Perfect for any celebration, this perfectly sweet NO BAKE LEMON LADYFINGER CHEESECAKE is a wonderful citrus dessert that everyone will love!
When I sat down to write this post, I struggled to find a good title for the recipe. Did I want to call it something that would explain what it was? (i.e. No-Bake Lemon Ladyfinger Cheesecake) Or did I want to call it what my brain was thinking? (i.e. Oh My God There Must Be 1000 Calories in Each Slice But It Is Soooo Worth It Cake) I opted for the shorter title, but I am wondering if I should have gone with the longer one now.
This cake was a total experiment. I had no idea if it would actually turn out. I was worried that the lady fingers wouldn’t stand upright. I was worried that the filling wouldn’t set. I was worried that I would eat the lemon cookie crust mixed with melted butter before I had a chance to get it in the pan. This recipe had me worried.
Challenge #1 was getting those darn ladyfingers to stand upright. I’m not gonna lie – it wasn’t easy. I had my daughter help me hold them up and then used the crumb base to keep them in place. Mission accomplished.
Next challenge: getting the heavy whipping cream to the perfect consistency. Too soft and the filling wouldn’t set. To firm and you pass the process of making whipped cream and go straight on to making butter. I nailed it. My advice – just stop when you think it’s done and you can always take it a bit further if needed.
Challenge #3 – was it the right amount of filling? By some stroke of luck, it was. The ladyfingers are taller than the filling portion, but there’s only so much heavy cream, cream cheese, sugar, and lemon curd a person can eat in a slice, right? I thought it was the perfect amount.
I was just tickled with the final product. As a food blogger, there’s nothing worse that making a dessert like this only to try and pull a slice out and have it result and a wet mess. I always take plenty of photos of the whole cake *just in case* it doesn’t set properly and the photos have to stop there (ahem, key lime pie), but I’m very happy to say that this was perfect.
Now, with the sheer amount of sugar and fat this cake has, one might question if it tastes good. I’m here to tell you: Yes, yes it does. Despite the calories, this no bake cheesecake as the perfect amount of lemon to make it slightly tart without being sour. It has just the right amount of sugar to sweeten the cream. And each bite simply melts in your mouth. In other words, its really damn good.
Equipment
- Food Processor (see note)
Ingredients
- 9 ounces thin lemon cookies (1 package)
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 4.75 ounces ladyfingers
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 10.5 ounces lemon curd (about 3/4 cup)
Instructions
- Add the lemon cookies to a food processor. Cover and pulse until they are a fine crumb. Transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
- Spread the crumb mixture across the base of a springform pan. Press down evenly to form the crust, leaving a gap around the edges for the ladyfingers.
- Arrange ladyfingers vertically around the pan's edge so that the tops of the cookies are facing the wall. Press the crust up against the bottoms of the ladyfingers to keep them in place. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, mix slowly to combine, and then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the lemon curd and mix thoroughly.
- Add one large scoop of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold it in. Repeat until all the whipped cream has been incorporated.
- Pour the lemon cheesecake filling over the crust. Spread the top into an even layer. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but chilling overnight is recommended.
- Once the filling has set up, remove the plastic wrap and cut the cheesecake into slices. You'll want to cut in between the ladyfingers for best presentation.
Notes
- Instead of a food processor, you can add the lemon cookies to a large food storage bag. Press out the air, seal the bag, and then use a rolling pin to crush the cookies into a fine crumb.
- The length of ladyfingers can vary by brand. If they are really long (as shown), you can leave them whole or cut them to fit your pan. Hold one cookie up to the side of the springform pan and make a little cut where the top edge hits the cookie. Then, cut the cookie and use it as a guide to trim all of the other cookies. Place the trimmed cookies with the curved side up in the pan. The extra bits can become a fun snack, or you can pipe a dollop of whipped cream on each slice and place an extra cookie piece on the whipped cream.
Nutrition
If you love sweet treats made deliciously tart with lemon, you must try this Pistachio Lemon Cake:
and these Strawberry Lemonade Baked Donuts:
Linda says
What size of springform pan did you use? It looks pretty small and very yummy.
Thanks,
Linda