CRAZY Easy No-Bake Cheesecake!

With Wild Blueberry and Strawberry Compote.

Growing up we were served one type of cheesecake and it was always the no-bake variety. Maybe mom didn't like the baked type of cheesecake, or maybe she was just too busy to deal with the baking time (having 5 kids to raise will do that to you), but I think it's because when you land on a good thing, you stick with it and my mom is no quitter! This week I had the pleasure of having lunch with an old friend, and I wanted to serve something decadent and EASY. This cheesecake is as simple as they come and can be tweaked slightly to suit your taste. It looks impressive enough to fool your guests into thinking you spent hours preparing a treat for them, yet it is fast and uses minimal ingredients. It just may be the perfect summer dessert.

The ingredient list for this recipe is short and sweet. Two bricks of cream cheese, one can of sweetened condensed milk, some lemon juice (or lime, orange etc) and a little vanilla. Whipped

until smooth and poured over a graham cracker crust, let it set for 4 hours in the fridge and you've officially made yourself a no bake cheesecake.

It should be said that I call this a no-bake cheesecake and it is! You can mix your graham cracker crumbs and butter together and after pressing it into the pan, pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Your crust will set but it will be a tad on the crumbly side. Some love this, but I choose to bake my crust in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. This just gives our crust some extra sturdiness and crispness that we like, but you go out and live YOUR best (cheesecake) life!

Le piece de resistence in this recipe is the topping. A cheesecake is just a cheesecake until you give it direction, and this time around, I'm directing this cake to the wild blueberry (and strawberry) patch.

I suppose you could easily pop open a can of pie filling and throw it on top and call it a day. I've been there, I've done that but this visit required some special touches and I knew I had some frozen wild blueberry's in the freezer. When I say that I am using wild blueberry's I am dead serious. These blueberries are the result of hours of work put in by my generous mother, who picked every last one from a patch she found near her house on the side of the road. Compotes are simple and quick way to use up extra or frozen fruit and the process, just like the cheesecake is fast and easy.

In a heavy saucepan combine 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup sugar (you can reduce if you like your topping a little on the tart side), bring that to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add two cups of the fruit of your choice and 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes (for fresh fruit) and 5-7 minutes for frozen fruit, or until the fruit begins to burst and the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let the compote come to room temperature before serving over the chilled cheesecake.

The compote was so easy to make and I wasn't sure if my friend liked blueberry's so I went ahead and made a strawberry compote as well. To say the dessert went over well, is an understatement.

My lunch date went great and the family was happy to rid me of the leftovers that evening.

What is your favorite style of cheesecake? Do you have an even EASIER cheesecake recipe I should try? Comment below!

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No Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 packages cream cheese (room temp)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together in a mixing bowl. Press firmly into the bottom of a round spring-form pan and freeze for 15 minutes to set. You can also set the crust by baking in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

2. Using a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat until smooth.

3. Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.

4. Pour into prepared crust and chill for 3-4 hours until set.

Blueberry Compote

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups fresh/frozen fruit

2 tsp lemon juice

lemon zest (optional)

Method

1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Boil gently for 5 minutes.

2. Add fruit and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 3-5 minutes or until fruit begins to pop and mixture begins to thicken. (5-7 minutes for frozen fruit)

3. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

4. Let it come to room temperature before serving