No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

Here is the recipe for a delicious no-bake blueberry cheesecake, with an Italian twist that could consist of adding a bit of lemon liqueur to the cream, to enhance the Mediterranean flavors.

Ingredients

• 250 g of digestive biscuits
• 120 g of melted butter
• 300 g of spreadable cheese (such as Philadelphia)
• 100 g of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
• 200 ml of fresh cream for whipping
• 3 sheets of gelatin or 6 g of gelatin powder
• 300 g of fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of water
• Lemon liqueur (optional, one tablespoon for the cream)

Preparation

1. Start by crushing the digestive biscuits until they are reduced to crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the melted butter and press the mixture into a 22 cm diameter springform pan, forming a compact base. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a bowl, blend the spreadable cheese with the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest (and the lemon liqueur if you wish to add an alcoholic touch) until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
3. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes, then heat them with two tablespoons of water to dissolve them, making sure not to boil them. If using gelatin powder, follow the instructions on the package to hydrate and dissolve it.
4. Whip the fresh cream and gently fold it into the cheese cream, then add the dissolved gelatin and mix until the mixture is homogeneous.
5. Pour the obtained cream over the biscuit base in the fridge and let it set for at least 4 hours, or better yet, overnight.
6. For the topping, cook the blueberries with the granulated sugar and two tablespoons of water in a small pot over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, until you get a slightly thickened sauce. Let it cool completely before pouring it over the cheesecake.
7. Once the blueberry sauce is cold, spread it evenly over the surface of the cheesecake.

Fun Facts

The no-bake cheesecake is an ideal dessert for summer, because it’s refreshing and doesn’t require the use of an oven. Moreover, blueberries are known for their antioxidant properties and being rich in vitamins, so in addition to being tasty, this topping is also beneficial for health!