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Red Velvet Cheesecake (No Bake)

Delicious creamy cheesecake with a hint of cocoa, decorated with white chocolate and whipped cream
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Cheesecake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Setting time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 486kcal
Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

For the biscuit base

  • 300 g Digestive biscuits
  • 135 g Butter or baking spread melted

For the cheesecake filling

  • 750 g Full fat cream cheese I used Philadelphia
  • 125 g Icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
  • 300 ml Double cream
  • Red food colouring I used Pro Gel

For decoration

  • 75 g White chocolate
  • 200 ml Double cream
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp Icing sugar
  • Red sprinkles optional

Instructions

  • To make the base use a food processor to whizz up the biscuits into crumbs, or bash them with a rolling pin in a bowl
  • Mix in the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of a 23cm springform tin. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to set
  • For the cheesecake filling use a food mixer with a whisk attachment or an electric hand whisk to mix together the cream cheese, cocoa powder and icing sugar until smooth with no lumps
  • Add the red food colouring and double cream and whisk until it is very thick and holds it's shape, and is a bright red colour
  • Smooth the mixture into the tin on top of the biscuit base, then put it in the fridge overnight, or for at least 4 hours, to set
  • Remove from the tin and put on your serving plate. Smooth the sides with a butter knife to create a neater finish
  • To decorate, melt the white chocolate and pipe or drizzle it all over the cheesecake, then whip up the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla extract, and pipe it all around the edges of the cheesecake. Then add red sprinkles if you like
  • Serve immediately, store any leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 days

Notes

  • It is really important to stick to the ingredients and use full fat cream cheese and double cream (a cream with a 48% fat content), both of these ingredients are essential to ensure the no bake cheesecake sets. If you want to make a low fat version, I suggest doing this in small dessert glasses or ramekins as they will not set well enough to be sliced.
  • I am based in the UK and I find that Philadelphia cream cheese is the thickest and best quality cream cheese to use for no bake cheesecakes. I have made many cheesecakes with supermarket own brand cream cheeses too, and they have worked great. If you can though, I think it is worth spending a little more for Philadelphia (and no they haven't paid me to say this!)
  • I like to use digestive biscuits (Graham crackers if you're in the US) for the base, but you could substitute if for another similar biscuit like Hobnobs.
  • You can use either butter or baking spread for the biscuit base, I find that baking spread makes the cheesecake easier to remove from the tin as it doesn't make the base set as solidly.
  • You will need to use a professional grade food colouring to get the same shade of red that you can see in my photos. Brands I recommend are Pro Gel and Sugarflair. I have also heard good things about Colour Mill and Americolor.
  • You can find lots of answers to common no bake cheesecake questions on my How To Make A No Bake Cheesecake guide. If you've never made a no bake cheesecake before, I highly recommend reading through my guide first!
  • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
  • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1378IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg