams (8.81 ounces) mascarpone
- 150 grams (¾ cup) caster sugar
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) whipped cream
Strawberry Cheesecake Layer
- 200 grams (7 ounces ) strawberries
- 100 grams (½ cup) sugar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 3 teaspoons  cornflour
- 250 grams (8.81 ounces) cream cheese
- 250 grams (8.81 ounces) mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) caster sugar
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) whipped cream
- 7 grams gelatin powder
- 60 ml water
- Whipped cream to decorate
Instructions
- In a bowl combine digestive crumbs, melted butter and light brown sugar until crumbs are moist. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and a little up the sides of a 20cm loose bottom or springform tin. Chill in fridge whilst preparing filling.
- Whisk together gelatine and water in a small bowl and allow gelatine to bloom. Microwave the bowl of gelatin for 15 seconds until melted.
- To make the lemon cheesecake layer: Beat together mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, extract in a bowl until smooth. Whip cream in bowl of stand mixer until soft peaks form, add in cooled gelatin and then continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in cheese mixture. Pour filling onto biscuit crust and smooth over top with spatula. Cover and put in fridge to chill for 4 hours.
- To make the strawberry cheesecake layer. Place strawberries and sugar in a saucepan and stir to coat all berries with sugar. Cook strawberries over high heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Mix water and corn starch in bowl until combined. Add mixture a little at a time whisking frequently until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let sauce cool to room temperature. Chill in fridge.
- Beat together mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract . in a bowl until smooth. Add in cooled strawberry compote. Whip cream in bowl of stand mixer until soft peaks form, add in cooled gelatin and then continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in cheese mixture. Pour filling over lemon cheesecake and smooth over top with spatula. Cover and put in fridge to chill for 4 hours.
- Decorate with swirls . Store the cheesecake for up to 3 days in the fridge. It also freezes well.
This is SO gorge! And obviously looks insanely delicious, too. The perfect flavor combo!
This looks and sounds delicious. I have a few questions/observations….
What size spring form pan do you use?
In the instructions for the crust you mention to stir “digestive crumbs, melted butter and light brown sugar” but brown sugar is not in the ingredients list.
For the strawberry layer the ingredient list says cornflour but the instructions references corn startch. Also in the strawberry layer instructions you state to “Beat together mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.” However, vanilla extract is not in the ingredients list.