No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake

No-Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake is a darlingly delectable treat fit for any occasion, but it just might be better suited for a special Valentine or when locally grown strawberries are in season! If you’re hosting a dinner party, this dessert can be prepared a day in advance, freeing up your valuable time!

When I was growing up, Sunday dinner dessert was almost always my mom’s no-bake cheesecake.  It was a simple dessert with no fuss and all of us kids loved it.  Her favourite fruit topping was canned cherry though, which I absolutely hate, but whenever she made it, I would scrape the cherries off and eat the rest.  No complaints! Today, I’m sharing a version without those nasty canned cherries. My No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake is so easy and is a great idea for Valentine’s Day dessert!

I decided to try my hand at them, and I tried to follow my mom’s recipe, but with a few exceptions.  After all, my tastes have changed over the years, and as one who spends so much quality time with me, myself, and my kitchen, I added a few twists. The most obvious of those is layering the cream cheese filling with homemade strawberry shortcake crumbs. You will need to make those before you attempt these individual cheesecakes.

For this particular recipe, you will use about a cup and a half of strawberry shortcake crumbs. Even then, you will still have some leftover crumbs. One of my favourite ways to use up the leftover crumbs is to stir a couple of tablespoons into some plain yogurt. It is really good!

LAYERED DESSERTS ARE THE EASIEST AND THE BEST!

Layered desserts have been popular for many, many years. For those of us who were not blessed with the ability to decorate elaborate cakes or whip up a choux pastry or even master the art of a good meringue, there are layered desserts. Think about it! The popularity of desserts like no-bake cheesecakes, trifles, tiramisus, and No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake is proof.

I like to think that a layered dessert can certainly be just as elegant if prepared the right way. Make it simple. Overcomplicated desserts are no fun to prepare or eat. Choose two or three flavour combinations, because too many will just become muddled and the flavours will compete with each other. That’s what I think of trifles. I do like them, but I don’t care for them if they have cake, fruit, jello, pudding, whipped cream, etc. Too many ingredients and too many layers are certainly not the way to go.

If you are looking for more layered desserts, look no further! I’ve got you covered right here. Try these Stacked Vanilla Strawberry Shortcakes, for example. Or a breakfast version using waffles! Speaking of strawberry shortcakes, you have got to try these puff pastry flakies – they are probably my favourite dessert of all time.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CRUMBS

Remember those pink and white ice cream bars with the strawberry-flavoured crumb coating? I do! In fact, they were my favourite ice cream bar when I was growing up. Now that I’m older, I don’t care much for ice cream, because it doesn’t seem to agree with me. I’m not lactose intolerant, but ice cream makes me feel bloated and blah, so I stay away from it as much as possible.

Now, in the instance that the ice cream in question is strawberry, I can’t pass it up. Because of the fact that I’m not a fan of ice cream, it is safe to assume that I am not an ice cream connoisseur. So, go easy on me when I tell you that my favourite ice cream is cheap ice cream, and the more artificial the strawberry flavour, the more I love it! I won’t name the brands that I like, but they package their ice cream in boxes. That’s all I’m going to say!

The number of Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars I ate when I was a kid is too high to count. I can’t tell you what the brand was, but the closest I can find are these by Good Humor. (I had to re-type ‘humor’ about five times before I could get my brain to let go of the O that should be in there – humour – it’s the Canadian in me!) Something tells me that in the 80s, the go-to brand was Nestle. Anyway, I digress!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

You might have guessed by now that you need a batch of Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs. Go ahead, and click on the link. It will open and new page so you won’t lose this one. The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

To Make the Crumbs:

• Vanilla Pudding – Just a plain box of powdered mix is all you need. There’s no need to mix it according to the instructions on the package.
• Strawberry Jello – Again, this is just the powder. You will use the powder as it is – no need to mix it and let it set.
• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is good.
• Butter – I used salted butter to offset some of the sweetness. Unsalted butter is certainly okay too.
• Golden Oreos – These are vanilla-flavoured Oreos. You’ll use one full package of Golden Oreos.

For the Graham Crust Base:

• Graham Crumbs – I always try to find the crumbs rather than using the wafers. It just saves me from dirtying up my food processor. Don’t use a cheap, no-name brand. If you can afford the extra dollar, buy a good brand. Personally, I prefer Keebler brand, but they’re really hard to find in Canada, so my second choice is Honey Maid.
• Butter – Use salted butter. If you don’t have salted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to your crumb mixture.
• Cinnamon – That’s my secret ingredient! Such a common ingredient, but it adds such a warm flavour to the mixture. You’ll love it!

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

• Cream Cheese – When baking with cream cheese it is always best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed.  Cream cheese adds texture and flavour to baked items.
• Whipping Cream – Please see the next section on whipping cream.
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar. 

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CHEESECAKE

In a mixing bowl, pour the melted butter over the graham crumbs along with the cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Evenly distribute the graham crumb mixture among the jars or glasses and lightly press the mixture into the jars to form a light crust/base. Transfer the glasses to the refrigerator.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese. Set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to the bowl of cream cheese. Mix until well incorporated. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix into the cream cheese mixture.

Layer about two heaping tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the graham crumb layer. Next, sprinkle in about two tablespoons of the Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs and top those with another layer of the cream cheese mixture followed by a final layer of the shortcake crumbs. Transfer glasses back to the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours before serving. Before serving, top with some fresh strawberries.

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference in the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

MAKE EVERYTHING AHEAD OF TIME

You can follow the steps in the previous section and prepare this No Bake Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake ahead of time. If tightly covered and refrigerated, they will keep for at least two days – maybe more! (They didn’t last that long in our home!) Alternatively, you can prepare the strawberry shortcake crumbs, the graham crumb, and the cream cheese filling a few days in advance.

As you can see, I prepared them in a variety of goblet-style glasses in varying sizes. That way, one can pick and choose how much dessert they feel like eating. Alternatively, you could prepare the entire dessert in a 9×13 inch baking dish as well.