(almost no-bake) Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake
so easy, so pretty, and darn delicious to boot
Hello Again,
Some of you may have noticed, but I soft-launched my pregnancy on Instagram this week. I’ve been a little nervous to let the world know, but it’s time because, well, it’s almost time. I’ve got 3 1/2 months to go, so yes, book-baby and baby-baby will enter the world at about the same time. (PS: Have you preordered yet? The book, not the baby.)
And now I can finally tell you the real motivation behind the recipes I’ve been developing these days—cravings! All of my cravings have been driven by nostalgia. I’m suddenly obsessed with foods I haven’t eaten or even thought about in decades. Stuff that screams of my 90’s childhood, like brown sugar Pop-Tarts and Eggo waffles (neither hit as hard as I remember), Taco Bell nachos bell grande and McDonald’s chicken nuggets (both still incredible), along with Red Vines and County Time pink lemonade. That instant-summer magical pink drink is what drove me to develop this almost instant, almost no-bake strawberry lemonade cheesecake.
Country Time really had a grip on my growing up, and it wasn’t until adulthood that I realized lemonade isn’t that hard to make without a mix. But as a kid it felt like magic to be able to stir together a sweet drink without adult supervision. I even had a lemonade stand for a day where I sold glasses of the stuff to a few folks and made a whopping 75 cents. (My dad was legitimately proud.)
This cheesecake has all those pink lemonade vibes, but more importantly, it’s just as easy and practically magic. I only bake a proper NY-style cheesecake at home for very special occasions because of all the fuss of a water bath, springform pan, and financial dedication to purchasing 3 to 4 blocks of cream cheese (the standard for most NY-style cheesecakes).
For this recipe, you only have to turn on your oven briefly to crisp the crumb crust, but I wouldn’t shame you for buying a graham cracker crust. It uses only one package of cream cheese so that you can serve it to a small crowd of 6 to 8 (or eat it yourself over a few days, this is a judgment-free zone). And you can make it without any special equipment at all. What thickens and sets the cheesecake is the little bit of starch naturally contained in powdered sugar and stiffly beaten whipped cream.
I like to whip my cream by hand but feel free to use a mixer if you prefer. If it’s a warm day, chill your bowl and whisk in the freezer before whipping. Keep in mind that cream quickly goes from runny and watery to crudled and broken. Once the cream looks thickened like yogurt, take things slow and check in often. Keep whisking until the cream holds trails in the bowl and peaks on the whip. If in doubt, it’s always better to under- rather than over-whip cream because it will stiffen up in the fridge as the fat chills.
Notes before you get baking:
SALT: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt in all my cooking and baking. It has big fluffy crystals that are easy to sprinkle and is less salty by volume than most other salts. If you are using Morton’s kosher salt, use just over half as much. If you are using table salt or fine sea salt, use just under half as much.
Crumbs not holding together into a crust? They may be too coarsely ground; process them further then try again.
Slumped or buckled crust after baking? While hot out of the oven, use the bottom and sides of a metal measuring cup to push the crust back into place. It’ll crisp up and hold once cooled.
Don’t settle for lumps! Be sure to thoroughly mix the cream cheese, sugar, zest, vanilla, and salt until totally creamy and lump free before adding the juice. It’s much easier to do this with room-temperature cream cheese. Just take the cheese out of the fridge and place it near the oven when you start to prep the crust. By the time the crust has cooled, the cheese will be ready to mix up smooth.
LEVEL UP! Once the cheesecake has set and before adding the berries, spread on a thin layer of store-bought or homemade lemon curd to bump up those lemon vibes.
(Almost No-Bake) Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake
serves 8 | active time: 30 minutes | total time: at least 5 hours
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