Need an impressive but not too difficult no bake dessert? This is the recipe for you! Rich layers of (no bake) pink and white cheesecake sits on top of graham cracker crumbs shaped into 2″ rounds. After a good chill and right before serving the cheesecakes are garnished with fresh whipped cream and strawberry. Easy to make but allow time for 3+ hour chill. Having a piping bag on hand will help with even layers in the mold. This dessert 1/2 cup serving will bring lots of smiles at the dinner table.
Serving tip: Place this dessert at each place-setting on a separate dessert plate or on a large tray for buffet type serving. Pipe with whipped cream last minute before serving.
Special equipment you will need to make this dessert.
It is helpful to have a jumbo round silicone mold, but a 6 cup standard cupcake pan will also work. I used a silicone mold for ease in getting out of pan. You will also need an off set spatula to help level the top of the cheesecake last layer. This provides a flat surface for your whipped cream garnish. Last, piping bags for filling the mold is helpful as it keeps the filling from uneven layers. You can use a quart zip lock baggie for piping needs if you don’t have a piping bag. I did not use a piping tip just cut the bag wide enough to pipe a large dollop of filling into mold.
Let’s make this dessert.
Grab your food processor for the crust and mixer for the filling.
Tip: I like to gather all my ingredients first, measure them out… to make the process go quicker and to make sure I have everything I need. Nothing worse than getting in the middle of a project and not having what you need! Right?
Making the filling:
In a large mixing bowl, whip the softened cream cheese, sugar, extract whip to blend until smooth and creamy. Its important that cream cheese is softened, just makes the mixture whip faster and is smoother.
Next you will add the unflavored gelatin to the cheese mixture.
Why do you use unflavored gelatin in filling?
Adding unflavored gelatin to cream cheese filling helps the filling set since there are no eggs in this filling. Also because it is no bake, you need gelatin to create a firm filling without baking. So, in a small cup add boiling water and unflavored gelatin together, stir to dissolve and add to cheese mixture. Beat until well blended. You will be glad you added this.
Divide the filling into 2 bowls, 2/3 in one bowl for pink food gel and the remaining in the other bowl left natural in color.
Graham Cracker Crust:
Meanwhile make your graham cracker or cookie crust. Process grahams or cookies with sugar in food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse for 10-20 seconds or until crumbly. Add melted butter process until mixture is evenly coated.
Place one to two teaspoons of crumbs in bottom of jumbo silicone mold, press with small shot glass or something like this to flatten the crumbs in the bottom of the mold. Chill this crust for a about 15 minutes before filling.
Can I bake the crust?
Yes you can and it will help the crust stay firm, but only bake it for 5-7 minutes. If you do bake the crust, make sure it is completely cool before adding the cheesecake filling.
How to pipe the filling in layers.
Not going to lie this is a bit tricky to make the layers even, especially since the mold is not clear and you can’t see through it. However, the best way I have found to make these layers even is by piping with piping bag or zip lock baggie. I don’t use a tip, just clip the bag about 1″ from the end. Then pipe the filling beginning in the center of the cup, pushing the filling out until it fills the space to the sides of the mold. Then smoothing out the top with a small spoon helps prepare for next layer. Hope that helps.
Ok Here’s the official recipe. Let me know if you make these.
PrintEasy No Bake Mini Cheesecakes
Triple layers of pink and white cheese cake filling are packed in a graham cracker crust lined jumbo sized silicone muffin pan and frozen until set. This no bake dessert is garnished with piped whipped cream, berries, or Easter Eggs ( Almond M & M’s.) Or a cute ramen noodle egg nest.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: none
- Total Time: 45 minutes + 3 hour freeze
- Yield: 6 mini cheesecakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Crust:
3/4 cup graham cracker or dark chocolate cookie crumbs ( 8 Oreo thins)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar ( only when using graham cracker crumbs)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
2– 8 ounce packages Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons cold water
1 – 1 ounce unflavored packaged gelatin
Americolor gel paste- medium pink or color of choice
Garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh Strawberries or fruit of choice
For Easter Nest: tip # 1 M or Sultan Tube, Green Sprinkles, Almond Easter M & M’s or other candies and tips. For Spring- tip 1 M or Sultan tube, fresh berries with mint sprigs. Slice strawberries vertically leaving stem in tack for an easy garnish.
Ramen Noodle Nest: 1 package Ramen noodles without spice packet, 1/4 cup butter, 4 tablespoons peanut butter and marshmallow creme, 1 teaspoon vanilla or flavoring of choice. ( you can also add 1/4 cup melted mini chocolate chips ). Garnish with Cadbury Eggs.
Instructions
- Process cookies or graham crackers in food processor, place in small bowl.
- Melt butter in microwave for 15 seconds. Add to crumbs, stir to blend.
- Press 1-2 tablespoons of crumbs in bottom of each silicone muffin mold. Set aside.
- In large mixing bowl with paddle beater, add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Scrape down sides, continue beating to blend.
- Add granulated sugar, lemon juice, salt, and heavy cream. Beat until smooth.
- In small cup fill with 2 tablespoons cold water and one package unflavored gelatin, stir to blend. Place in microwave for 10 seconds to completely melt. Add cooled and liquid gelatin to cream cheese mixture. Beat to blend.
- Divide the cheesecake mixture into two bowls, fill one bowl 2/3 full, add pink food gel color. Leave remaining bowl of filling natural color. Stir with spoon to blend color.
- Fill 2 piping bags (with no tip ) one with pink filling and one natural. Pipe cupcake pan or silicone mold with one layer of pink filling, smooth with a spoon to cover cookie crust. Make sure to take a wet paper towel and wipe the sides of the mold to remove excess filling above the layer. Repeat process, with vanilla cheesecake as the middle color, then top with remaining pink layer.
- Smooth top of mold so the filling is flat, use an off set spatula for this process.
- Place in freezer and freeze at least 3 hours or over night.
- To serve, remove frozen cheesecake out of mold and allow to sit 20-30 minutes.
- Garnish with piped whipped cream and berries-decorations.
Whipped Cream Instructions: In chilled mixing bowl add heavy whipping cream and beat on low with a wire whisk attachment. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form. Place in piping bag an pipe a nest or other preferred dollop.
Garnish as desired with candies or fresh berries and mint sprig.
Ramen Noodle Nest:
In microwave melt together butter, marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix until smooth, then add crumbled raw ramen noodles. Stir to blend. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper add Cadbury Eggs and refrigerate until set. If you add chocolate chips, mix the chips with marshmallow creme to melt.
Notes
- For Easter, create a bird nest with Cadbury Chocolate eggs for pretty spring idea.
- Can substitute cookie crumbs for graham crackers, if using grahams, add 1- 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar. When using sandwich cookies with filling, remove filling and follow recipe. If you want to use the filling with the cookies do not add additional sugar
- Can substitute vanilla extract for Creme Bouquet concentrated flavoring
- A Sultan Pastry Tip is a Russian tip that pipes a round icing ring with a hollow center, perfect for making a nest or to fill with another filling.
Jumbo Silicone MuffinPan and Sultan Tubes can be purchased online.
Other Ideas you might like to try:
