No Bake Neapolitan Cheesecake
Neapolitan Cheesecake combines the best of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry in a creamy, dreamy dessert layered on an Oreo cookie crust. Plus the recipe's no bake, so all you need to pull it off are a few bowls and a freezer.
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 25 Oreo cookies
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Base (for all 3 flavors)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream very cold
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 lbs cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
Chocolate Cheesecake
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Strawberry Cheesecake
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and halved
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 5 drops pink gel food coloring
Vanilla Cheesecake
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract pure
- 2 tsps lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
Oreo Crust
- Coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Pulse Oreo cookies, including filling, in a food processor until fine crumbs form. (Yield will be approximately 1.5 cups of crumbs.)
- Add melted butter to Oreo crumbs and pulse until evenly moistened.
- Using the bottom of a clean measuring cup, firmly press crumbs into base of springform pan.
- Place pan in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Base
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (approximately 5 minutes). Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add sour cream then beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and lump free.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in whipped cream. Be careful to avoid overmixing, the goal is to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
- Divide batter into thirds and distribute evenly among three mixing bowls, one for each Neapolitan flavor. Place two of the bowls in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare chocolate cheesecake.
Chocolate Cheesecake
- Using a heat-safe bowl, melt chopped chocolate in microwave in 15 second increments, stirring between each until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
- Whisk cocoa powder with melted chocolate until smooth and lump free.
- Add chocolate mixture to the bowl of cheesecake batter designated for chocolate. Stir gently until combined.
- Remove Oreo crust from refrigerator and top with chocolate cheesecake filling. Smooth top with an offset spatula then place pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Strawberry Cheesecake
- In a medium saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and water over medium heat.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce begins to thicken.
- Allow strawberry sauce to cool, then mash with a fork and strain through a mesh sieve. Discard pulp.
- Gently fold strawberry sauce into the bowl of cheesecake filling reserved for strawberry flavoring. Add 4 to 5 drops of pink food coloring then stir gently until color is evenly distributed and desired shade of pink is achieved.
- Remove springform pan from freezer. Spoon strawberry cheesecake on top of chocolate cheesecake. Smooth with an offset spatula then return springform pan to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Vanilla Cheesecake
- Add vanilla extract and lemon juice to the bowl of cheesecake batter set aside for vanilla. Stir gently until incorporated.
- After strawberry cheesecake has set, remove from freezer and top with vanilla cheesecake. Smooth top with an offset spatula then return pan to freezer for 30 minutes.
- After vanilla layer has set in the freezer, cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours. (Mine chilled overnight.)
Serve
- To remove springform pan from cheesecake, wet a butter knife with hot water then carefully glide it around the outer side of the cheesecake to separate it from the pan. Then unlatch springform pan and remove the rim.
- Slice and serve cheesecake. For pristine slices, wipe the knife clean after each cut.
- Cover and store cheesecake in the refrigerator up to 3 days.