Any recipe that starts with 8 glasses of champagne is alright by me. When that recipe is for a No Bake Strawberry Champagne Cheesecake, well... merry Christmas and a happy new year to me! There's nothing quite like the elegant, silky-smooth, melt-in-your-mouth sensation of a well made cheesecake, and this one definitely makes the grade.
This is a very refined and classy dessert that will surprise you with how easy it is to make. Serve it up with a sparkler in a nice glass or piece of stemware and the party's just beginning!
Ingredients:
For the crust
- 14 whole graham crackers
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- Pinch salt
For the cream cheese filling
- 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the champagne strawberries
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed and stemmed
- 1 bottle of your favorite champagne (save ½ cup for whipped cream)
For the champagne whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy whipped cream
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup of your favorite champagne
Directions:
To prepare the strawberries, pour your champagne over the strawberries until all are submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 20-24 hours to let the strawberries absorb the champagne. When you are ready to prepare the desserts, remove the strawberries from the champagne and thinly slice the strawberries.
To prepare the crust, in a food processor grind the graham crackers until they create a fine powder. Add the butter, brown sugar, and salt and mix well.
To prepare the cream cheese filling, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream on high until it becomes stiff. Fold the heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture until it is well incorporated.
To prepare the desserts, begin by filling 1/6th of a champagne glass with the crust mixture. Next, using an icing-piping bag, fill the next 1/6th of the glass with the cream cheese filling. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow the cream cheese filling to become firm. Finally, add a layer of champagne strawberries. Now your glass should be half full so simply repeat these layers one time to fill your champagne glass!
Top the dessert with champagne whipped cream, a dusting of edible glitter and serve with a miniature sparkler!