Yes, it is still cherry season so I have another delicious cherry recipe for you. This time a no bake cheesecake with cherries. The combination of the creamy cheesecake filling combined with the sweet cherries is so good! Perfect for special occasions, family gatherings or just because you feel like a fabulous treat.

No bake cherry cheesecake recipe

Last week I shared this delicious cherry crumble and I still had loads of cherries left, so making this no bake cheesecake recipe seemed like the logical thing to do. I made another no bake cheesecake a while ago. A few months back. That one was with salted caramel and also super delicious. But this time I went for cherries!

Ingredients for no bake cheesecake with cherries

The crust

Now for the crust I used special cookies which are called bastogne koeken. These cookies are originally from Belgium and I don’t know if you can find them in the US but I did find an online source in the Dutch expat store. But if you find that is too much trouble you can always go for the regular graham crackers or any other cookie of your choice. I also love using ginger cookies or making an oreo crust.

For making the crust you place all the cookies in a food processor and turn until you have graham cracker crumbs. Now mix this with the melted butter and stir it through with a spoon until all crumbs look a bit wet.

Line a springform pan with parchment paper and press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. I like to use a flat bottomed longdrink glass for doing just that. Just so it is firm. Place in the fridge until further use.

Cherry cheesecake filling

Now for the cheesecake layer you mix the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract. To prevent lumps in the mix make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. This is easiest to do in a stand mixer but a hand mixer will work as well. In another large bowl whip the double cream or heavy whipping cream (with Klopfix if you can find it or another similar whipped cream stiffener). Check this article here for suggestions on how best to stiffen whipped cream. Cool whip will also work (but since we don’t have that here in the Netherlands, I cannot be sure of the final result).

Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture with a rubber spatula and add two tablespoons of cherry jam. Mix this loosely to create a marbled effect. Pour the mixture into the springform pan on top of the crust.

Let it set in the fridge for two hours and then spread the cherry mixture over the cake. Set in the fridge again until you’re decorations are done. Cover in plastic wrap to make sure no other flavors leak into the cheesecake. Let it cool completely and set preferably overnight or at least for four hours.

Decorations

Now of course the decorations are totally optional but they do make the no bake cherry cheesecake look very delicious. You can go for easy and just add the fresh cherries that are left over on top of the cheesecake. Another great way is to dip some of the cherries in melted chocolate. While that is always easiest to do with the whole cherries, if you want to remove the stone beforehand that’s going to be a challenge. You can just make sure you tell the people who you serve this perfect dessert to that they should know that the cherry topping still has stones in the cherries.

You melt the chocolate in a double boiler. For each chocolate type you use a separate bowl. You dip the cherries in the dark chocolate and leave them to set on a baking tray. Once set you place them on top of the no bake cherry cheesecake and drizzle over the white chocolate for a cool effect.

I love also adding some white chocolate shavings to the cheesecake.

Additions and variations

Now this no bake cherry cheesecake doesn’t use any gelatin but if you’re stressed for time or want to make sure it sets perfectly you can use one or two sheets of gelatin to make sure it will stay firm. The best way to do this is to soak the gelatin for 5 minutes. Heat a few tablespoons of whipping cream in a small saucepan and once warm add the gelatin leaves. Let it melt through the whipping cream and add it to the cream cheese layer before you place it in the spring form.

You can also easily make this into mini no bake cheesecakes or another shape.

A little splash of lemon juice is delicious for giving it a bit of freshness if needed.

Gluten-free version

If you want to make a gluten-free version the only thing you need to do is change the graham cracker mixture into a gluten-free alternative. If you want less fat you can even use a fat-free cream cheese mix but if you are eating a cheesecake you might as well go for the real deal. But that’s my personal opinion.

In terms of no bake desserts this is probably my favorite and go-to recipe. It’s a great recipe that can easily be used with different kinds of fruits, depending on the season. You can make it with almost any kind of fresh berries you want.