No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake is simple to make and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
A friend of a friend of a friend… found a great “cheese guy” recently- making good Italian cheese a bit more affordable to us. You’d be shocked how expensive cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese balls, and mascarpone cheese are here! Yes some things are cheap- vegetables and tofu for example. Tofu is like pennies- which is awesome but I can only eat so much Chinese ingredients. Generally I’ll splurge on cheese, but when I was told of cheese at a great price I was elated and went a bit overboard on my order (are you surprised?- of course not!)
I used up quite a few mozzarella balls in the first few days and the rest I threw in the freezer. On the other hand the mascarpone went straight to the freezer. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it and I didn’t want to forget about it and it goes bad. Mascarpone cheese freezes well- just give it a a good whisking before you incorporate it in the other ingredients.
Well this weekend I was watching Food Network with the hubby. Valeria Bertinelli was on and I can I just say I love her! Her recipes are awesome and easy to make and always delicious. She had a recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Filo Cups with mascarpone that made my mouth water… and guess what? I have mascarpone in the freezer. I took it out of the freezer immediately but it was going to take overnight for it to thaw in the refrigerator. For a No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake I would have to be patient!
I am always looking for a good no bake cheesecake recipe so I knew I had to make this- only problem is filo cups don’t exist in China… ugh expat problems!! Being a Shanghai Food Blogger really isn’t easy!
Not to be deterred I decided to keep it simple and use a digestive cracker crust (they’re a lot like graham crackers only better IMHO since they’re not as sweet) and top mine of with a recipe for Chunky Strawberry Sauce that I made last year. My kids love this sauce on everything- especially pancakes and waffle but it is absolutely amazing over the mascarpone filling.
With the help of my foodie partner in crime Haley- we made 12 of these and holy smokes are they so freaking good! The mascarpone filling works amazing as a no bake cheesecake!
These No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecakes taste best eaten right away but they’ll keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. If you find that you cannot finish all 12 in two days- because you are CRAZY!- then pop them in the freezer and enjoy them as a frozen treat whenever!
Yields 12 individual cheesecakes
No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake is simple to make and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
60 minPrep Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 250 grams Digestive Crackers or Graham Crakcers
- 1/2 cup (4oz) Butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups Mascarpone
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 3/4 cup Confectionary Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 1½ pounds Strawberries, hulled
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Water
- 1T Cornstarch + ¼ Cup Water
Instructions
- Combine strawberries, sugar and water. In a wide bottom pan, bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Skim any foam off the top.
- Add cornstarch + water. Stir well and return to simmer for 1 minutes.
- Use a potato masher, and mash strawberries.
- Use immediately or pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Mix the crackers and butter. Press into a paper lined cupcake pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Mix the lemon juice, sugar, salt and mascarpone cheese. Spoon over each crust. Refrigerator for another 30-45 minutes for the cheese to set.
- Top with strawberry sauce and lemon zest.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Notes
If the strawberries are frozen, they may need an additional tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup water
