Simple No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake With Four Ingredients

I love to share advice and tips gleaned from my own experiences.

I have been making this simple no-bake cheesecake for many years now. I'm not sure how I ended up making it in this particular way. I've certainly made some amendments over the years to it but it has become a staple dessert in our household.

In this recipe, there is no pureed fruit, no whipping cream and no jam or juice. It is just jelly, biscuits, butter and cream cheese.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 1 (135 g) packet Chivers strawberry jelly
• 250 g McVities Digestive biscuits (around 18 biscuits)
• 200 g low-fat soft cream cheese
• 70 g clarified butter
• 200 ml boiling water
• 200 ml cold water

Conversions: Grams and ML to Cups

Equipment

• Microwave bowl
• Plastic bowl
• 1 lb loaf tin
• Cling film
• Measuring jug
• Teaspoon
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Fork

Instructions

1. First you need to grind up your biscuits. If you have a food processor, then use this. If you don't have one, break up your biscuits into pieces and place them into a freezer bag. Flatten the bag to remove the air inside it. Lay the bag down on a teatowel but don't tie the top of the bag just hold it closed with your hand. Cover the freezer bag with the other half of the tea towel and gently roll the rolling pin, back and forth over the freezer bag. Now pour your ground biscuits into a bowl and add the clarified butter.
2. Place your butter into a microwave bowl and pop it in the microwave for 15 seconds until it has melted. Once you hear it splashing, keep an eye on it because it only takes seconds for the butter to dissolve in the microwave. Now add the clarified butter to the biscuit mixture and mix it thoroughly with a spatula. The biscuits mixture should be fully covered with all the butter. If the biscuits look too dry, you might need to add another 10g of butter.
3. If you don’t have a 1 lb loaf tin, then any other type of tin will do. You can use a springform cake tin if you have one but depending on its size you might need to increase the recipe measurements. In this recipe I use a bread tin because I wanted a rectangle cheesecake that I could slice. Next line your loaf tin with a large sheet of cling film. Use two pieces of cling film if you need to but make sure that there are no gaps between the tin and the cling film.
4. Now pour the biscuit mixture into the loaf tin and use a fork to firmly press down on the biscuit mixture to compress it in together. Go around a few times with the fork to ensure that the biscuit mixture is pressed in nice and firm. A potato masher would also work well if you have one. Next place it in the fridge to set for an hour. To see if it is set, gently lift the cling film away from the sides, and if the biscuit is set it won't break up. If it doesn’t look like it has set yet, give another 30 minutes in the fridge. This is why it's important that you have used enough butter to set the biscuit.
5. Next cut the jelly up into nine squares and place it into a measuring jug and add 200 ml of boiling water. Stir the mixture really well until all the jelly squares have dissolved. Now add another 200 ml of cold water to this mixture and set it aside until you need it.
6. Put your cream cheese into a plastic bowl and give it a light whisk. Now pour the jelly mixture into the cream cheese. It's important that the jelly is fully cold and not hot when you finally add it to the cream cheese. It might look a bit weird at first but keep whisking and the jelly and the cream cheese will blend in together. Initially it might look like the jelly is separating from the cream cheese but it isn't.
7. Remove your tin with the biscuits from the fridge and pour your jelly mixture into it. Place your mixture into the fridge for at least 3 hours to ensure it is fully set throughout.
8. Once your cheesecake has fully set, take the tin out gently life the cheesecake out of the tin. Peel the cling film away from the sides of the cheesecake. You might need an additional set of hands to hold the sides of the cake tin while you lift it out. This is why the cheesecake needs to be fully set because if it wasn’t, then this is where it would be a disaster.
9. Remove the cheesecake from the tin and lay it on a plate. Next, peel the cling film away from the sides of the cheesecake. Now serve up your cheesecake with cream or fruit coulis. This cake should serve 6 people.

Melt Your Jelly in the Microwave

Put the jelly cubes into a microwave dish with 5 tablespoons of water. Place the dish in the microwave for 50 to 60 seconds until the jelly has melted.

Check the jelly at the 40 seconds mark to see if it has dissolved because each microwave can differ. Once the jelly is fully melted add the 400 ml of cold water to it.

Preparing the Biscuits Base

Mixing the Jelly With the Cream Cheese

FAQs

Can I use a different flavored jelly?

Yes, if you want orange flavored cheesecake, you can use orange jelly. If you wanted a lime flavored cheesecake, you could use lime jelly. If you want a lemon and lime cheesecake, use 100 ml to dissolve each flavor of jelly.

Then add your 100 ml of cold water to each mixture. Since this will be a two-layer cheesecake, you will have to wait three hours for one layer to set before you add the other layer on top of it. So it’s best to prepare this the day before you need it.

Can I use another type of biscuit?

If you don’t like digestive biscuits, you could use chocolate digestive, rich tea or even crackers.

Can I use a springform cake tin?

If you use this tin instead of a 1 lb tin, you should double the ingredients used as this springform tin will be bigger than the 1 lb tin.

Can I use gelatin?

Yes, you can. However, if you use gelatin, then you won't need to use the jelly. You will need to use a punnet of pureed strawberries and add the gelatin and pureed strawberries to the cream cheese. Use one leaf of gelatin per 100 ml of liquid.

© 2020 Sp Greaney

Comments

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on August 09, 2020:

@JP Carlos, yes any biscuit will do for this. Graham crackers will be just as tasty. That's great that your daughter loves making things, she will be taking over your kitchen as her own in no time.

When you add the butter to the crackers, you might need less because digestive biscuits are heavier. When adding the clarified butter only add half the amount first. Then mix it into the graham crackers. You just want the crackers to be lighly coated with the butter so that it form a hard crust when it sets in the fridge. If the graham crackers still look a little dry add some more clarified butter.

I think the rest should be ok but if you want to make a smaller version you add less water to the jelly.

JP Carlos from Quezon CIty, Phlippines on August 08, 2020:

This is awesome. My daughter will have another fun time in the kitchen. We don't have the digestives biscuit ( i ate it all). Can i use graham crackers instead? Do I need to tweak the amount of the other ingredients since it may have a different texture?

Last night she made crepes and I am sure she'll make this later tonight. Thanks for another quick and easy recipe,

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on July 26, 2020:

@Devika Primic, yes do give it a go. I think anyone really can make this.

@viryabo, that sounds delicious. Hope you enjoy it.

viryabo from Lagos, Nigeria. on July 26, 2020:

Love this no-bake recipe. Thank you for sharing this. I’m trying it out with mango.

Devika Primic on July 26, 2020:

I like best to try no bake recipes. I have tried baking and just don't follow recipes as well. This sounds great!

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on July 25, 2020:

@ Audrey Hunt, yes it taste delicious and you should enjoy it.

@ Angel Guzman, yes it one of our to go to desserts.

Angel Guzman from Joliet, Illinois on July 25, 2020:

Sounds yum

Audrey Hunt from Idyllwild Ca. on July 24, 2020:

I'm loving your recipe for strawberry cheesecake. Your directions are super! I'll be making this soon. It looks so delicious!

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on July 08, 2020:

@GlenR, sounds yummy. Fresh strawberries in the summer are a lovely treat.

Glen Rix from UK on July 08, 2020:

A timely recipe for strawberry season. We eat strawberries and cream/ice cream every week when they are locally grown, so I might ring the changes with your recipe this weekend.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 27, 2020:

@Liz Westwood, Thanks Liz. I think if the recipe is easy, you're more incline to make it. That's usually my approach.

Liz Westwood from UK on June 27, 2020:

This is my kind of recipe. It has easy to find ingredients and the method is straightforward. I appreciate your easy to follow instructions and illustrations.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 25, 2020:

@Chitrangada Sharan, thanks. I have seen that approach on here by others and it's such a good idea.

Chitrangada Sharan from New Delhi, India on June 25, 2020:

This sounds delicious indeed. Love the way you described it, with helpful pictures and instructions.

Thanks for sharing this well presented article.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 25, 2020:

@ Diana Carol Abrahamson. Thanks Diana, yes it is a really light dessert too.

@ Linda Crampton, yes, it is. It's one of those desserts that takes very little effort to turn out and tastes great.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on June 24, 2020:

I love the sound of your recipe. I think the cheesecake would be a delicious treat. I can understand why it's become a staple dessert in your family! Thanks for sharing the useful tips as well as the recipe.

Diana Carol Abrahamson from Somerset West on June 24, 2020:

That looks like a delicious cheesecake. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 24, 2020:

@Thelma Alberts, yes it's so tasty. Plus it's very cheap to make too.

Thelma Alberts from Germany on June 24, 2020:

Yummy! This is an easy no bake strawberry cheese cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 24, 2020:

@Pamela Oglesby, thanks. Yes, I think we all love recipes that come together with little effort.

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on June 24, 2020:

I think this no-bake recipe sounds easy to bake and it sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Sp Greaney (author) from Ireland on June 24, 2020:

@Liza, thanks, I totally agree with you. I'm a fan of quick and easy recipes that don't require too much preparation.

Liza from USA on June 24, 2020:

No-bake goods always one of the simplest things to do. I'm a fan of no-bake desserts. It's easy and fast. By the way, this no-bake strawberry cheesecake is perfect for a summer treat! Thanks for sharing the recipe.