A classic no-bake crumb cheesecake. The kind of cake you never get tired of.
The cake you get here melts in your mouth, isn’t overly sweet, and is very easy to make. It’s wonderful even after 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator, and you can dress it up with strawberry sauce, blueberry sauce, or fresh fruit on the side.
Please note — this recipe makes 2 cakes in 8-inch (20 cm) pans, or 1 cake in a 9- or 10-inch (24–26 cm) pan.
16 ounces (450g) whole milk ricotta plus 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
500g (about 2 cups) plain cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a food processor, or a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together all the crust ingredients until you get a uniform dough.
- Roll the dough out on parchment paper to about 1/4-inch (1/2 cm) thick. Cut the dough with your cake ring. If you’re using a regular round pan instead of a ring, place the pan over the dough, cut around it, and remove the pan so you’re left with a circle of dough matching the size of the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Bake the remaining dough scraps around the circle as well.
- In a large bowl, whip together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla pudding mix until you get a stable whipped cream.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix on low speed until a smooth cream forms. You can add 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or some lemon/orange zest.
- Place the baked round crust inside the pan or ring. Line the sides with parchment paper (important for smooth sides and easy unmolding).
- Pour the cream filling inside and smooth the top.
- Crumble the remaining baked dough (not the round base inside the cake) and scatter it over the top.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or until serving.
Classic Crumb Cheesecake
Notes
- You can replace 250g of the cream cheese with 200g sour cream.
- Instead of making dough, you can crush 1 sleeve of petit beurre cookies or graham crackers into fine crumbs and mix with 7 tablespoons (100g) melted butter. Press 3/4 of the mixture firmly into the bottom and save the rest for the topping. The remaining steps stay the same.
