This recipe is delicious, bright and lemony. It goes together quickly, and after it freezes, I cut it into squares and wrap each one in plastic, so that we can grab a piece “whenever” (no need to thaw out a whole cheesecake). The squares keep very well in the freezer, and have the consistency of ice cream. We love this recipe!!!

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

3 ounce box lemon Jello
1 cup boiling water
8 ounce cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Line a 9” x 9” pan with parchment or wax paper, leaving the edges long enough so that you can grab and lift the whole frozen cheese cake out of the pan.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs + 1/3 cup sugar + 1/3 cup melted butter, then  press into the bottom of the prepared pan (reserving 1/2 cup for later in the recipe).

Mix the lemon jello powder and boiling water until completely dissolved. Chill until only slightly thickened.

Whip 1+1/2 cups whipping cream and chill until it’s time to use.

Beat the room temperature cream cheese + 1 cup sugar + 5 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice until very well mixed, then beat in the slightly thickened jello. When it’s all well mixed and smooth, gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula. 

Pour over the crumb crust, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs over the top.

Chill for an  hour or so, then freeze completely.

Cut FROZEN cheesecake into serving size pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap. Store wrapped pieces in a big zip lock bag or freezer container.  NO need to thaw these before eating.

ENJOY !!!

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April 07, 2021

If you are like me, your ears perk up every time you hear a "make ahead" cooking tip. Well, this is one of those..."why didn't I think of that" tips. It's always nice to have this stabilized whipped cream waiting for you in the freezer....ready for a last minute dessert.

It is also very handy for us "empty nesters" who are in the habit of making too much food.....freeze your extra whipped cream and use it on some late night hot cocoa!!

Plate of frozen single portions

This is my favorite recipe for stabilized whipped cream. In other words, whipped cream that will not deflate in the fridge, even if it is in there for a couple days!!

STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM

1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon cold water

1 cup whipping cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the unflavored gelatin and cold water in a microwave safe cup, then let it sit for five minutes. After five minutes, put it in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds, or just until it liquefies (it's fast). Set it aside to cool while you whip the cream.

Beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together until it gets nice and thick, but doesn't hold a peak yet.

With your electric mixer on high, drizzle in the liquefied gelatin (try to drizzle it right over the spinning beaters) and continue beating until you get stiff peaks (it happens fast once you drizzle in the gelatin).

That's it!! Use it right away on your favorite dessert, or if you want to freeze it, spoon big dollops onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (or you can get fancy and pipe big swirls.

Put these little beauties in the freezer. After they are frozen, make sure you move them around with a spatula, because the heat of your hands will melt them very quickly.

ENJOY !!!

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February 26, 2018

The title, Easiest No-Bake Cake in the World, is not an exaggeration, that's for sure. It is also very impressive to serve, and EVERYONE wants the recipe. It's delicious, unique and SUPER EASY to make.

Before I give you the "recipe", let me just say that there really isn't a recipe. It's just homemade whipped cream, chocolate wafer cookies (chocolate graham crackers work too), and some decorations (nuts, candies, sprinkles, etc.). Then it sits in the fridge overnight. By the next day, the cookies (or graham crackers) will have softened, and they will taste just like cake !!

OK, here goes: The recipe calls for Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies, but some people have a hard time finding them (and they are expensive), that's why I'm suggesting CHOCOLATE graham crackers work equally as well (I think the chocolate graham crackers even taste better than these wafer cookies).

 

The recipe also calls for homemade whipping cream.  You can use Cool Whip if you have to, but it won't be as TASTY as homemade whipped cream:

3 cups heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla Extract

Beat these ingredients with an electric mixer (on high) until stiff peaks form, but don't over whip because it starts to taste like butter.

HINT: If you live in a hot climate, put your bowl and beaters in the freezer for 5 minutes (to cool them down) before making the whipped cream.

Now, it's time to assemble:  make 4 stacks of cookies (or chocolate graham crackers) 9 cookies high, putting some whipped cream in between each cookie, like this:

Next, lay the stacks on a serving plate next to each other (not end to end). They will want to smoosh around a little, but a very flat thin spatula will help you lift and maneuver each stack. It should look like this:

It's important to arrange them like this, so that when you serve this cake, you will be cutting ACROSS the cookies (the reason will be more obvious in the following photos.

Next cover the whole "cake" with a nice thick layer of whipped cream, like this:

Decorate (or don't decorate) the top of it with whatever you like: nuts, crushed candies, sprinkles, etc.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and
chill overnight before you serve.

 

When it comes time to serve, cut the cake with a sharp, thin bladed, knife. It will slice through the softened cookies easily.

 

 

See why it's important to arrange the cookies cross wise, so when you cut it, you get this impressive design?

 

Store, covered, in the fridge and be prepared for recipe requests.

 

 

ENJOY !!!







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May 11, 2015

The Éclair Cake idea has been around for years. It is a magical dessert that starts with pudding mix and graham crackers, and when it sits in the fridge overnight, something magical happens. The graham cracker layer "softens" and sort of turns into a "cake" layer (people are shocked when they find out its just graham crackers). The whole thing is delicious and my family has enjoyed it a million times. It is also a HUGE HIT at potlucks. 

(2) 3½ ounce instant vanilla pudding
3  1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounce Cool Whip thawed
1 pound of graham crackers

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

6 tablespoons butter (melted)
6 tablespoons boiling water
6 tablespoons baking cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 dish (breaking to fit if necessary). With an electric mixer, beat the instant pudding and milk until very smooth (about 2 minutes) then fold in the Cool Whip. Immediately pour half of this mixture over the 1st layer of graham crackers, spreading it out evenly.

Put another layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding and then another layer of pudding mixture. Top second layer of pudding with a final layer of graham crackers.

Cover the dish tightly, with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour before you frost it.

After an hour of chilling, whisk together the melted butter, boiling water, cocoa and vanilla until well blended. Add powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Immediately pour the frosting over the chilled pudding dessert and gently smooth it out.

Place dessert (uncovered) in fridge for an hour or so (until the frosting feels dry to the touch),then stretch plastic wrap over the pan(stretching it tightly so that it doesn't sag and touch the frosting)or you can just snap a lid onto the dish.

 Refrigerate overnight (important).

NOTE: After this "cake" has been in the fridge, overnight, it is easy to cut into squares to serve because the graham crackers are soft.

NOTE: I recently made this with chocolate instant pudding and chocolate graham crackers (followed the recipe otherwise). After it sat overnight in the fridge, the chocolate graham crackers tasted just like chocolate cake....excellent variation.

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January 23, 2015