balsamic strawberry no bake cheesecake

 

happy canada 150!!!! i can only imagine the celebrations happening across the country tonight both big & small. there will be fireworks in my town & even more fireworks over the falls. i wanted to leave you with a perfect summer recipe incase you need a last minute dessert for a bbq tonight or for a fourth of july gathering! no bake cheesecakes are PERFECT for the hottest of summer days because they involve no heat element. it is for those days where it gets so hot you can't even think about turning on a stove top or oven. i love balsamic strawberries as a snack or topping on ice cream so i thought it would work well as a topping on this cheesecake too... it did! the balsaimc is very sublte, a little goes a long way. plus the sugar really offsets the bitterness of the vinegar. i think it would work well with peaches too. anyways i am starting my long weekend celebrations the second i hit post:)

happy canada day!

happy fourth of july!

happy long weekend!

xo

ingredients

for the graham cracker crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the balsamic strawberries

  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
  • 2-3 tablespoons white sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
  • 1 teaspon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon quality balsamic vinegar

for the cheesecake

  • 16 oz full fat cream cheese ( two 8oz bars)
  • 1/3 cup + 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

directions

for the graham cracker crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and sea salt.
  • add the butter & vanilla, stir well.
  • pour mixture into a pie dish or skillet & shape crumbs into a crust with a one inch high edge.
  • place crust in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling & strawberries.

for the balsamic strawberries

  • in a mixing bowl toss together the strawberries, sugar, vanilla and balsamic. let flavours mend while you prepare the filling. cover & refrigerate.

for the cheesecake

  • in the bowl of a standmixer (or hand mixer) beat together the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar & vanilla until fluffy.
  • in a separate bowl whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks are formed. add in the remaining sugar.
  • fold whipped cream into the cheesecake ensuring not to deflate the whipped cream.
  • pour filling over crust & let rest in the fridge to set for 2-4 hours covered.
  • when ready to serve, top with the marinated balsamic strawberries.

p.s. skillet is by lodge cast iron & black mixing bowls are by falcon enamelware! xo

sugared cranberry cheesecake

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

only TWO more sleeps.

i am going to keep this one short because the house is full of family & there is no time to be spent on the computer! we have so many christmas movies to catch up on as we rock the matching santa pajama bottoms. now as you know, every single year i make a cheesecake for christmas day. it is an annual thing because it is not often that a celebration calls for a fancy ass cheesecake! three years ago i made a red velvet cheesecake, two years ago i made an apple pie cheesecake, last year i made this salted caramel cheesecake & this year THIS sugared cranberry cheesecake! something about sugared cranberries just look so pretty & festive. now i am already thinking about next year's... gingerbread, egg nog, chai?!?! can it be christmas every month?

hope everyone has an amazing weekend & gets spoiled by santa! xo

ingredients

for the sugared cranberries

  • 1/2 cup + 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries (not frozen)

for the graham crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 pinch of salt

for the filling

  • 4 packages of full fat plain cream cheese (8 oz each)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

directions

for the sugared cranberries

  • in a sauce pot add the 1/2 cup sugar & water. heat until the sugar dissolves.
  • stir in the cranberries, toss to coat & remove from heat.
  • strain & toss in the remaining white sugar.
  • set aside until you are ready to decorate the cheesecake.

for the graham cracker crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter & salt.
  • firmly press into a 9-inch spring form pan with a 1-inch crust.
  • set aside while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • preheat oven to 475 degrees. in a mixer with the paddle attachment beat sugar, cream cheese & flour.
  • add the eggs/egg yolks one at a time. scrape the bowl after every addition to ensure no clumps!
  • once mixture is silky smooth add the vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg. pour into the crust lined spring form pan.
  • bake at 475 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the top puffs. if the top begins to brown too quickly, lower the temperature.
  • once the top has puffed, lower the temperature to 250 degrees & bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the cake appears firm. turn off the oven & let the cake sit for 15 minutes. remove from oven & let cool to room temperature before refrigerating over night.
  • top with sugared cranberries.

mini matcha swirl cheesecakes

 

happy gilmore girl release day!!!! errr.. black friday. i hope you all had an amazing thanksgiving & ate your weight in turkey! instead of being surrounded by crowds & going black friday shopping this year, i am going to do the complete opposite. i plan to stay in, bake some holiday cookies & binge watch the whole season of the new girlmore girl's revival. i woke up early & already watched the first episode, but i don't want to spoil it!

if you plan to do the same as me today, here is the perfect little bite size treats to whip up: mini matcha swirl cheesecakes. i usually only make cheesecake during the holiday's & this year i wanted to make something mini. if you couldn't tell by now, i love making mini versions of things! the filling is half vanilla cheesecake & half matcha cheesecake baked onto a gingersnap crust. as always, i used aiya matcha's cooking grade matcha powder to ensure the matcha flavour doesn't get lost with all the other ingredients. a little cheesecake making tip for you, ALWAYS make sure the cheesecake & the eggs are at room temperature or you will end up with chunks of cream cheese. i always use philadelphia's full fat cream cheese because i never have any luck with other brands. lastly please, PLEASE do not buy the lower fat cream cheese available, they never turn out! i have tried one too many times. anyways, have a great long weekend:)

ingredients

for the gingersnap crust

  • 1.5 cups gingersnap crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the swirled filling

directions

for the gingersnap crust

  • in a mixing bowl add the gingersnap crumbs, sugar, vanilla & butter. stir until a wet sandy mixture is formed.
  • press the crust into twelve lined cupcake tins & bake for five minutes while you prepare the filling.

for the swirled filling

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the cream cheese & sugar until smooth.
  • add in the eggs one at a time, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. finished off with vanilla extract.
  • divide batter into two equal portions. leave one as is & add the matcha powder to the other one.
  • add one scoop of each mixture per cupcake tin & swirl together with a knife.
  • bake for 20 minutes & let cool completely before serving.
  • top with whipped cream if desired.

this post was created in partnership with aiya matcha! you can find the cooking grade matcha powder that i used here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love! xo