I have to be honest. I love a no-bake dessert—for their ease, for not having to turn an oven on, and a bit for their camp—like my Chocolate-Creamsicle Pie. But, much as I love a no-bake dessert, one no-bake dessert I can rarely get behind is a no-bake cheesecake. I openly admit to being a cheesecake snob. As some of my other cheesecake recipes would suggest, I’m not exactly a purist, though. You see, the fine line between a snob and a purist is that a snob will commit sacrilege in order to achieve only the finest, or most desirable, results, where as a purist sticks to traditions, and accepts the limitations of a recipe because that’s what makes it. That’s really to say that, when I tinker with a cheesecake recipe and add some flavor by way of some sort of liquid, I don’t think twice about or make apology for adding a tablespoon of cornstarch. It helps to absorb extra liquid without having to add another egg, saving it from being rubbery and eggy. That said, when I make cheesecakes that don’t use any liquid, no cornstarch is in sight—nor should it be—and I certainly don’t add cream and flour. That’s a barbaric way of making cheesecake, frankly (at least a proper springform cheesecake). So, as you see, my inconsistent flip-flopping with these rules is more akin to snobbery than anything else.
Despite my snobbery, I got a bit of a smug satisfaction from making this; something like the sort of joy you get from breaking a rule, only this time it’s my own. What I think makes this no-bake cheesecake work so well is the cranberries. Most no-bake cheesecakes have you use flavorless gelatin to give it some structure. I have two issues with this: for one, I think the gelatin can give these sorts of desserts a little too much snap so they end up with the texture of cream aspic rather than cheesecake, the second being that I have spotty luck with gelatin so I try to stay away from it. The cranberries are what really do it. Because they’re so high in pectin, which is what gives them their jam-like body when you make cranberry sauce/relish at the holidays, they give support and structure to the cheesecake. Once it’s all mixed together, the cranberry sauce cools in the fridge and sets up, the same as it would if you were making a jam, and gives the cheesecake enough structure that it firms up a little but not so much than it shakes like jelly. I wanted it as close to the texture of a real cheesecake without being too firm or soft and this is the best of both worlds. Not to mention, I have a bit of a culinary fetish with cranberries this time of year—I can’t stop buying fresh ones at the grocery store!
I cook some down with just a little bit of sugar and water until they completely burst before pushing them through a fine-mesh sieve so I have a thick and brilliant-red cranberry pulp.
Cream cheese gets whipped a little (make sure it’s room temperature—and don’t do the microwave method), then add some powdered sugar and beat again just to combine. The cranberry gets added in (once cooled) and it’s all whipped together until puffy. Then, heavy cream, vanilla and Cointreau (or triple sec) are added and whipped until medium-stiff peaks.
This gets poured into an 8 or 9” springform pan that’s been pressed with an amaretti cookie crust, the top gets smoothed out, and into the fridge it goes for at least 6 hours.
I make a cranberry syrup to drizzle over the top, much the same way as the cranberry pulp that goes into the cheesecake but with different proportions. Because I always have cranberry juice in the fridge I use that here in place of water, but you could just as easily use it in place of the juice.
So even if you’re not a baker, or not a cheesecake maker, you can still have a great dessert for the holidays that everyone will love (and with very little effort, I might add).
Happy Thanksgiving! And don’t forget to follow me on BLOGLOVIN’!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 10 - 12 minutes | 8 hours or more |
|
|
|
|
I don't usually like no-bake cheesecakes but this works so well! The pectin in the cranberries helps to give this a wonderful texture, and they also give their sweet, sharp and crisp flavors for the ultimate holiday dessert.
|
- 6 ounces amaretti cookies
- 3 tablespoons butter sof
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 6 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 cardamom pods slightly smashed
- 1 pound cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 t-spoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 t-spoon Cointreau (or triple sec)
- 3 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cranberry juice or water (but maybe use another 3/4oz of crans)
- 1/2 t-spoon Cointreau (or triple sec)
- Start by putting the cranberries, cardamom, sugar (NOT powdered sugar), and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the berries all burst. If any haven’t burst after this time just press on them with a rubber spatula.
- Pour this mixture into a fine mesh sieve, placed over a heatproof bowl or liquid measuring cup. Using either a large spoon or rubber spatula, press this thick compote through the sieve so a thick, jammy mix falls into the bowl. It will be very thick so make sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve and be patient while pressing through (not that it takes a tremendous amount of time, but it takes a little more work than straining an infused simple syrup or something).
- Set this in the fridge and let it cool completely—about 1 - 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, blitz the amaretti in a food processor until finely ground and then drop in the butter. Puree until it’s all combined, tumble into a 8 or 9" springform and press into the bottom and slightly up the sides. This can go in the fridge while you wait on the cranberry mix to cool.
- Once the cranberry mix is cooled start with the filling. In a stand-up mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese just to combine it—about 10 seconds.
- Add in the powdered sugar and, again, just whip to combine—10 seconds.
- Now add the cranberry and whip until everything is light and fluffy—about 1 minute.
- Shut the mixer off, pour in the extract, liqueur and cream and turn back on to low and let it just mix to combine for a few seconds (in the interest of not getting splashed with cream) before cranking the speed up to medium-high. Whip for about 3 minutes, until you have medium-stiff peaks; it will not have the textural stiffness of medium-stiff peaks that you’d normally get from cream or egg whites—it will always be soft—but it should still only just hold its shape.
- Pour this into the prepared and crusted springform, smooth out the top, cover with plastic wrap, and stash in the fridge for at least 6 hours (but, ideally 12 hours so it has a better chance to set up).
- To make the syrup, combine the cranberries, sugar, and cranberry juice and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the cranberries down to extract all their juice and pulp. Pour the liquid back into the pan you made it in, and put over medium heat. Let it boil for about 3 minutes, swirling it every now and again to make sure it doesn’t start to burn around the edges. You want the consistency to be a little thick, kind of like runny honey, so if it’s not quite thick enough reduce the heat to low and just let it simmer for another 1 – 2 minutes. Shut off the heat, and whisk in the Cointreau. Let it cool completely to room temperature before drizzling all over the cake just before serving. You can make the syrup in advance and keep it in the fridge—just let it come to room temperature and whisk it a little before pouring over the cake.
- Remove the sides of the springform and cut into generous slices to serve.