A hot weather policy no-bake blueberry cheesecake
Original recipe from taste.com.au
This year, dad’s birthday fell the day after he’d returned from New Zealand, and two days after I had made the same journey. Arriving in 40-degree heat, birthday cake plans were complicated by the short timeframe and engrained reluctance to turn on the oven.
Where New Zealand’s milder climate had inspired ideas of carrot cake laden with cream cheese frosting and walnuts, Australia’s autumnal heatwave saw a change in plans. Instead, I sought chilly solace in a no-bake cheesecake.
Taste’s Blueberry Cheesecake ticked all the boxes: it didn’t require the oven, it could be made ahead of time while Dad was en route from NZ, and it championed the simple, light flavours of vanilla and blueberry.
For the crust, I used Arnott’s Milk Arrowroot, a classic plain biscuit with a satisfying snap, perfect for crushing into fine crumbs.
As for the fruit, I opted for frozen berries in the centre in the hopes of the beautiful purple colour tinting the surrounding cake. On top, I switched to fresh to avoid juice leaking out over the cake in the fridge.
A tip: don’t skimp on the vanilla. A true vanilla bean paste will offer a flavour unrivalled by its imitation counterparts.
With any cheesecake, the aim is a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth dessert. Cheesecake’s enemy is lumps.
There are two main culprits when it comes to a lumpy no-bake cheesecake. The first, hard cream cheese. The second, pockets of gelatine. To avoid the former, ensure your cream cheese is softened and at room temperature before beating with the sugar and vanilla until creamy.
To avoid the latter, take extra care to slowly stream your gelatine mixture into the cream cheese. In fact, trickle it in. If you think your cream cheese isn’t absorbing the gelatine quickly enough, halt the trickle, keep mixing, and resume once the filling returns to a smooth consistency.
Take care in these two areas and you’ll have a beautifully creamy cheesecake that’s light and sweet with bursting sour surprises throughout, perfect for a balmy birthday.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
250 g plain sweet biscuits
125 g butter, melted
For the filling:
3 tsp gelatine powder
¼ C boiling water
500 g cream cheese, softened
½ C caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
300 ml thickened cream, whipped
1 C frozen blueberries
For the top:
125 g punnet fresh blueberries
Method:
Grease a 22cm round springform pan.
Process the biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, then add melted butter and blitz until just combined.
Pour the biscuit mixture into the prepared cake pan and press over base and sides.
Refrigerate for 20-minutes or until firm.
Sprinkle gelatine powder over boiling water in a heatproof jug and whisk until dissolved. Set aside for 15-minutes or until the jug is cool to the touch.
Using an electric stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
Continue mixing, gradually streaming in the gelatine mixture until combined.
Gently fold in whipped cream, then frozen blueberries.
Pour filling into the prepared and chilled crust, smooth top with a spatula and top with fresh blueberries.
Cover the cheesecake with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.