Love at first bite! These cheesecake bars are rich, creamy and absolutely delicious! So fun and easy to make. These bars have a buttery digestive biscuit crust, with rich cream cheese filling and are topped with marbled swirls of fresh homemade cherry sauce. Served with more cherry sauce and fresh cherries. The best summer dessert!

These bars are no-bake, have no gelatine and no eggs! We love no-bake desserts especially with seasonal fruits in the summer when it’s too hot to turn the oven on. This cream cheese dessert is rich and decadent but with the addition of cherry sauce, it becomes the perfect summer treat!

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WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE!

1. It is no bake, no gelatine and no egg recipe, so it is super easy to make and requires only a few ingredients.
2. No sweetened condensed milk or cool whip is added.
3. It is light and creamy unlike baked cheesecake so everyone will love it.
4. No need to turn your oven on which is an advantage on a hot day making these bars the perfect summer dessert!
5. Such a crowd-pleaser dessert with little effort and ideal for any occasion.

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INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED!

For exact quantities, head to the recipe card at the end of this post. Here is what you’ll need to make this creamy cheesecake,

FOR THE CRUST

• Digestive Biscuits: I used digestive biscuits here but you can use graham crackers instead.
• Light brown sugar: Little bit of brown sugar is added to the crust.
• Unsalted butter (melted): Use unsalted and good quality butter. It is used to set the base.

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FOR CHERRY SAUCE

• Fresh Cherries (pitted): Fresh cherries are the best but you can use frozen cherries instead especially when they are not in season. Don’t thaw, If you are using a frozen one.
• Granulated sugar: It is added to sweeten the sauce. 
• Water
• Lemon juice: It is added to enhance the flavour and offset some sweetness.
• Cornflour/ Cornstarch: It is added to make the sauce thick

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FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• Cream cheese: Always use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe as if you use low-fat cream cheese it will not set up properly. I used Philadelphia cream cheese(original).
• Heavy Whipping Cream (or double cream/ heavy cream): It is best to use heavy whipping cream or 35% cream(double cream) because any cream less than 35% fat content will not whip or does not work better. You can use double cream instead if you don’t have whipping cream on hand. I used whipping cream here. Whipping cream gives a smooth and creamy texture to this cream cheesecake and also helps it to retain its shape.
• Icing sugar/ powdered sugar: Sifted. It sweetens the cheesecake and also gives a hold to it.
• Lemon juice: Always use fresh lemon juice. A little bit of lemon is used to, balance the sweetness and it plays a very important role to set up the cheesecake beautifully.

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THINGS YOU’LL NEED

• 9” Square pan
• Food processor or ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crush the biscuits.
• Bench scraper or offset spatula to smooth out the filling.
• Hand-held electric beater.

WHY LEMON JUICE IS USED IN NO-BAKE CREAM CHEESE BARS?

It is no bake, no egg and no gelatine cheesecake bars so it is very important to keep the cheesecake together. Lemon juice is acidic so the acid in the lemon juice reacts with the fatty proteins to thicken and set the cheesecake so it makes that nice, thick and creamy texture. Due to that very reason, cheesecake retains the shape that you are looking for. It also improves the taste of the cheesecake as it balances out the sweetness.

Don’t add too much lemon juice otherwise it will curdle the ingredients.

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HOW TO MAKE IT STEP BY STEP!

It is very easy to make but there are a few steps with pro tips that you’ll need to follow. Here is how to make these no-bake cheesecake bars that you all loved so much.

STEP 1: MAKE THE CRUST

• Grease and line a 9” square pan with two pieces of baking paper, leaving it to overhang on the sides of the pan for easy removal.
• Crush the digestive biscuits in a food processor or in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until they are fine crumbs. Add light brown sugar, a pinch of salt and melted butter to the biscuit crumbs and mix until they are coated well and it resembles wet sand.
• Pour the biscuit mixture into the square pan and spread it out evenly. Press it down firmly using the bottom of a glass. The crust is ready. Pop it in the fridge for one hour to set completely or in the freezer for 15-30 minutes while you prepare the Cherry sauce and cheesecake filling.

STEP 2: CHERRY SAUCE

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• Add pitted fresh cherries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat and let it simmer until cherries are mushy and soft (about 10-15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Break up some of the cherries as you stir. 
• Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2tbsp water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. Add into it and cook for a minute or until almost thick glossy sauce with a few chunks of cherries is ready. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Blend it until smooth. Pop it in the fridge to cool completely while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

STEP 3: MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING

• Chill the mixing bowl and beater attachment in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pour the whipping cream (chilled) into the chilled bowl, add in half of the icing sugar then beat it at medium speed until stiff peak forms(it will take approximately 2-3 minutes). Avoid over beating otherwise it will turn into butter. Set aside.
• Take another large mixing bowl, add the slightly softened cream cheese (leave the cream cheese out of the refrigerator for about half an hour before you use it) (It should not be too runny or softened and should be slightly cold) and lemon juice, beat it for a minute then add vanilla extract, and the remaining icing sugar, beat again until it becomes smooth and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes). 
• Fold the chilled whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two additions. Fold it gently with a spatula to avoid the deflating of the filling.
• Spread the mixture (except 2tbsp, it will be used to make marbled swirls at the end) evenly onto the biscuit crust. Smooth it out with an offset spatula or bench scraper.
• Tap a few times on the counter.

STEP 4: MAKE THE CHERRY SAUCE MARBLED SWIRLS

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Now comes the best fun part, the cherry sauce swirl!!

• Drop dollops of cooled cherry sauce a few inches apart on the top of the cream cheese filling and swirl a skewer through the cream cheese filling to form gorgeous swirls.
• Lightly drizzle a small amount of cream cheese filling over the top and make a marbled effect using a skewer through the cream cheese filling and cherry sauce (you can make any design of your choice-just use your creativity).
• cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8-10 hours or overnight (preferably).

STEP 5: CUTTING THE CHEESECAKE INTO BARS

• Take out from the refrigerator and pop in the freezer for 30 minutes before cutting into bars for perfect slices.
• Remove from the pan using overhang parchment paper. Place on the cutting board to cut into square bars and serve with more Cherry sauce.
• To get the perfect slice, fill a large bowl or vessel with hot water, dip your knife into the water then pat it dry with tissue paper or a clean cloth before slicing. Repeat the same before every cut to get a smooth cut every time. 

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RECIPE TIPS!

• Don’t crush biscuits into powder as it will make the crust hard and will be difficult to cut smoothly. Just make crumbs. To set the base properly, leave it in the fridge for at least 1 hour before adding the filling. In this way, the crumbs will not mix into the filling.
• Use slightly softened cream cheese. Leave the cream cheese out of the refrigerator for about half an hour before you use it. If it is too cold, it will not mix in properly and ends up into a grainy cheesecake. If it's too runny or softened it will not be whipped up properly.
• You need to use full-fat cream cheese to set it properly. Likewise use whipping cream or double cream with at least 35% fat contents as low fat cream cheese or double cream will not set up properly.
• Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks, separately then fold into the cream cheese mixture gently as it helps the cheesecake to set properly.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice as it helps to keep the cheesecake together.
• To get cheesecake filling to set up completely, refrigerate it for at least 8-10 hours or overnight preferably.

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• To easily get cheesecake bar out of the pan, leave the baking paper overhangs on the sides of the pan.
• To get the perfect slice, fill a large bowl or vessel with hot water, dip your knife into the water then pat it dry with a tissue paper or clean cloth before slicing. Repeat the same before every cut to get a smooth cut every time. 

HOW TO STORE IT?

You can store any leftover cheesecake bars (if they will last that long) in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days. You can keep it in the freezer for up to 1-2 months if it is well covered. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator overnight before serving.