No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake with the Thermomix® takes 25 minutes of active prep plus 4 hours in the fridge and makes 8 servings from a heart-shaped tin. In brief: we melt 100 g white chocolate with 50 g butter (2.5 minutes at 50 °C on speed 1) for the biscuit base, dissolve 4 sheets of gelatine in 50 g warm orange juice (1 minute at 50 °C on speed 2), blend with 300 g quark and 100 g cream cheese for 20 seconds on speed 10, then fold in the stiffly whipped cream. The 500 g strawberries sit fresh between the base and the cream. No oven, no baking tin, just the fridge.
We have been making this cake on hot summer days for years. The base needs no oven, the cream sets in the fridge, and the strawberries stay fresh and juicy between the base and the filling. The recipe works because the white chocolate binds the biscuit base and firms up at room temperature. No baking, no waiting other than the chilling time. If you prefer cold spoon desserts, we also have a Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert in a glass.
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 14 ✓
- 100 g white chocolate
- 50 g butter
- 50 g amarettini biscuits
- 100 g butter biscuits
- 4 sheets gelatine
- 150 g sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
- 200 g double cream very cold
- 4 tbsp strawberry jam
- 500 g strawberries
- 50 g orange juice
- 300 g quark
- 100 g cream cheese (full-fat)
- 1 tsp orange zest
Instructions 0 / 10
-
1
Soak the gelatine.
Soak the gelatine in cold water according to the packet instructions.
-
2
Pulverise the sugar.
Add the sugar and vanilla sugar to the mixing bowl and pulverise for 10 seconds / speed 10, then set aside.
-
3
Whip the cream.
Insert the butterfly whisk, add the double cream to the rinsed-out cold mixing bowl and whip on speed 3.5 until stiff. Remove the butterfly whisk. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and refrigerate.
-
4
Melt the chocolate.
Break the chocolate into pieces, add to the mixing bowl and chop for 4 seconds / speed 8. Add the butter and melt for 2 1/2 minutes / 50°C / speed 1.
-
5
Chop the biscuits.
Add the amarettini and butter biscuits and chop for 10 seconds / speed 5.
-
6
Grease the heart-shaped tin.
Grease the heart-shaped tin and spread the mixture evenly over the base, pressing it down firmly. Then spread half the jam over the biscuit base.
-
7
Prepare the strawberries.
Wash the strawberries, remove the hulls, halve them and place cut-side down on the jam layer.
-
8
Blend the filling.
Squeeze the gelatine well, add it to the mixing bowl together with the orange juice and warm for 1 minute / 50°C / speed 2. Add the icing sugar, quark and cream cheese and blend for 20 seconds / speed 10.
-
9
Fold in the cream.
Add the whipped cream and orange zest and fold in for 4 seconds / speed 4.
-
10
Finish the cheesecake.
Carefully spread the mixture over the strawberries and smooth the top. Add the remaining jam to the mixing bowl, blend for 5 seconds / speed 5, spoon onto the cream and draw a pattern through it with the handle of a spoon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Nutrition per serving
White chocolate as a binder instead of just butter
The base consists of 100 g white chocolate, 50 g butter, 50 g amarettini biscuits and 100 g butter biscuits. Most no-bake bases bind with butter alone and go soft again in warm summer weather. We break the chocolate into pieces, chop it for 4 seconds on speed 8, add the butter and melt both together for 2.5 minutes at 50 °C on speed 1. As it cools, the chocolate hardens and holds the crumbs together like edible glue. The biscuits go in afterwards and are chopped for 10 seconds on speed 5.
Amarettini give a light almond note. If you want to leave them out, use 150 g butter biscuits instead. We spread the warm mixture into the greased heart-shaped tin and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon. A glass with a flat base works even better than a spoon for this.
Gelatine only dissolves in warm juice at 50 °C
This is where it is decided whether the cheesecake sets properly or stays a puddle. We soak the 4 sheets of gelatine in cold water according to the packet instructions. We then squeeze them well and add them to the mixing bowl with 50 g orange juice. One minute at 50 °C and speed 2 is enough for the gelatine to dissolve completely. Colder juice will not dissolve the gelatine; juice hotter than 60 °C destroys its setting power. The Thermomix® hits exactly the right temperature, whereas doing this by hand on the hob is guesswork.
Only once the gelatine is clear do we add 300 g quark, 100 g full-fat cream cheese and the pulverised sugar. Blend for 20 seconds on speed 10. We deliberately use classic leaf gelatine rather than instant gelatine because it is flavour-neutral and dissolves completely in the warm juice.
Whipping very cold cream with the butterfly whisk until stiff
First we pulverise 150 g sugar with 2 tbsp vanilla sugar for 10 seconds on speed 10 to make fine icing sugar. You can make your own vanilla sugar in the Thermomix®. The 200 g cream must be very cold. We rinse the mixing bowl with cold water, insert the butterfly whisk and whip the cream on speed 3.5 until stiff. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Important: do not whip on a higher speed or the cream will turn to butter within seconds. The stiff cream goes into a bowl and into the fridge.
We then fold the cream into the quark mixture for 4 seconds on speed 4. Any longer and the cream will collapse, and the filling would lose its lightness. The butterfly whisk in the Thermomix® whips the cream more evenly than a hand mixer because the entire volume is reached.
Strawberries between the jam and the cream, not on top
This is our most important difference from most no-bake cheesecakes. Instead of placing the strawberries as a topping on the finished cream, we build them into the inside. We spread half of the 4 tbsp strawberry jam over the cooled biscuit base. The jam seals the base and prevents the juice from the strawberries seeping in and making it soggy. We then place the halved 500 g strawberries tightly side by side on the jam, cut-side down.
We carefully pour the quark cream over the strawberries and smooth the top. We blend the remaining 2 tbsp jam for 5 seconds on speed 5, spoon it onto the cream and draw a pattern through it with the handle of a spoon. You can make matching jam yourself with our Strawberry Jam in the Thermomix®.
These three pitfalls cost you a firm set
The gelatine clumps in the cold cream
If you tip the warm gelatine straight into the cold quark mixture, you get little gelatine strands instead of a smooth set. They seize immediately because the temperature difference is too great.
Our solution: With the Thermomix® method this problem does not arise at all, because the quark and cream cheese go directly into the warm gelatine in the mixing bowl and 20 seconds on speed 10 combines everything in one step. If you are working by hand: stir 3 tablespoons of cold cream into the warm gelatine first, then add it back into the mixture.
The base goes soggy from the strawberry juice
Fresh strawberries release water. If they sit directly on the biscuit base, it soaks up the liquid and turns mushy. When you cut through it, the layer breaks apart.
Our solution: The layer of jam between the base and the strawberries acts as a barrier. It seals the biscuit surface so the juice cannot soak through. Always place the strawberries cut-side down, as less juice escapes from the sides that way.
The cream collapses when folded in
Mixing for too long beats the air back out of the cream. The filling then becomes liquid instead of light and takes twice as long to set.
Our solution: Fold the stiff cream in for just 4 seconds on speed 4, no more. Finish blending the quark mixture first so the cream only needs a very brief fold at the end.
How to vary the no-bake cheesecake
With other berries: Raspberries, blueberries or mixed berries work just as well. With watery berries such as raspberries, pat the cut surfaces briefly on kitchen paper before using.
Without gelatine: Instead of 4 sheets of gelatine, add a sachet of cream stabiliser to the cream and use 500 g quark instead of 300 g. The filling will be slightly softer but holds after 4 hours in the fridge.
In a round springform tin: The quantities also fit a 26 cm springform tin. Stabilise the sides with a cake ring, and the cheesecake will come out cleanly.
With a lemon note: Use 1 tsp lemon zest instead of 1 tsp orange zest and 50 g lemon juice instead of orange juice. This makes the filling fresher and slightly more tart.
What we serve with this strawberry cheesecake
The cake goes well with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a few whole strawberries as decoration. If you are planning a whole strawberry afternoon, pair it with our Mascarpone Dessert with the Thermomix® or a light Berry Mousse. More no-bake recipes include our Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips and the Solero Cake.
How long the cheesecake keeps in the fridge
The cake must be covered and refrigerated for at least 4 hours. During this time the gelatine sets completely. Any less and the cream will still be too soft to cut. Overnight works too, and the cream will be even firmer and easier to slice neatly.
Kept covered in the fridge, the finished cheesecake will last 2 to 3 days. After that the fresh strawberries turn glassy and release water. We do not recommend freezing: quark and cream cheese separate on thawing and the filling becomes grainy. Before serving, dip the tin briefly in hot water so the cheesecake releases more easily. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and the slices will come out cleanly.
Goes well with: Vanilla ice cream and coffee.
Goes well with: Caramelised Almond Cake Thermomix®.
