I’ll blame my cousin for this experiment.She posted a no-bake cheesecake recipe on her facebook page which just screamed out for me to try it. I’m assuming the original recipe is actually from the Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights fb page as there aren’t any other credits on their page.
Be honest, you would want to try this too, right?
photo courtesy of Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights
Now, the main ingredient is cottage cheese…don’t freak out just yet though. I almost couldn’t go through with it when I had all the ingredients laid out if I’m being honest. But I persevered & I’m almost glad I did.
cottage cheese & icing sugar…this just about made me puke
Master 3 took one look, declared it YUCK & went off to play far, far away.
every so slightly better after adding the cream
I did end up throwing more icing sugar in after tasting it as I wasn’t convinced. And heaps more vanilla extract. Oh, & I only had a 500g tub of cottage cheese instead of the 600g I needed, but I wasn’t about to split hairs over that.
The best part…tennis biscuits!
I was still not convinced though, I beat the proverbial out of that mixture but couldn’t get rid of those tell-tale cottage cheese lumps. After letting it set for a little while I decided to add kiwifruit to the top. And then let it set for the recommended overnight.
This morning I gave it a proper try & it was good…not how I like my cheesecake though, which is firm & smooth. Hubby liked it, the boys not so much!
looks quite smooth here but had loads of cottage-cheesy lumps
Note to self: put the fruit on just before serving, otherwise it leaks & makes the base soggy
More notes to self: stick to Sera Lee premade cheesecakes 😉
The Recipe as it appears on the FB page:
NO BAKE CHEESECAKE
Cuts into 12 slices
Ingredients:
250g tennis biscuits
100g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
600g cottage cheese
100g icing sugar
284ml cream
FOR THE TOPPING
400g strawberries, halved
25g icing sugar
Method:
Make the base: Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment/grease proof paper. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly.
Make the filling: Place the cottage cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Un-moulding and topping: Bring the cheesecake to room temperature, about 30 minutess before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can (tin of baked beans), then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Purée half the strawberries in a blender or food processor with 25g icing sugar and 1 tsp water, then sieve. Pile the remaining strawberries onto the cake, then pour over purée.
AfricanKiwi 