No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake with Sliced Lemon Compote

I've been wanting to try different types of cheesecake for a while but I just haven't had much opportunity for it. Now that I have 3 lbs of cream cheese, I have all the reason in the world to make a cheesecake. I don't have an occasion for this, other than an effort to do something else in life other than work. :p


I had heard of no-bake cheesecakes, but I've never tried them before - nor was I interested in it. I used to think that no-bake cheesecakes are fake cheesecakes, but I am now more open towards them. :) No-bake cheesecakes typically uses gelatin to held its structure together, but this recipe uses cornstarch instead of gelatin. The mixture is cooked almost in a similar fashion to making custard. The cheesecake is then chilled for "at least 16 hours before serving."

I thought that just the cheesecake alone would look plain, so I made some sliced lemon compote to decorate the cake. It was my first time ever making a compote and I'm not sure if I'm doing it the right way. I boiled sugar and water, and then added my lemon slices in. I covered the pot with paper towel and then remove the pot from heat. I waited for it to cool overnight before using it.

The lemon compote tasted bitter though. I think the next time I make compote, I'll boil the lemon slices first to remove some of the bitterness before adding it to the sugar mixture. I ended up rolling the lemon slices in sugar in an effort to cut down on the bitterness. I'm bringing it to the office and I'll see if I pass the test.

Update:

For the most part, my coworkers liked the cheesecake. I tried just a little piece of the cheesecake and I liked it too. It's not too sweet but it is a heavy cheesecake. As a note for future baking attempt, I will decrease the amount of cream cheese used and add more lemon juice into the cake. This way, the cake will be lighter and the lemon flavor will be more bold.