Thursday, May 3, 2012

A (No-Bake) Cheesecake Redux


Mother's Day is a week from Sunday. That's only 10 days away- can you believe that?! Last Mother's Day, I took my mom out to lunch and a day of shopping when I felt a strange movement in my lower abdomen- a tickle that I hadn't felt before. It happened a couple more times then it finally donned on me that it was Hayden kicking me! It was such an awesome feeling and a moment I will never forget. I love that that was the first time I felt him moving inside me. From then on, he just kicked, kicked, kicked and he still does. He loves moving his little feet. 


This Mother's Day will be a special one too because it's the first one as a mother to a living, breathing, beautiful baby boy. I don't care if I get breakfast in bed, whether or not we go out to eat or if I get any gifts wrapped in bows. Hayden is my gift and he's all I need. Well, him and his Poppa. I need him too :-)


I made this no-bake cheesecake a couple years ago with lemon curd and I made it again last month for Easter, only this time I used a jar of Key Lime Curd that I picked up from a Williams-Sonoma Outlet awhile back. You can certainly make your own from scratch if you prefer, I just think a jarred curd is easier. This cheesecake would be a welcome addition to any Mother's Day menu. You bake the crust to set it, but the cheesecake filling is set up with gelatin in the refrigerator so you don't have to worry about overbaking it which means no cracks! and there are no water baths to fool around with. It's also ultra creamy and fluffy and it can be made a couple days in advance. It was light and mousse like and reminded me of key lime pie, but without all the pucker. 


Make this cheesecake for a special Momma in your life, or heck, treat yourself for being so awesome. You could also pass this recipe onto one of your kids and have them make it for you. Yup, that's what I'd do :-). 


 Lime Curd Icebox Cheesecake adapted from HERE
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Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 Tbsp. sugar
Filling:
  • 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice
  • 1 envelope (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
  • 24 oz. (3 bricks) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime or lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature
Garnish: 
  • 1/3 cup prepared lime or lemon curd (more or less depending on your preference)
  • whipped cream
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.

In a medium bowl, combine graham crackers, sugar and butter. Mix until combined. 

Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack before filling.

For the filling: In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lime or lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture until it is bubbling around the edges and the gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, lime or lemon zest, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. 

Slowly add the cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/3 cup of the prepared lime or lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

For the decorative topping: Using a teaspoon, dollop the remaining curd on top of the cheesecake and lightly drag a pairing knife or skewer through the lines to create a marble appearance. Alternately, you could pipe the curd (I put the curd into a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner and piped) into lines or swirls and drag a skewer through it to make other decorative patterns.

Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours. Remove the sides of the pan, cut into slices and serve.

Serves 12

I mentioned that I made this cheesecake for Easter but I also wanted to show you what my Mom made. She made a Pineapple Angel Lush and served it with fresh berries. It was really light and tasty. Click HERE for the recipe if you're interested. 



9 comments:

Tatiyana said...

How exciting for your first Mother's Day!! Hayden is beautiful and this cake doesn't look too bad either! I might have to make it for my mom this year:)

Abby said...

That is the most beautiful cheesecake I've ever seen! And I'm so happy to see you and your boys together this Mother's Day. What a blessing!

Paloma said...

oooh! Sounds great! And looks amazing!!! I posted today about the Strawberry Chantilly recipe I got from your blog ;) lovely! and delicious! Thanks again!

Paloma.

Unknown said...

I bet Mother's Day will be extra special this year. Congrats on your first Mother's Day :)

The cheesecake pie looks really good. especially that lime curd. I don't know why, but I was expecting it to be creamy colored with maybe a hint of green. This lime curd looks like duce de leche :) Yum!

Zsofi Anna said...

Sniff--reading about your excitement as a new mom makes me really happy. This is only my second mother's day as a mom, so I am excited for it too! Not for any lavish gifts (I think the crumbs from breakfast in bed would gross me out!) but because it will be nice to have a day to really indulge in thinking about me as a mommy. This cheesecake looks divine, as always.

Paloma said...

Hi Monica!! Thanks for stopping by my blog! It was great to read your comments! Sorry about your "wasted trip" to Fiesta! LOL! I guess "you are used to what you are used to" ... IF you like American Coke and that's what you've been drinking all your life, it's more than likely that you won't like the Mexican stuff... I like American Pepsi not Coke but the other day I bought the "real stuff" the Pepsi with sugar not corn syrup and I didn't like it at all! So I guess it's the same thing! ... I barely drink any soda ever anymore ... so I am sure that if I had a Coke or Pepsi, American or Mexican, I probably wouldn't even like it anymore ;) ... Your cheesecake looks sooo awesome that when I saw the recipe (actually when I saw the first one you shared when reading through your blog ) I looked in my fridge to see if I had cream cheese... and I do... but not enough... I need another 8oz. package! I thought I would get it but then I remembered I am not eating ANY dessert and hubby doesn't like cheesecake (isn't that SINFUL!?) so I don't want to have it go to waste, but I will for sure make it when we have company! I hope it looks 1/2 as beautiful as yours!!

Patti said...

This looks so yummy, thank you for posting! I think I'll try the lemon one too. Happy early Mother's Day, I hope you get spoiled rotten!

Heather at Kitchen Concoctions said...

What a special story! That is awesome that you felt Hayden's kicks on Mother's Day last years. I hope you have a beautiful Mother's Day this year just spending time with your guys! Oh and this cake! I love love love cheesecake and just the thought of lemon curd makes my lips pucker, in a good way! : )

Unknown said...

What a beautiful cake to go along with this beautiful post. Totally made me teary eyed!

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