A beautiful no-bake vanilla cheesecake with festive reindeer decoration that will bring Christmas cheer to all!
Oh my goodness this Christmas Cheesecake is seriously cute and so quick and easy to make. I kept the recipe for the base and filling very simple because who doesn't love a perfectly smooth vanilla cheesecake with a buttery biscuit base?
You can absolutely jazz this cheesecake up and turn it into any flavour you fancy. I have lots of cheesecake recipes for you to choose from. However, I just love the pureness of a vanilla cheesecake and it absolutely deserves a worthy place on the Christmas menu, if you ask me.
Love novelty cheesecakes? Check out my White Chocolate Cheesecake topped with Strawberry Stuffed Santas. It's soooooo cute!
You will love this because
- Simple and cheap ingredients
- Flavour everyone will enjoy
- Customisable
- Quick to prep
- Excellent to make-ahead
- It's so cute!
Festive reindeer
I spend a lot of time on Pinterest and since festive desserts are in full swing right now I keep seeing sweet treats adorned with the cutest little reindeer faces. So I thought I'd make a Christmassy cheesecake version and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.
My husband came home and saw the cheesecake "Oh it's mice" he, said. "Erm no, those are reindeer" I replied, somewhat offended. But to be fair I can sort of see the resemblance although I still think they are very reindeer-like!
When my kids got home they quickly realised that 3 of Santa's 12 reindeer were missing and that I'd already eaten the nose from Rudolph, which obviously led to some disappointment!
No-bake base and filling
I've gone with gold ol' digestive biscuits for the base but you could use any biscuits: Oreos, Biscoff or Gingernuts would also work really well here.
The filling is Philadelphia cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and double cream. Once the filling has been added to the biscuit base the cheesecake needs to set in the fridge overnight.
This is the perfect make-ahead dessert for Christmas. You can prepare it all 1-2 days before the big day then pop the decorations on just before serving.
How to make it
Step One: Blitz the biscuits in a food processer until they are crumbs. Alternatively, add them to a zip lock bag and bash them up with a rolling pin. Add the melted butter and mix well to combine.
Tip the biscuits into the springform tin and use your hands to press down. Take a spoon and smooth the base until it looks even. Put the tin in the fridge while you make the filling.
Step Two: Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Tip in the icing sugar and add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat until well combined.
Step Three: In a separate bowl whisk the double cream until it reaches stiff peaks then gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
Note: Although you can just pour the double cream straight into the cream cheese mixture, it's a good idea to whisk it to stiff peaks separately. That way you can be sure the cheesecake filling is the correct consistency because you will know the cream was already at stiff peaks before you added it.
Step Four: Transfer the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base, use a spatula to make the top smooth. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
Step Five: Once the cheesecake has set, remove it from the springform tin. Cut it into 8 equal slices and place them on to a serving plate or cake stand.
Step Six: Decorate each individual slice with two chocolate pretzels for ears, two edible eyes and a smartie for the nose.
Note: I made the edible eyes by rolling tiny pieces of fondant and drawing the black part of the eyes on with edible ink. I gave Rudolph a wink because I thin he's the cheekiest of Santa's reindeer! If you don't have any fondant, the edible eyes you can buy in the supermarket will work just as well.
Tips for the best no-bake cheesecake
- I used a 20cm (8") springform tin but a 20cm (8″) loose-bottomed deep cake tin will also work well.
- Make sure the cream cheese is full fat AND at room temperature.
- At the double cream whisking stage ensure you whip the cream to stiff peaks. Then fold it gently into the cream cheese mixture so you don’t knock the air out. This will ensure your cheesecake sets properly.
- A no-bake cheesecake needs at least 6 hours to set but overnight in the fridge is best. Remember: no-bake cheesecakes will still have a slight ‘wobble’ and often mousse-like texture they will NOT set like a baked cheesecake.
- To remove the cheesecake from the base of the tin slide a sharp knife between the bottom of the cheesecake and base of the tin. Then move the knife around in a full circle until the cheesecake loosens.
- Slice into pieces using a knife sharp enough to cut through the base so it doesn’t break.
- Storage: leftovers should be stored in the fridge and will keep for 3-4 days. Vanilla Cheesecake freezes well (without decoration) for up to 3 months.
If you follow the recipe, use the ingredients in the amounts exactly as stated and refrigerate your cheesecake overnight then you really shouldn't have a problem with it setting. However, if you do then put it in the freezer for a couple of hours.
I hope you absolutely LOVE this Reindeer Christmas Cheesecake as much as we did. I had so much fun making it.
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
More Christmas recipes
No-bake Reindeer Christmas Cheesecake
A beautiful no-bake vanilla cheesecake with festive reindeer decoration that will bring Christmas cheer to all!
Ingredients
- 200 g digestive biscuits, (US- Graham Crackers)
- 100g (0.25 cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 680g (3 cups) full fat cream cheese, (I used Philadelphia) at room temperature
- 100g (0.50 cup + 3 tbsp) icing sugar, (US - powdered sugar)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 300ml (1 cup + 3 tbsp) double cream, (US - heavy cream)
- 16 chocolate pretzels
- 16 edible eyes
- 8 smarties
Instructions
- Blitz the biscuits into crumbs then add the melted butter and mix well. Tip the mixture into a 23cm springform tin and press down until smooth and level. Put in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
- Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice and beat until completely smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Gently fold the double cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined.
- Transfer the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and use a spatula to smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
- When the cheesecake has set, remove it from the tin and slice it into 8 equal slices. Use two chocolate pretzels for ears, add two edible eyes and a smartie for a nose.
Notes
- I used a 20cm (8") springform tin but a 20cm (8″) loose-bottomed deep cake tin will also work well.
- Make sure the cream cheese is full fat AND at room temperature.
- At the double cream whisking stage ensure you whip the cream to stiff peaks. Then fold it gently into the cream cheese mixture so you don’t knock the air out. This will ensure your cheesecake sets properly.
- A no-bake cheesecake needs at least 6 hours to set but overnight in the fridge is best. Remember: no-bake cheesecakes will still have a slight ‘wobble’ and often mousse-like texture they will NOT set like a baked cheesecake.
- To remove the cheesecake from the base of the tin slide a sharp knife between the bottom of the cheesecake and base of the tin. Then move the knife around in a full circle until the cheesecake loosens.
- Slice into pieces using a knife sharp enough to cut through the base so it doesn’t break.
- Storage: leftovers should be stored in the fridge and will keep for 3-4 days. Vanilla Cheesecake freezes well (without decoration) for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 667Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 364mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 3gSugar: 38gProtein: 6g
Nutrition is an estimate only.
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