Sunday, May 8, 2011

Rhubarb & Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake

My friend Sarah from Cake In The Country made rhubarb lemonade last week & seeing as I had some Denis Healy organic rhubarb in the kitchen, I decided to follow her lead & make some too.  When it's strained, you're left with gorgeous rhubarb & lemon pulp which you could use as a yoghurt topping, or to make a fruit fool with.  Seeing as I missed out on the dessert course of Donal Skehan's Kitchen Hero Online Dinner Party, I decided to turn the pulp into a really easy and delicious no-bake cheesecake.

I love fridge cheesecakes because the biscuit base stays really crisp and crunchy (it's my favourite part, to be honest) and the filling is soft and unctuous against the salty sweet buttery bottom layer.  Some cooks advocate using gelatine but I don't agree once you use top quality full fat ingredients.  I know it's very indulgent and bad for you, but you really do need it to make everything set, otherwise you'll end up with a sloppy mess.

I've a few handy tips for getting your cheesecake base just right

  • Use a ratio of 2 to 1 for digestive biscuits to butter i.e. 200g biscuits & 100g butter.  
  • Use the bottom of a clean jar or cup to flatten the base well into the tin - much easier than a spoon.
  • Cool the base in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while you make the filling - it really speeds up the process & there's no hanging around while you wait for the biscuit base to cool.
  • Run a knife around the rim of the cheesecake before attempting to remove the base - it will slide out really easily if you do this.


Rhubarb & Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake

200g Digestive Biscuits, crushed
100g Butter, melted
300g Full Fat Cream Cheese
250ml Cream
200g Rhubarb & Lemon compote



Using brute force, or a food processor, bash the digestive biscuits until they disintegrate into a sandy mass.
Melt the butter in a pot & add the crushed biscuits.  Stir well until the butter has been absorbed by the crumbs.


Pour the mixture into a 9 inch loose bottomed tin & press down firmly (see my Top Tip above for how to do this).  Place the tin into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to cool down while you make the filling.


Whip the cream until it's passed the soft peak stage.  Now whip the cream cheese until it looks like thick cream, add the whipped cream and rhubarb compote and fold together gently.


Remove the tin from the freezer and pour the filling on top - smooth down and refrigerate for at least an hour before unmoulding & serving.



3 comments:

  1. That looks wonderful. Will try it for sure.

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  2. Going to be delighting your Aunt and Auncle with this tonight! Will post a photo on fb!

    ReplyDelete