Mock Cheesecake from Kathy's Kitchen

My friend Marilyn, who was once my boss, recently told me about mock cheesecake, and I found that this works well in Kathy’s kitchen. Marilyn’s recipe is below.

 

Ingredients:

1(8 ounce) package cream cheese

1(8 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3cup lemon juice

1teaspoon vanilla

1graham cracker crust

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat cheese until light and fluffy.

2. Add condensed milk, blend well.

3. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.

4. Pour into crust and chill until firm.

5. Top with canned pie filling or the fresh fruit of your choice.

 

We had this with cherry pie filling. Very yummy. Next time I want to use some fresh berries.

 

I went looking for more recipes, and found this online.

 

No-Bake Pudding Cheesecake

 

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1-1/4 cups of finely-crushed graham cracker crumbs (about 9 long graham crackers)

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling:

• 12 ounces very soft cream cheese (1-1/2 cups)

• 2 cups cold milk

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 package (3-3/4-ounce) Jell-O Instant Lemon Pudding & Pie Filling (or any flavor you wish)

• Optional garnishes: Whipped cream, fresh berries, canned fruit pie filling, chocolate curls

Directions

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and melted butter in a large bowl. (If you used a food processor to make the graham crumbs, you can use it to blend in the sugar and butter, too.) Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Spread the graham mixture in the pan and use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumbs into a firm, even layer. Put the pan in the fridge.

For the filling

Blend the very soft cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer on high speed until it’s creamy and smooth. Add in 1/2 cup of the cold milk and blend until combined. Pour in the rest of the milk, the 2 tablespoons of sugar, vanilla and the pudding mix. Beat everything together for two minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice.

It’s important that the cream cheese is at room temperature and soft for a successful cheesecake. Cold cream cheese will make the texture of the cheesecake look curdled and lumpy. Slice it into cubes to help it warm up more quickly.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust in the pan, and use a rubber spatula to smooth it into an even layer. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill the cheesecake for at least two hours until it’s set and very cold.

Use the ends of the parchment to carefully lift the cheesecake from the pan, and set it on a cutting board. Cut the cheesecake into 9 slices and place them on a serving platter or individual plates. Top each slice with garnishes like whipped cream, fresh blueberries or raspberries, strawberry or cherry pie filling, or curls of dark or white chocolate.

Store leftover cheesecake slices covered in the fridge for up to one week.

 

I chose chocolate pudding and lazily used a ready-to-go graham cracker crust from the store. We topped it with whipped cream. I am so happy to have new desserts to add to our menu.