Cheese cakes are simple to make cakes which could be made prior and refrigerated till served. It does not require any baking process comes handy for parties and get togethers. The crunchy base with the creamy chilled cheesy layer with strawberries do taste delicious.

As strawberries are now in season i have made the no bake cheese cake with strawberry flavour. The flavour from the strawberries on chilled desserts are really awesome. This is also one such dessert you can indulge. This could be made in any vessels like glasses, tiffin boxes, cake tins. But to get the proper shape of a cake, ring mould or spring foam pan is necessary.


Strawberry Cheese Cake

INGREDIENTS:
For the Biscuit Base:
Digestive Biscuits- 6 large
Butter- 4 tablespoons
Salt- pinch

For the Strawberry  Cheese Cake filling:
Strawberries, fresh/ frozen- 15-16 nos, 1 packet
Sugar- 1/2 cup+ 2 tablespoon
Gelatin- 1 tablespoon
Water- 2 tablespoons
Hung Yogurt/ Cream cheese- 1 and 1/2 cups
Whipping cream- 1 cup (before whipping quantity)

For the Strawberry Topping:
Strawberries-7 nos, 1/2 packet
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Water- 1/4 cup
Strawberry Cheese cake recipe

PROCEDURE: 
For 18-20 cm cake tin:
Biscuit Base:
  • Break the digestive biscuits with hand and keep inside the blender jar. Now add a pinch of salt.
  • Pulse till it becomes like uniform sand texture. Now add the slightly cold butter into small pieces into the jar and pulse again to make this mixture like a wet sand.
  • Check this by pressing small portion of crumbs and press well; if it holds its shape the added butter is enough. If it does not retain its shape add some more butter and pulse till you get the right consistency.
  • Grease the cake pan slightly with oil and add the biscuits crumbs over it;press well with your fingers uniformly.
  • Keep the base inside the refrigerator until the filling gets ready.
For the Filling:
  • Take 2 to 2 and half cups of yogurt  and hang in a thin cloth/ muslin cloth for an hour before this process starts. You could do over night by hanging inside the refrigerator by keeping a vessel below to collect the whey.
  • Once it is done, beat it well with electric beater or hand whisk without forming lumps.
  • Soak a tablespoon of gelatin in two tablespoons of normal water for 5 minutes. Microwave or double boil on stove top for 15-20 seconds until it melts.
  • Allow gelatin to cool and reach room temperature.
  • Cut the stem of the strawberries deep down and wash them before roughly chopping them. Add half a cup of sugar and blend well as a fine puree.
  • Pass through a sieve to collect the seeds and unground pieces.
  • Now add the gelatin over the strawberry puree and beat well with electric beater.
  • Then add in the beaten hung yogurt/ cream cheese.
  • Whip a cup of cream with two tablespoons of sugar in a separate vessel and add with this strawberry mixture ; just beat once or fold well with a spoon.
  • If the colour is dull you could add a drop of red food colour to brighten the colour. 
  • Pour this mixture over the biscuit base prepared earlier.
  • Tap slightly to get rid of air bubbles and keep inside the refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours to over night.
For the Topping:
  • In a pan add the roughly chopped strawberries and sugar.  Allow to cook till the strawberries becomes soft and some syrup is formed.
  • Allow to cool and pour over the filling. Set inside the fridge for 30 minutes and serve.
  • Note: Off season this dessert could be made with strawberry essence.