No Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Recipe
This No Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Recipe is a delightful no bake cheesecake recipe, meaning you don’t need to turn your oven on even once for it. It has a crisp, buttery biscuit base topped with a thick, creamy cheesecake layer and topped with a fruity strawberry rhubarb layer. It’s perfect for the summer months when the rhubarb and strawberry season collide.
So how do I make this No Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake from scratch?
This recipe is relatively easy to make, despite it having 3 different layers. Each element are easy enough to put together and pretty quick too. The longest part of this recipe is just waiting for the layers to set.
To begin, we start with the biscuit base. Line the square cake tin with baking paper. You can actually use any shape of cake tin you’d like, as long as it is fairly deep to fit all the layers. Mix together the melted butter and crushed biscuit crumbs. Add it to the bottom of the cake tin, spread out evenly and firmly press down to make a compact layer. Place into the fridge while you make the cheesecake layer.
The next layer is the cheesecake filling layer. Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl full of cold water by themselves while you prepare the filling. If using gelatin powder, prepare it as instructed on the package and leave to one side. In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar and whisk together until smooth and creamy. Add the cream and whisk again for a minute or two until smooth and thickened.
Remove the soft, soaked gelatin leaves from the bowl, removing all water and squeezing the water out of the leaves. Plac the soft gelatin in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 15-20 seconds until the gelatin melts completely. Immediately add the melted gelatin into the cheesecake mix and whisk very well until the gelatin has completely dissolved into the mix and no lumps remain. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base and spread out evenly. Place into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
The final layer is the strawberry rhubarb topping. This is a basic strawberry rhubarb compote that has gelatin added to help it set and stay firm when slicing. Prepare this topping once the cheesecake has set.
If using leaf gelatin, soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave it to one side. Add the rhubarb, strawberry and sugar to a saucepan. Cook on a medium heat, stirring often until the fruit has cooked down to a soft, mushy puree. This may take up top 15 minutes depending on how ripe your rhubarb is. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
If using leaf gelatin, remove the leaves from the cold water and pour out the water. Melt the soaked, soft leaves in the microwave in 15-20 second bursts until completely liquid and melted. If using powdered gelatin, prepare as the package states. Mix the gelatin in with the strawberry rhubarb compote thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps of gelatin left. Pour the slightly cooled compote over the set cheesecake and spread evenly all over. Place back into the fridge for another 3-4 hours or again preferably overnight until set.
Cut into slices and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you are a vegetarian or would simply like to just remove the gelatin for any reasons, this recipe might not be the one for you. You can substitute the gelatin in the strawberry rhubarb topping for some cornflour. Instead of the gelatin, add 1 tbsp of cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp of water to the cooked compote and continue to cook until thick for another 4-5 minutes while stirring often. However, as the cheesecake is a set cheesecake it’s hard to replace that. You could reduce the cream down to 50 grams but the cheesecake layer would likely still be quit soft and difficult to get clean cuts of. If you wanted to try this I would recommend doing individual cheesecakes and set them in containers you will serve them directly from e.g a nice glass or ramekin.
I would always recommend using full fat cream cheese for cheesecakes. The low fat or protein varieties tend to be a lot softer and can struggle to keep the structure needed to keep it sliceable.
I usually use plain digestive biscuits in cheesecake recipes but you can use whatever you would like as long as it’s relatively crunchy e.g shortbread biscuits, biscoff biscuits, oreo etc.
Maybe you want to take a peek at more No Bake Dessert Recipes? You can check out my category, here.
No Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake
Equipment
- 1 square cake tin
- 1 Medium sized bowl
- 1 Small Bowl
- 1 large mixing bowl (or stand mixer bowl)
- 1 Whisk hand, electric or stand mixer will work
- 1 Small offset spatula optional
- 1 Small saucepan
Ingredients
Biscuit Base
- 250 grams biscuit crumbs I used digestive
- 50 grams butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 320 grams cream cheese
- 100 grams caster sugar
- 120 grams cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or paste
- 5 leaves gelatine or 1 sachet of granules dissolved per package instructions
Strawberry Rhubarb Topping
- 150 grams chopped rhubarb
- 150 grams chopped strawberries
- 75 grams caster sugar
- 3 leaves gelatine or half a sachet dissolved per package instructions
Instructions
Biscuit Base
- To begin, line a square cake tin with baking paper.
- Mix together the melted butter and crushed biscuit crumbs. Add it to the bottom of the square cake tin, spread out evenly and firmly press down to make a compact layer.
- Place into the fridge while you make the cheesecake layer.
Cheesecake Filling
- Soak the gelatin leaves in a bowl full of cold water by themselves while you prepare the filling. If using gelatin powder, prepare it as instructed on the package and leave to one side.
- In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar and whisk together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the cream and whisk again for a minute or two until smooth and thickened.
- Remove the soft, soaked gelatin leaves from the bowl, removing all water and squeezing the water out of the leaves. Plac the soft gelatin in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 15-20 seconds until the gelatin melts completely. Immediately add the melted gelatin into the cheesecake mix and whisk very well until the gelatin has completely dissolved into the mix and no lumps remain.
- Pour the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base and spread out evenly.
- Place into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
Strawberry Rhubarb Topping
- Prepare this topping once the cheesecake has set. If using leaf gelatin, soak the leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave it to one side.
- Add the rhubarb, strawberry and sugar to a saucepan. Cook on a medium heat, stirring often until the fruit has cooked down to a soft, mushy puree. This may take up top 15 minutes depending on how ripe your rhubarb is.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- If using leaf gelatin, remove the leaves from the cold water and pour out the water. Melt the soaked, soft leaves in the microwave in 15-20 second bursts until completely liquid and melted. If using powdered gelatin, prepare as the package states. Mix the gelatin in with the strawberry rhubarb compote thoroughly, making sure there are no lumps of gelatin left.
- Pour the slightly cooled compote over the set cheesecake and spread evenly all over.
- Place back into the fridge for another 3-4 hours or again preferably overnight until set.
- Cut into slices and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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