This delicious no-bake blueberry and lime cheesecake is perfect for summertime! Prepare the day before you wish to serve to allow it to set.
What was your favourite dessert growing up? Mine would have to be a tie between millefeuilles and choux buns filled with cream and crunchy with caramel. I guess I liked Crème Pâtissière even more than chocolate, and in Athens, where I grew up, we had several really good patisseries. The best one (thrilled to see that it is still around!) was near my friend Ellie’s house and we always bought a box of delights whenever we visited. These days I am pretty willing to try any type of dessert – and I like to challenge myself making different recipes on this here blog.
This is why I am so happy to have Step by Step Desserts in my cookbook collection – a brand new book which demystifies a huge number of recipes from Crème brûlée to Tarte Tatin, and all well-known delicious desserts in between, with easy to follow step-by-step photos. You can bet that Great British Bake Off contestants would love to have this tome under the work stations to consult when the going gets tough! The book is divided into three sections: hot, cold and frozen and each dessert classic gets inventive variations (Guinness tiramisu anyone?) alongside the main recipe. This book is a must for keen bakers, from adventurous amateurs to GBBO hopefuls.
If you are a fan of cheesecakes here’s some ideas to get you going…
• Vegan peanut butter cheesecake from Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen.
• Oreo and caramel cheesecake from Tinned Tomatoes.
• New York style cheesecake from Little Sunny Kitchen.
• Crumb apricot cheesecake from Vikalinka.
Win one of three copies of Step-by-step Desserts (closed)
No-Bake Blueberry Lime Cheesecake and Step by Step Desserts book giveaway
Ingredients
- For the base
- 250 g | 9oz digestive or caramel Lotus biscuits
- 100 g | 3.5oz unsalted butter melted
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- For the topping
- 100 g | 3.5oz fresh blueberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
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- For the filling
- 8 tbsp hot water check instructions on gelatine package
- 12 g | 1/4oz | 1 sachet powdered gelatine
- 500 g | 1lb 2oz full-fat cream cheese
- 300 g | 10oz sour cream
- 100 g | 3.5oz sugar
- 1 tsp lime oil extract
- grated zest of 1 lime
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 23cm (9in) springform tin and line the bottom and sides of with greaseproof paper.
- Pulse the biscuits in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Gradually add the melted butter until the mixture holds together if pressed between your fingers.
- Tip the crumb mixture in the tin and press down to create an even base. Chill until needed.
- For the topping, put the blueberries, sugar and lime juice in a small pot and stir gently over medium-low heat until the blueberries start to release their juices. Remove from the heat and cool down.
- Put the hot water in a small bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatine over the top. Let it swell and then vigorously mix together until the gelatine dissolves. Set aside.
- Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and mix in the sugar using a hand whisk. This can also be done in a stand mixer but I found it made the filling a bit watery.
- Fold in the sour cream and then mix in the gelatine. Spread the filling over the base and chill for 10 minutes.
- Spoon the blueberries over the top of the cheesecake, reserving their juices. Place the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.
- When you are ready to serve, gently release the springform tin and transfer the cheesecake on a suitable plate. Serve with the reserved blueberry syrup spooned over the top and sprinkle with some grated lime zest.
Claire Ward says
I love lemon meringue pie