No bake blueberry cheesecake

A few days ago we got an invitation for a friend’s “Flower-power” spring themed birthday party. She requested that we bring something that reminds us of spring. So not wanting to do the typical spring flowers, and my idea of a jar filled with natural fertilizer¹ being banned by the other 50%, we settled on cake.

My first idea was to create a three layer lemon-poppy seed cake, with a fruity filling, cover it in yellow marzipan, and then decorate it with sugar paste flowers (daisies, mostly). But the store being closed and a certain lack of ingredients and time meant I had to find an alternative. Pinterest² and a childhood memory of no bake cheese cakes to the rescue. After browsing for a while for spring-themed cakes, I settled on a blueberry no bake cheesecake. Mixing a vegan recipe, with a not even vegetarian one (the childhood cake uses gelatine³, and turning it vegetarian was a challenge. And it turned right the first time round!

I basically adapted & mashed so many recipes that it’s not even worth it mentioning them, since this cake doesn’t resemble any of them any more.

Happy Birthday for the flower power girl

Ingredients

For the crust

• 200 grams “maria” cookies
• 100 grams butter

For the cheesecake

• 300 grams cream cheese, room temperature
• 250 grams Greek yogurt
• 375 ml cream
• 250 grams blueberries
• 125 grams sugar
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 2 grams agar agar powder

For the topping

• 200 grams blueberries
• 4 grams agar agar powder
• 25 grams sugar

For decoration

• 50 grams blueberries
• sugar flowers
• (fresh edible flowers if you can find them – I couldn’t)

No bake blueberry cheesecake

Instructions

For the crust

1. Line the bottom of a spring form with baking paper. Place spring form on dish (the cheesecake will most likely leak a bit).
2. Melt butter in microwave or pan over medium heat.
3. Meanwhile, crush cookies to thin dust either in a food processor or by wacking them with a rolling pin. (Second option recommended if you have anger you need to get rid of).
4. Mix butter & cookie crumbs until it resembles wet sand. Pour mixture into lined form and press with hands to create an even crust.
5. Place in refrigerator while making filling.

For the cheesecake filling

1. Pour 250 ml of cream into a small sauce pan, sprinkle 2 grams of agar agar powder on top and let soak for a few minutes. Bring to a simmer, and whisk to dissolve agar agar. Simmer for a 3-4 minutes, whisking regularly to make sure it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, blend blueberries with remaining cream.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add blueberry mix and mix until well combined.
4. Add agar agar cream to the blueberry mix and mix thoroughly. It should start setting and it can be whipped to a creamy consistency. Pour into spring form with crust and even top out with a spatula.
5. Chill in refrigerator while making topping.

Blueberry cheesecake filling ready for chilling

For the topping

1. In a blender, mix blueberries and sugar with about 100 ml of water until smooth.
2. Sieve blueberry mix through a strainer to remove skins.
3. Add enough water to the mix to make 500 ml. Pour into small saucepan and sprinkler agar agar on top. Let sit for 5 minutes for agar agar to hydrate.
4. Bring to a boil, lower to simmer and whisk to dissolve agar agar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, whisking to make sure it won’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
5. If present, remove white foam from top of blueberry jam with a spoon before it cools down.
6. Let blueberry jam cool to around 50°C, pour on top of cheesecake. Quickly tilt spring form around to distribute the topping evenly.

Decorate:

1. Sprinkle blueberries on top.
2. Place sugar (and / or fresh edible) flowers on top.

Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

One benefit of using agar agar however, the cheesecake & topping will withstand higher temperatures since it won’t un-gel with warmth. So this is an ideal dessert for the summer months!