For much of my adult life, I have associated cheesecake with love. I baked my first in an illicit college dorm toaster oven for a date, I’ve made pilgrimages to eat celebrated versions with a cheesecake-obsessed boyfriend, and I’ve since shared innumerable slices of the creamy sweet confection with my husband.
Cheesecake has also become a traditional dessert for American Ashkenazi Jews.
So with the July 30 approach of Tu B’Av, a holiday linked with Jewish love and marriage, my thoughts naturally turned to cheesecake. Or for smaller treats, Cheesecake Cones and Frozen Cheesecake Pops, both based on an easy, five-ingredient no-bake batter.
The batter is tasty, versatile and has that true, tangy cheesecake taste. The same batter works for the cones and frozen pops (try dividing the batter and making some of each).
No-Bake Cheesecake Batter
Makes about 4 cups
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1⁄2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Cut cream cheese into chunks and put in mixing bowl with milk, sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice. Using an electric mixer, beat on high until very smooth (about 5 minutes, but time will vary depending on mixer).
For cheesecake, spoon about 3 cups of the batter into a 9-inch graham cracker crust. Top with a cup of sour cream mixed with 1 Tbs. sugar, 1⁄4 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Refrigerate until firm (texture will still be creamy). Serve cold, decorated with berries or a topping. There will be a cup of batter left for making frozen cheesecake treats.
Cheesecake Cones
Makes about 16
16 sugar cones
1 recipe No-Bake Cheesecake Batter
1⁄2 cup topping, optional (see note below)
Have glasses or cups ready to prop up filled cones. For each cone, spoon in prepared batter, stopping about halfway to gently press batter down so cone is filled to the tip. If not using topping, fill remainder of cone, mounding batter about 1⁄2 to 1 inch above rim. If using a topping, spread 1 tsp. topping into cone, then fill rest of cone to just below rim. Spoon in 1⁄2 tsp. more of topping, and then mound 1⁄2 to 1 inch of batter on top. Set in glass. (Some wide-mouthed glasses can hold 2 to 3 cones each.)
Place glasses with cones in freezer. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Wrap cones separately in plastic wrap. Place cones in one or two freezer bags or airtight containers. Serve frozen. (If freezer space is limited, make 8 cones and freeze. Store leftover batter, covered, in refrigerator. Once the first batch of cones is frozen, wrapped and bagged, bring batter to room temperature, stir well and make second batch.)
Note: I have used purchased strawberry and caramel ice cream toppings, but jams, purees and chopped mashed fruit would also work.
Frozen Cheesecake Pops
Makes about 16 large pops
16 ice pop molds
1 recipe No-Bake Cheesecake Batter
1⁄3 cup topping, optional (see note in previous recipe)
Fill each ice pop mold with cheesecake batter until about 1⁄8 inch below rim. (My molds hold 1⁄4 cup each. Larger or smaller molds will affect yield.) If using topping, fill halfway, spoon in 1 tsp. of topping and then fill to 1⁄8 inch below rim. Insert stick or handle. Freeze overnight. When ready to eat, remove mold(s) from freezer and let stand for a minute or two; then very briefly run cold water on outside of mold(s), being careful not to wet contents. Unmold and serve.
Faith Kramer is a Bay Area food writer. Her columns alternate with those of Josie A.G. Shapiro. She blogs at www.clickblogappetit.com. Contact her at [email protected].