No-Bake Berry Cheesecake #NationalCheesecakeDay

Despite the richness of the ingredients, this no-bake cheesecake tastes light and fresh, especially with sweet summer berries on top and the crunchy oat-y crust underneath. 

Happy Cheesecake Day! Today I am celebrating with a fabulous group of food blogger friends and we have cheesecakes and cheesecake related recipes galore for you! Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see all the links.

I don’t have a problem turning the oven on when it is summertime and temperatures are soaring. If I want to bake, I’m going to bake. (I offer into evidence, this week’s vibrant pink beet cornbread muffins. That said, when it’s not necessary to heat up the kitchen, I am grateful. This week I’m on Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands and we are having brilliant summer weather. Some edibles are produced on the island, notably Jersey Royal potatoes and fresh super creamy dairy products from the famous Jersey cows, but much of it is imported from either France or the United Kingdom by ferry. A couple of weeks ago, one of the boats ran aground so supermarkets are struggling to fill their shelves with the now limited incoming stock. Such are the vagaries of island life but the shortage meant that I couldn’t find enough raspberries to cover my cheesecake. Feel free to increase the amount of berries and completely cover yours.

Ingredients
For the crust:
11 Hobnobs or other crunchy cookie or biscuit (6 oz or 170g by weight)
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch salt

For the filling:
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream
8 oz or 225g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 60g confectioners' or icing sugar
1/2 cup or 125g Greek yogurt (full-fat)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt

For topping:
1 cup fresh berries (or more to cover the cheesecake)
Optional garnish: one sprig of mint

Method
Put your Hobnobs or similar cookies in a plastic bag and use the side of meat tenderizing mallet or a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.

Put them in a small mixing bowl and add 4 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar and a healthy pinch of salt. Pour in the melted butter and mix thoroughly.

Cut a piece of waxed paper or parchment to fit your nine-inch or 23cm square springform pan.

Press the buttery crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides.

Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer or electric beaters, whip your cream until stiff peaks form.

Check out the color of my Jersey cream! It is so full of fat that it whips extremely quickly and is pale yellow, almost like butter.

If you are using a stand mixer, transfer the whipped cream to another bowl because you will need that one again for the next step. If you are using electric beaters, proceed accordingly.

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Pour the mixture into the crust.

Spread it around evenly, making sure to get it right into the corners.

Cover and refrigerate until firm. Mine took just a couple of hours.

Top with fresh berries of your choice and perhaps a sprig of mint for contrast.

Carefully remove the sides of your springform and pour some Champagne for the celebration.

Cut into slices, making sure each person gets some side crust. Try not to fight over the crunchy corner pieces.

Enjoy!


Are you a lover of cheesecake? This is your day! Start celebrating!

Baked Cheesecakes:

• Apricot ricotta cheesecake from Diethood
• Blackberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Baking a Moment
• Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake from Hungry Couple
• Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake from Wishes and Dishes
• Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Whisky Toffee Shards from girlichef
• Chocolate chip cookie mini cheesecake from My Sweet Zepol
• Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake from Savvy Eats
• Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust from All Day I Dream About Food
• Hawaiian Chantilly Layer Cheesecake from Wallflour Girl
• Hawaiian Mini Cheesecakes from Pint Sized Baker
• Key Lime Pie Cheesecake from Love and Confections
• Lemon Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets
• Lemon Ginger Panna Cotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce from Girl Versus Dough
• Lightened Up Apricot-Swirl Cheesecake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Lilikoi Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Shortbread Crust from Dieter's Downfall
• Mango Cheesecake (vegan) from Jessiker Bakes
• Mini cheesecakes with a toasted coconut crust (gluten free) from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
• Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes with Strawberry Balsamic Topping from Boulder Locavore
• Mom's Cheesecake from Magnolia Days
• New York Style Cheesecake from URBAN BAKES
• Oreo Cheesecake (vegan) from Namely Marly
• Oreo Ripple Cheesecake from Overtime Cook
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping from The Redhead Baker
• Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind The Curtain
• Rainbow Cheesecake from In Katrina's Kitchen
• Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust from Hip Foodie Mom
• Ricotta Cheesecake from French Press
• Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Snickers Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar
• Sugar cookie cheesecake from Munchkin Munchies
• Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from Wine & Glue
• Very Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Oreo Crust from JavaCupcake
• White Chocolate Cheesecake with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel from Taste and Tell
• White Chocolate Frangelico Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake from Will Cook For Smiles

No Bake Cheesecakes:

• Berry Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love
• Blackberry Cheesecake from You Made That?
• Butter Pecan Caramel Mini Cheesecakes from Simply Southern Baking
• Cherry and Pistachio Cheesecake with Animal Cracker Crust from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches from The Food Charlatan
• Limoncello Cheesecake from Cake Duchess
• Mini Lime Cheesecakes from Miss in the Kitchen
• Neopolitan Cheesecake from Grandbaby Cakes
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from White Lights on Wednesday
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• S'mores Cheesecake from The Gunny Sack

Cheesecake Beverages:

• Black Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake from Blahnik Baker
• Caramel Cheesecake Martini from Happy Food, Healthy Life

Cheesecake Cookies and Bars:

• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Cooking with Jax
• Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos
• Cherry Cheesecake Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life
• Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Cookies from Lemons for Lulu
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Chez CateyLou
• Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars from Texanerin Baking
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars from Cooking In Stilettos
• No Bake Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars from Beyond Frosting
• No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from Garnish with Lemon
• Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust from Roxana's Home Baking
• Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Bars from A Kitchen Addiction

Cheesecake Desserts and Treats:

• Banana Foster No Bake Cheesecake Shooters from Mind Over Batter
• Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies from Jen's Favorite Cookies
• Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake from gotta get baked
• Key Lime Trifles from Hoosier Homemade
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pots from Barbara Bakes
• Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart from From Brazil To You

Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:

• Blackberry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream from Chocolate Moosey
• Frozen PB&C Cheesecake from Noshing With The Nolands
• Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutter Butter Crust from Crazy for Crust

Nutella-filled Raspberry Muffins #MuffinMonday

Every week my fellow Muffin Monday baker, Anuradha and I have an email discussion about which ingredient we should feature.  Sometimes we are organized and decide a month of ingredients in advance (rarely) and sometimes we are scrambling on Thursday or Friday to make a decision (more often) for the next Monday.   This week we chose Nutella, that wonderful cocoa and hazelnut spread, and since it’s an ingredient we’ve both used before, I knew I had to do something different with it.

So I piped the Nutella into the raspberries and froze them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet!   Then I folded them gently into a lovely batter with lemon zest, vanilla sugar and Greek yogurt.  I am pleased to report that the Nutella-filled raspberries held their shape (and Nutella) beautifully through the baking and the flavor combination was fabulous.

N.B.  The only drawback if that you do have to fill your raspberries and allow plenty of time for them to freeze before making the muffin batter.  Several hours might do but I left mine overnight to be sure.

Ingredients

I make my own vanilla sugar by adding a couple of split pods to
fine sugar and letting it stand for a few weeks. 

2 cups or 250g flour
3⁄4 cup or 170g vanilla sugar (or substitute normal sugar and add 1 teaspoon vanilla to the wet ingredients)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Zest of one medium lemon
2 eggs
1 1⁄4 cups or 300g plain Greek-style yogurt
1⁄2 cup or 120ml canola oil
6 oz or 170g raspberries
About 1/4 cup Nutella plus more for decorating, if desired
Powdered sugar for decorating, if desired

Method
Start several hours or even one day ahead by putting your Nutella in a piping bag with a small hole decorating tip (Wilton 3, 4 or 5) and then filling all of the raspberries.  Lay them out on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and put them in the freezer until frozen solid.

When you are ready to make the muffins, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin pan by greasing it or lining it paper muffin cups.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, vanilla sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Grate in the zest of one lemon.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, canola and vanilla extract, if using.

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed.

Remove the Nutella-filled raspberries from the freezer and fold all but 12 of them into the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Top each muffin cup with a filled raspberry.  I put some up and some down because I rather thought the Nutella would ooze out and possibly make a mess.  As you can see, my fears were unfounded!  So put them all with the Nutella showing if you’d like.

Bake in the preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins to cool completely.

Top with some extra Nutella or a sprinkle of icing sugar to decorate.

Enjoy!

White Chocolate Mousse Torte with Fresh Berries

Houston is HOT.  If you are familiar with the proverbial hinges of the gates of hell, we’ve got ‘em here.  Do not touch.  The only upside is the plethora of fresh berries and cherries that are in the grocery stores and markets right now.  We are eating raspberries straight out of the pint boxes like candy.  The other day, we bought 10 half pints for one dollar a piece and I wondered what to make with them.  That first group got eaten in what seemed like a blink, and we’ve gone back for more!  This time, I decided to make a frozen dessert.  Because, who can think about turning the oven on?  (Unless you have to for #MuffinMonday – the sacrifices I make! – another tasty muffin recipe coming to a blog near you soon.)

But on to the sane dessert which requires no oven, save the microwave.

Filo Pastry with Raspberries and Whipped Cream

My mother called me the other night, all excited. She had been watching PBS and Julia Child was on with a guest chef, Gale Gand.  I have DirecTV so I don’t get her same PBS and I had to find the episode online. I don’t know if folks outside the US can watch this, but I am still in Houston, so I could.  This show first aired 15 years ago on 11 September 1996 and young pastry chef Gand made a filo pastry ice cream sandwich.  I love filo for several desserts so I was instantly intrigued. I pretty much followed her instructions for the raspberries but decided to add whipped cream to the top instead of ice cream. Also, each person would get one filo pastry “crust” instead of two, as in an ice cream sandwich.  I also didn’t bother with the berry anchor sticks since I didn’t need to hold another filo pastry circle on top.  If you can’t see the video, don’t worry. I’ll tell you what I did do!

In retrospect, this looks very much like my Meringues with Berries and Whipped Cream but is way less time consuming than making meringues so it was perfect for an impromptu visit to my sister’s.  (I had just been to the imaging center for my mammogram or “the annual mashing,” as I like to call it, so I needed cheering up and nothing cheers me up like a visit to Whole Foods and cooking something for family. Next month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you haven’t been for a mammogram yet this year, consider this is your reminder to make an appointment now!)  

3 -6 oz packages of raspberries

1/4 cup of melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar plus a little extra for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Half package of filo pastry

I preheated my oven (actually sent youngest daughter a text from Whole Foods asking her to preheat the oven so it would be ready when I got home and finished the prep) to 400 °F or 200 °C.

I did follow Gand’s example and cut the filo into fettuccine-width strips.  As she did, I left the plastic on and pulled it all out at the same time as I fluffed up the pastry.

Then I made mounds of the pastry on a parchment covered baking sheet and drizzled them with melted butter and then sprinkled them very lightly with sugar.  I popped them into the oven and baked until golden, about 12 minutes.

While my pastry was in the oven, I prepared the berries. I had three 6 oz packages. I pureed the first one with two tablespoons of raw sugar (but white caster or fine sugar will work) and then folded in the other two packets, to coat the raspberries with the pureed mixture.

Next I whipped 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks formed and stored it, covered, in the fridge.

When you are ready to serve, each person gets one filo pastry round, a heap of berries and a goodly scoop of whipped cream. (I ended up serving this at my sister’s house so please excuse the paper plate.) Delicious!

Enjoy!