Mum’s No-Bake Blackcurrant Cheesecake
Normally I wouldn't opt for cheesecake - I find it can be too dry - but I make an exception for this recipe which is one of my favourite summer desserts. My mum has been making for as long as I can remember. The sharp topping cuts through the soft creaminess of the filling. What's more, it can be made well in advance without the topping, frozen until required, and then quickly finished the day you need it. Perfect for a fuss-free BBQ or summer party. Try it for National Cheesecake Day on 30 July!
The photos below document my first attempt at growing blackcurrants: it was a small crop for the bush's first year, but I'm looking forward to a growing crop in years to come. Perhaps soon I'll be able to top this cheesecake entirely with homegrown blackcurrants!
Normally I wouldn't opt for cheesecake - I find it can be too dry - but I make an exception for this recipe which is one of my favourite summer desserts. My mum has been making for as long as I can remember. The sharp topping cuts through the soft creaminess of the filling. What's more, it can be made well in advance without the topping, frozen until required, and then quickly finished the day you need it. Perfect for a fuss-free BBQ or summer party. Try it for National Cheesecake Day on 30 July!
The photos below document my first attempt at growing blackcurrants: it was a small crop for the bush's first year, but I'm looking forward to a growing crop in years to come. Perhaps soon I'll be able to top this cheesecake entirely with homegrown blackcurrants!
Ingredients
For the base
For the filling
For the topping
Equipment
Method
For the base
- 8 digestive biscuits
- 55g butter, melted
For the filling
- 200g full-fat cream cheese
- 85g icing sugar
- 300ml double cream, whisked to soft peaks
For the topping
- 180g blackcurrants, washed and de-stalked
- 100ml water
- 1 tbsp caster sugar (add more if you don't like too much sharpness)
- 2 tsp arrowroot (you can also use cornflour; in addition to acting as a thickener, the arrowroot gives the topping a shine)
Equipment
- Loose-bottomed flan tin (18cm)
Method
- Crush the biscuits and mix with the butter. Press the mixture into the tin and then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Mix the cream cheese and icing sugar together, and then fold in the whisked cream. Spread onto the cheesecake base and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Put the blackcurrants and water in the saucepan and cook the currants gently over a low heat until soft.
- Keeping the heat on the lowest setting, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Mix the arrowroot with 1tsp cold water and 2tsp hot juice, and then stir it immediately into the blackcurrants. Stir over a low heat until the blackcurrant mixture has thickened. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove it from the heat (if overheated, the mixture will start to thin again).
- Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool. When cold, pour it over the top of the cheesecake. Chill the cheesecake in the fridge until ready to serve. This cheesecake freezers well without the topping, so you can prepare it well in advance and then cook the topping not long before serving.