No Bake Cheesecake with Mascarpone

I love making no bake desserts for Spring and Summer! It's perfect for when you don't want to use the oven. It's also perfect to make for special occasions as you can make this ahead of time.

This no-bake cheesecake recipe is based on my strawberry crunch cheesecake and golden Oreo cheesecake. Unlike a traditional cheesecake, these cheesecakes are not baked, which makes them much easier to make with no water bath!

This mascarpone cheesecake looks beautiful topped with fresh berries! But also, how good would it be decorated with some fresh whipped vanilla cream or like drizzled with homemade salted caramel sauce?

If you prefer a cheesecake using cream cheese, you can try out my vanilla bean cheesecake (which is using the same base recipe!)

Ingredient Notes

• Mascarpone: Instead of using cream cheese, this recipe uses Italian mascarpone! Make sure it is at room temperature before you start this recipe.
• Lemon: I use the zest of a lemon and lemon juice to bring a bit of tanginess to the cheesecake.
• Graham Cracker Crumbs: if you don't have graham crackers, then feel free to use digestive biscuits. I think this cheesecake would also taste delicious with Lotus cookies as a crust like in this biscoff cheesecake. Make sure to blend your graham crackers in a food processor until you have fine crumbs!
• Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use a good quality vanilla extract! I swear, it makes all the difference.
• Heavy Cream: while usually you need all your ingredients to be at room temperature, the heavy cream needs to be cold when you whip it up.

Let's make this recipe!

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, mix together your graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. You want to make sure the crumbs are evenly moistened and there aren't dry patches.

Step 2: Pour the cookie crumbs into a 9 inch springform pan with a removable bottom. Use the bottom of a metal measuring cup or a rubber spatula to even out the crust, slightly going up the sides. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Step 3: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or just using a hand held electric mixer, whisk your heavy cream until you have stiff peaks. Set aside.

Step 4: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat your mascarpone until smooth. Add in your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until smooth.

Step 5: Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. You want to be gentle as you don't want to deflate the air out of the whipped cream. This air is going to help keep your cheesecake light and fluffy!

Step 6: Pour the cheesecake batter into your chilled crust. Use a small offset spatula to smooth out the top. Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. After 12 hours, remove the pan from the fridge and take off the sides of the springform pan. Top with fresh fruit or leave plain, and serve!

My Cheesecake Tips!

• I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
• I make sure that my mascarpone is at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull that out an hour or two before starting the recipe.
• In order for your no bake cheesecake to set, make sure you whip up your cold heavy cream into stiff peaks. Not only does this make your cheesecake creamy and light, but it will help stiffen up the cheesecake batter.
• Cheesecake not firm? First, I would make sure that you whipped up cold heavy cream into stiff peaks. If the heavy cream wasn't cold, or if you only did medium soft peaks, then your cheesecake will have trouble firming up. Next, make sure you chill it for 12 hours in the fridge. I have tested this with just 6 hours, but it wasn't as set and the slices weren't as clean.

Storage

Keep the cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.