Blackcurrant cheesecake (no bake cheesecake)

No bake blackcurrant cheesecake is a perfect year round dessert and can be made with either fresh or frozen blackcurrants. It is a great way to make use of fresh blackcurrants in the summer especially if you have a supply of your own but is you do not have fresh blackcurrants (or if you want to make this when they are not in season) then frozen fruit can be used. This cheesecake is easy to make and no baking is required!

Ingredients

For the base:

• 200g ginger biscuits
• 115g butter

For the topping:

• 250g mascarpone
• 300ml double cream
• 20g caster sugar
• 100g blackcurrants (fresh or frozen) (plus a few extra to decorate - optional)

Equipment needed to make blackcurrant cheesecake

• Plastic bag for the biscuit crumbs
• Rolling pin to crush the biscuits
• Medium sized saucepan
• Large spoon
• 20cm diameter non stick loose bottomed flan tin
• Greaseproof paper to line the base of the flan tin
• Large bowl to prepare the cheesecake topping
• A second bowl to whisk the cream
• Tablespoon to fold the cream into the mascarpone/sugar mixture
• Bowl for the blackcurrants
• Fork to mash the blackcurrants

How to make blackcurrant cheesecake

Line the base of a 20cm non stick loose bottomed flan tin with greaseproof paper. Lightly oil the paper and sides of the tin.

To make the cheesecake base

Crush the biscuits (200g) until they resemble crumbs. I find the easiest way to do this is to place in a large plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Any remaining pieces can be crushed with the back of a spoon.

Melt the butter (115g butter) over a low heat. When it has melted, add the biscuit crumbs (200g biscuit crumbs) and mix together. Spread the mixture evenly over the base of the lined flan tin. Press firmly with the back of a spoon until it is well compacted. Place in the fridge to set for about an hour.

To make the cheesecake topping

Cream the mascarpone (250g mascarpone) and caster sugar (20g caster sugar) together.

Lightly whisk the double cream (300ml) in a separate bowl until it is fairly thick but not solid. Do not whisk until it is solid or it will be difficult to combine with the mascarpone and sugar mixture.

Combine the cream with the mascarpone/sugar mixture by folding with a metal spoon. Place in the fridge for a minimum of one hour to chill.

Place the blackcurrants in a bowl and lightly mash with a fork so that some of the juice starts to run from the fruit, but leaving some fruits whole.

When the cheesecake mixture has chilled, add the crushed blackcurrants and mix together.

To assemble the cheesecake

Remove the base from the fridge and spread the cheesecake topping over the base, levelling the top with a knife. Return to the fridge to chill for about an hour.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a plate. The cheesecake can be served as it is or can be decorated with additional fruit.

Tips

1. The cheesecake is ready to be eaten as soon as it has been removed from the tin.
2. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge until the next day, but I don't recommend it is kept any longer than that.
3. If you don't have ginger biscuits then digestives can be used instead.
4. If you don't have any caster sugar then place some granulated sugar in a food processor and blitz until a finer sugar is created.