How to make no-bake apricot cheesecake

Beat the heat with this no-bake from Julia Platt Leonard

When it comes to cheesecake, you can keep things cool in the summer (Julia Platt Leonard)

Baking loses some – scratch, all – of it’s allure when the temperature spikes in the summer. Suddenly the thought of voluntarily turning on an oven seems ill-advised at best and downright silly at worst. Why make it hotter if you don’t have to?

And you don’t or at least when it comes to cheesecake you don’t. Agreed, the ‘traditional’ cheesecake is baked in the oven. Styles and ingredients vary hugely and each one has its own loyal and loud band of followers. New York Cheesecake is a heady concoction of heavy cream, eggs and cream cheese that is baked in a spring form pan and emerges tall and majestic. Italian cheesecake uses ricotta cheese while authentic German cheesecake features a cheese called quark.

There are cheesecakes with layers, biscuit crusts or pastry. This no-bake version is based on the classic graham cracker crust from the U.S., here made with digestive biscuits. It’s made in a non-stick spring form pan like a traditional cheesecake but is much softer and more mousse-like. You let it set in the refrigerator and then you’re ready to serve.

It doesn’t take long to make but you do need to allow time for the biscuit crust to chill and then for the filling to firm up as well. But the hard labour isn’t hard and the taste is cool and creamy and just what you want from a summer dessert. And best of all, you never come near an oven.

No-bake apricot cheesecake

Serves 6-8

You could substitute cherries, strawberries, or blueberries for the apricots, switching the preserves to match the fruit.

20cm/8” round non-stick cake tin with removable bottom

Crust

110g finely crushed digestive biscuits (about 8-10 biscuits)
50g melted butter, plus a bit extra for greasing the pan
2 Tbsp caster sugar

Filling

225g cream cheese
​1-397g tin of sweetened condensed milk
5 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp apricot preserves
4-5 fresh apricots

To make the crust, mix the digestive biscuits, melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Butter the base of the tin, then press the mixture onto the bottom of tin firmly. The crumbs can come up the side a bit as well. Wrap the tin in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s fluffy. Gradually pour in the sweetened condensed milk and blend thoroughly until the mixture is smooth. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.

Take the crust from the refrigerator. Gently spread the apricot preserves over the bottom then pour the cheesecake mixture over the preserves. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. When ready to serve, slice each apricot into eighths. Arrange the slices in a ring along the outer edge of the cheesecake and then another ring on the inside.

@juliapleonard