Martha Stewart's recipes often come with an air of culinary sophistication, but every now and then, she surprises us with a delightful twist on a classic. In this case, her No-Bake Cheesecake has caught the attention of dessert enthusiasts. What makes it stand out? Well, one clever ingredient sets it apart from the traditional cheesecake recipes we know and love.
The Magical Ingredient
Before delving into the specifics of Martha Stewart's No-Bake Cheesecake, let's talk about sweetened condensed milk. It's a magical elixir in the world of desserts. Many have fond childhood memories of drizzling it over fresh strawberries or peaches. The mere mention of it in a recipe can trigger cravings and nostalgia. So, when sweetened condensed milk is a star ingredient, chances are, you're in for a treat.
Karolina Grabowska/ Pexels | Treat yourself to a dessert that tastes like it's straight from a gourmet bakery
The Simplicity of the Filling
Martha Stewart's No-Bake Cheesecake boasts a refreshingly simple list of ingredients. Beyond the star of the show, sweetened condensed milk, the filling calls for cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla – nothing more. No gelatin, no whipped topping, and no heavy cream for texture. It's a minimalist approach to cheesecake that piqued our curiosity.
Crafting the Cake
Creating the Crust
The journey to this delightful dessert begins with crafting the crust. Instead of using a food processor, the recipe suggests a hands-on approach. You crush graham cracker sheets inside a zip-top bag. While a tad time-consuming, this method offers a fun and rewarding experience. The resulting crumbs are more irregular, ranging from fine to pebble-sized.
Combine these crumbs with sugar and a generous amount of melted butter (11 tablespoons!), then press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Pop it into the freezer while you move on to the filling.
Vanity Fair/ Instagram | Cheesecake contains 581 calories per 181 g serving
Whipping Up the Filling
To create the filling, start by beating softened cream cheese until it's velvety smooth. Then, incorporate sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Pour this luscious filling into your prepared crust, cover it up, and let it chill in the refrigerator for about three hours.
A Honest Review
After patiently waiting those three hours, you'll find that Martha Stewart's No-Bake Cheesecake offers a few surprises. The first notable observation is that there's quite a bit of crust relative to the filling. The recipe suggests patting the crumbs 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the sides of the pan, but the filling doesn't quite reach that level, leaving you with a crust "collar" that's inclined to crumble into the filling.
Even after the extended chill time, the cheesecake remains softer. However, it still holds up well when sliced. The crust, texture-wise, tends to be denser and slightly soggy. A couple of theories suggest this might be due to excessive butter or the irregularity of the crumbs.
Martha Stewart/ Instagram | A delightful and tasty dessert with its own unique flavor profile
The Flavor Profile
The flavor of Martha Stewart's No-Bake Cheesecake is sweet, thanks to the omnipresent sweetened condensed milk, with a delightful tanginess from the lemon juice.
While some might expect Key lime pie vibes, the combination of thick canned milk and citrus juice conjures a flavor more akin to overly sweet yogurt than a traditional cheesecake. So, while it's undoubtedly a delightful and tasty dessert, it veers away from the classic cream cheese-rich cheesecake flavor.
Top Tips
- Reduce the Crust: There's too much crust for a 9-inch springform pan. Consider using 14 rectangular graham cracker sheets and 7 or 8 tablespoons of butter.
- Speed-Up Preparation: Crush the graham crackers in a food processor for a quicker and more uniform result.
- Adjust the Flavor: For a more traditional cheesecake flavor, cut down on the lemon juice and double the vanilla.
