Thursday, December 04, 2008

No-Bake Cheesecake with Ginger Cookie Crust



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Making baked cheesecake is something that I don't wish to do.

I like eating cheesecake, but making the baked kind seems to be fraught with all sorts of dangers.

Using a springform pan? Then there's that extra step of lining the pan with aluminun foil so the liquid from the bain marie doesn't seep into the inside of the baking cheesecake. (Excuse me? I have to bake it in a bain marie?) There's that waiting for the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, plus the additional overnight cooling in the fridge. Not to mention horror stories about cracked tops, undercooked/overcooked interiors... or other such disasters.

So, in the rare occasion that I make cheesecake at home (I think maybe just one time prior to this one), I've "cheated" and made no-bake cheesecakes. If I remember correctly, my previous cheesecake was a no-bake White Chocolate and Lime Cheesecake (made really tangy with lime, because we're acid-freaks) with a oreo cookie crumb crust. I made 2 of those for a party in 2006. For that version, I used gelatin.

But, my lazy self wanted to further reduce the number of steps for making even a no-bake cheesecake. (Yes, dissolving gelatin in some liquid is back-breaking work.)

When I saw Kevin of Closet Cooking make his version of no-bake cheesecake, I made a note to try it out.

We don't usually have cream cheese in the house, but not so long ago, we happened to have some lying around, doomed to languish in the refrigerator.

We don't usually have cookies in the house (bought or homemade), but we happened to have some Anna's Ginger Thins. (Apparently, according to their website, they are "[t]he most famous and beloved ginger cookie in the world. Since 1929.")

We don't usually have heavy cream in the house, but we happened to have some leftover from making butter chicken.

The forces in the universe wanted me to make this cheesecake!



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For the crust, I jammed our food processor with Anna's Ginger Thins and pulverized them. I added some melted butter and processing them, adding enough butter until the mixture was clumpy.



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To make the filling, I used Kevin's filling recipe as a guide. I whipped together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice.



In a separate bowl, I tried whipping cream by hand. "Try" is the operative word. My arm was out of practice and failed miserably in the getting-air-into-the-cream department.

I folded the two white mixtures together.



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I had hoped that the two different shades of white would show up better in that photo.

I pressed down the buttered ginger cookie crumbs into a square baking pan lined with parchment paper. The whipped white filling went in.



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We happened to have some chocolate truffly things in the pantry as well. So I melted a few of those in the microwave and filled a mini-sandwich-bag-slash-pastry bag. Drizzle!



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Since I'm not only the lazy kind, but also the impatient kind, I placed the pan into the freezer (instead of the fridge) to chill.



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The "frozen" cheesecake was easier to cut, in terms of making nice edges, so we just kept the thing in the freezer. Also saves us the problem of it going bad and us having to throw it out.

To serve, slice and let soften a little bit.

23 comments:

  1. hehe bake or no bake! I love them all (except blueberry cheesecakes. I don't know why...I despise them!)

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  2. Lon loves that brand, Anna's. The "thins" come in lots of flavors and he uses them for cheesecake crust all the time. I like the capuccino one too.

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  3. The cream cheese-cream does behave quite well, doesn't it? Good job! This would be great with citrus flavors, too: I dunno what it is about cream cheese :)

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  4. That looks excellent! I've never done a no-bake cheesecake myself. I should try it--the end result looks great (and the chocolate swirly top is a nice touch)

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  5. Mmm, so delicious and love the crust idea!

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  6. That's my kind of cheesecake, very delicious indeed!

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  7. Hey hey...your Jackson Pollack pie decoration could be a masterpiece!

    I like both baked and non-baked but I side on the baked...the bain marie is not that tough.

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  8. I like no-bake cheesecake too. Quicker to enjoy it. :)

    In college, my friends and I used to make the packaged version every week when we got together for dinner.

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  9. very nicely done! looks delicious.

    I baked a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, including the gingersnap crust. Unfortunately, the crust turned into a soggy mess that wouldn't lift from the bottom of the springform. Did you have any problems with the crust using the no-bake method?

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  10. I love the thickness of this cake. Looks so good. I was away and will be reading all the posts that I missed from your blog.

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  11. That is a bad-ass cheesecake.Nothing like quick & 9relatively) easy culinary rewards!

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  12. You have totally inspired me! I might just make this for an upcoming staff party! I love the look of it.
    P.S. How the heck would cheesecake ever go bad???? You must have somer serious willpower.

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  13. I love no-bake stuffs because I am hopeless at baking. This cheesecake looks fantastic and rich =D~

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  14. oooh... i love a fat cheesecake! This would be unforgiving on my thighs but who cares, Im making it for Christmas :)

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  15. Thank you for messing up my diet. I just gobbled a half a gallon Baskin Robbins blueberry cheesecake ice cream because your photos had me salivating. Again, thank you for ruining my life.

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  16. How come stuff I have just laying around doesn't come together in tasty ways like yours does???

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  17. Fanbloodytastic! This is my kind of cheesecake. I love the chocolate squiggles on top too.

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  18. what a simply yet pretty no bake cheese cake!!

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  19. Love the no bake idea. Those chocolate swirlies make these that much cuter too. Will bookmark!

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  20. Looks good.. almost like ice cream from afar. ginger spiked crust is great on so many things.

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  21. Thanks! =)

    Mochachocolata Rita:
    I liked cooked blueberry! Maybe you will love them... like you finally love strawberry flavored things. =)

    Jessica@Foodmayhem:
    We have 't tried all the other flavors yet. Staying with the classic. ;)

    Manggy:
    There was lemon juice, but I think it was disguising itself too much as the tang of cream cheese.

    The lime of my cheesecake before was great!


    Peter M:
    Haha... Jackson Pollack.

    Wandering Chopsticks:
    Yeah, we don't really do desserts/baked goods... so an easy one when a craving hits is good enough. ;)

    Nate-n-Annie:
    I wouldn't know what the problem would be with your baked cheesecake. The no-bake one didn't get soggy. All I added was melted butter. But perhaps it's because I put it in the freezer, so the butter was very solid... less change for moisture?

    Helene:
    Hope you enjoy them! =)

    Cyndi:
    "How the heck would cheesecake ever go bad????"

    Haha, we're not big dessert people. Also, everybody's lazy: if it's not out and offered, it doesn't get eaten. ;)

    lalaine:
    Hahaha... Then our work is done! ;P

    said...
    Thank you for messing up my diet. I just gobbled a half a gallon Baskin Robbins blueberry cheesecake ice cream because your photos had me salivating. Again, thank you for ruining my life.

    syrie:
    RecipeGirl:
    The chocolate drizzle/swirls/squigglies have fooled youall! BWAhahaha...

    Jude:
    It actually seems like ice milk in taste/texture. Light.

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  22. The Baker's Market is back...It welcomes baking enthusiasts, pastry students, mommies & budding entrepreneurs who are keen on selling sweet & savoury baked goodies to the local community.
    Mark your calendar for February 16, 23, March 2, 9, April 20, 27 & May 4 at Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre.

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