No-Bake Cheesecake

Pretty much everyone loves cheesecake. Its rich flavor and velvety smoothness is probably only bested by a great crème brûlée. The problem with cheesecake, and coincidentally crème brûlée, is the difficulty found when trying to make one. The oven has to be the perfect temperature and the humidity has to be just right or else you end up with a dry, cracked and ugly cheesecake.

It might all taste the same but it sure won’t look all that appetizing! Baking the cheesecake in a water bath can help but it isn’t a sure-fire solution. Once out of the oven you have to wait overnight for it to cool before you can give it a taste.

You know what the solution is? A no bake cheesecake! This recipe comes from the great Allrecipes.com, requires just five ingredients and can be ready to share with you and yours in a short two hours!

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 pint sliced fresh Florida strawberries

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries and serve. For even more strawberry flavor, try adding our strawberry syrup to the top of the cheesecake while it chills in the refrigerator.

Don’t forget this recipe in the summer months when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen. In that case, substitute the sliced fresh Florida strawberries with thawed and macerated Florida strawberries for that familiar Florida taste!

If you want a richer cheesecake, add 1 tbsp pure vanilla, double the cream cheese and add a dollop of sour cream.