# No-Bake Cheecake without Gelatine



## jadepearl

Hello Chefs,

Happy New Year 2014!

I have been making no-bake cheesecakes for years with gelatine as my setting agent.   However, in this new job of mine, my boss would like me to make my no-bake cheesecakes without gelatine.  I have tried using recipes with cream cheese, condensed milk and whipped cream. However, it does not set firmly like how it does when you use gelatine. Some of the recipes allow the cheesecake to set into a pudding stage but will not firm up.  Hence, once you cut the cheesecake, it does not look nice at the cake display counter.  I know that the lemon juice helps to set a no-bake lemon cheesecake. But, if I am to do a no-bake peppermint cheesecake, will the lemon juice alter the taste? What's the percentage of lemon juice must I use to set the cheesecake? 

I am at my wits and have look through my books and even called upon my mentor and he still insist that gelatine is the best setting agent.

Could any Chefs please share their experience or help me out on this?  I am frustrated that I am defeated to a no-bake cheesecake.

Thank you.

Best regards,

jp


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## laurenlulu

Welcome, JP!

Whipped cream can be folded into whipped cream cheese to make a no-bake but be sure to add a touch of Cream of Tartar to the cream before whipping. It is an acid just like lemon juice and will help the coagulation. The texture will not be as dense as a baked cheesecake but it is pleasant.

If you wanna cheat, Cool Whip or a similar product will work as well.


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## jadepearl

Thank laurenlulu for the warm welcome and your reply.  The recipe which I tried is below, however, it didn't set as firmly as it will be if gelatine was added.

Filling:
250g Philly cream cheese
395g sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
½ cup crushed peppermint candy
2 cup heavy cream (whipped)
½ lemon (juice)

Any thoughts?

Thank you.


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## cheflayne

What is the reason for no gelatin?


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## jadepearl

Hi cheflayne, she doesn't like gelatine and she doesn't want it to be put inside. So, I have to find an alternative but it has to set firmly. Any ideas? Thanks!


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## cheflayne

Give agar agar a try. It should work fine for your application.


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## ryank

If you must use a no-bake cheesecake, then I agree, try using agar. However, agar can be tricky. You might have to play around with some of the liquid ingredients though. Mix agar in with some of your sugar, gradually add that to your heated liquid mixture while whisking and bring that *just *to the boil. Let it cool slightly, and then mix in with the rest of your ingredients. Agar sets a little differently than gelatin, and the texture will be a little different. Sometimes, it can have that sort of...ocean-like flavor. But, Ive used it before for many applications and have had no problem.


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## jadepearl

Thanks cheflayne! 

Thanks RyanK for your reply.  My boss prefers no-bake cheesecakes. I will give agar-agar a try.


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## ryank

You're welcome! Let us know how it turns out! Have you worked with agar much? Be sure to heat it to about 90 degrees C so it will gel. It will set pretty quickly once it begins to cool, so work fast if you have a lot of individual cheesecakes.


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## jadepearl

Yes, I will keep you updated. I really hope that this will work. I seldom use agar-agar at my workplace, only used it once or twice when I was working for a hotel.


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## jadepearl

Just an update....

I managed to get my hands on some agar-agar powder and I found out that 1 tsp agar-agar can be dissolved in 4 tbsp hot boiling water.  However, since agar-agar sets firmer than gelatine, I only use 60% of what's called for.  I have to experiment more though as I still need to get it to the right firmness.

Thanks everyone!


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