The best no bake dessert with a fresh and light flavor!
This ingenious dessert is creamy and full of key lime flavor! The graham crust is a great contrast to the silky smooth filling. Wait until you tried the lime whipped cream - it is life changing!
Secret Ingredient for the best Cheesecake: Fresh Lime!
A lovely taste of vanilla and a good amount of fresh pressed lime juice give this cake its unique and flavorful taste. The secret ingredient for an even richer lemon taste: fresh lime zest! If you cannot find fresh key limes you can go with bottled key lime juice from Florida. Key limes have just a more intense flavor than regular limes!
Find here other no bake cheesecakes
Key lime pie or cheesecake?
Honestly I do not know if there is a big difference. I can only think of the standard pie crust a key lime pie is made in in comparison to a spring form pan used for the cheesecake version. Key lime pie may be smaller and not as tall and most of the times comes with a meringue topping!
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
No bake Key lime Cheesecake
Ingredients:
21 oz (600 g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
14 oz (414 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp key lime zest
1/3 cup (80 ml) key lime juice
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) heavy cream, very cold
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
For the Graham cracker crust:
2 cups (240 g) graham cracker crumbs (18 crackers)
6 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp sugar
For the lime whipped cream:
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, very cold
1/4 cup (30 g) powdered sugar
2 tsp key lime zest
Check out my no bake Tiramisu cheesecake tutorial until this one is ready
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1:
Crush up Graham cracker in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin or use a food processor to make cookie crumbs. Mix the fine crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Press the mixture in a lined and greased spring form pan and freeze it for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2:
To make the cheesecake filling, start off with a large bowl or use a food processor. Add cream cheese and fresh lime zest. Mix it with a hand mixer on a low speed for about 4 minutes. Scrape it down after each mixing to ensure no lumps are left. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and mix it in. Pour in key lime juice and mix until well combined. In a tall mixing bowl whip cold heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Gently fold in whipped cream to the cheesecake batter.
Step 3:
Fill the cheesecake batter on top of the cookie crust and smooth it out. Let it chill over night or for at least 4 hours in the fridge.
Step 4:
To decorate the cake make a lime whipped cream. For that whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and lime zest in a tall mixing bowl until stiff. It is the easiest if you are using a whisk attachment.
Step 5:
Decorate the cake immediately before serving with fresh lime slices and lime whipped cream swirls. Serve cold!
Enjoy!
**PRO-TIPS**
Bake the crust for a more stable base at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely before adding the filling.
To stabilize the cheesecake you can add gelatin in the whipped cream. I would use 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin. Soak it in 2 tbsp of water and then microwave it for 8 seconds until it is melted. Mix it with 3 tablespoons of semi whipped heavy cream and then add it to the whipped cream mixture. Whip it until stiff. Work quickly because gelatin sets fast when it gets cold.
No fresh key limes at hand? Use bottled key lime juice. It tastes almost the same and 100 % better than regular lime juice!
