Cheesecake de Vane

Vane’s cheesecake is the only no-bake cheesecake I recommend. It’s easy and super versatile: you can choose any flavor for the top layer!

Ingredients

• 160 grams of crackers
• 85 grams of unsalted butter
• 452 grams of cream cheese (2-8oz cream cheese blocks in the U.S. or CasanCrem in Argentina)
• 150 grams of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin (7.2 grams)
• 150 grams of heavy cream

Top Layer

• A handful of your choice of berries
• Some lemon or orange juice
• 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin (7.2 grams)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (optional)

Procedure

1. Process the crackers and add the melted butter. Incorporate well and use the mixture to make a crust in a 9” springform pan.
2. Bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. In a bowl, mix the room-temperature cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
4. Hydrate gelatin: Sprinkle it in a small bowl, add some boiling water, and stir until it is completely dissolved.
5. Add the dissolved gelatin to the mixture in the bigger bowl. Mix until it is homogeneous, making sure there are no lumps.
6. Separately, mix the heavy cream just enough so it’s a little more solid and fold it into the main mixture.
7. Pour the mixture on the crust and refrigerate while you make the topping.
8. For the top layer, cook the berries over medium heat, along with some lemon or orange juice and sugar if you want extra sweetness, just enough to make a jam-like sauce. Separately, in a small bowl, repeat the process of hydrating unflavored gelatin, and then add it to the sauce.
9. Pour the berry sauce on top of the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating.

Note: my mom doesn’t do the berry layer on the cheesecake. Instead, she makes the sauce without the gelatin, and pours it on every slice when serving.