Non-bake Delicious Cheesecake

No fanciful kitchen equipment? No Fret. This is an easy-to-do non-bake Cheesecake that requires no electrical mixer nor oven. Best of all, no baking experience needed!

I was inspired by my wonderful friend J, who brought a Strawberry Cheesecake to my recent BBQ party & I decided to make one to celebrate my students’ graduation. Except for few similar comments from 2 other girlfriends - Strawberry Cheesecake base too hard, cheese too little & gelatin too thick; the cake was lovely especially the presentation. My girlfriends said they’ve tried better ones & would pass me the recipes but I waited in vain for more than a week. Patience soon ran out & I decided to create my own based on my previous Choc Crumbles Party Recipe & keeping in mind the above comments.

The result: The Peachy Lemon Cheesecake was better than expected & my students love it! I'd made 2 trays for my class of 15, wishing them Success in their Career. It was indeed an effort worthwhile. On top of that, the recipe has received popular buzzes at Foodbuzz & is featured @ PetitChef!

As it was my 1st attempt, I chose an economical fruit which is peach. As can peaches are too sweet, I decided to add lemon & zest to the cake to balance the taste & to add fragrant. It was a perfect combination. Only setback, I couldn’t serve the cakes straight from the refrigerator.

I took the cake out & left my home around 6pm that day as my class started at 6.30pm; waited till our 8pm break before serving them. My heart was pounding as I was afraid the jelly could not hold due to our hot climate. Thankfully, it was ok except that it would be much nicer if eaten chilled.

Ingredients for 1 tray:
(Base)
200g McVities digestive biscuits
100g Butter

(Filling)
2 blocks of Cream cheese (about 250g each)
2 pcs of Peach halves
½ Lemon
½ Lemon zest (grated)
1 tbsp Gelatin powder
50ml Water
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 box Jelly crystal (Lemon)
200ml hot water
200ml cold water

(Toppings)
3 pcs of Peach halves
Gummies for decoration

Method:

1. I chose to use McVities Digestive Biscuits because they're the most popular band of cookies in the UK. For a non-messy job, put biscuits into a Zipblock or any plastic holder. Seal it & pound biscuits into crumbs using eg. a rolling pin.

2. Mix crumbs with butter (ensure butter is soft for easy mix).

3. I’ve experimented with lining 2 trays with different material for easy removal. One with foil & another, with grease proof paper. The verdict: It’s so much easier to lift with foil as the latter couldn’t take the weight & also stick to the cake. After lining the tray, transfer the crumbs mixture onto a 12” rectangular tray & press firmly using the base of a spoon. Refrigerate for about an hour.

4. Mix gelatin with 50 ml water & dissolve under slow fire. Set aside to cool.
5. Cut peaches into cubes & set aside. Cut lemon into half & use a slicer to remove skin & grate it.

6. Whisk cheese, vanilla essence, zest & lemon juice & blend in gelatin. Add peaches & mix gently.

7. Spoon cheese mixture onto tray. Top up with remaining peaches & chill for about 2 hrs.

8. Dissolve jelly crystal in hot water, then add cold water. Ensure jelly is cool before pouring onto cheese mixture. Continue to refrigerate for another 3 hrs.

9. Using a spatula, gently loosen the cake at the sides. Remove from tray by lifting the foil & you'll get your nice cake.

10. Cut & put individual pieces into cake holders. Add gummies to decorate & serve chilled.

You may like to try another unique creation of mine:
Non-bake Oreo Cookies with Baileys Cheesecake Teaser!