Polish Gelatin-Topped No-Bake Cheesecake (Sernik Na Zimno)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 07/29/19
Gelatin-Topped No-Bake Cheesecake

Barbara Rolek
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Refrigerate: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
342 Calories
27g Fat
20g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 342
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 16g 81%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 123mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Protein 7g
Calcium 95mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This no-bake cheesecake recipe sports a fruited gelatin top that is so popular with Poles and is known as sernik na zimno, which literally means "cold cheesecake."

Not even the crust is baked in this recipe making it an ideal dessert when you don't want to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven. Here are more Polish Cheesecake Recipes.

Ingredients

  • For the Cookie Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups/100 g vanilla wafers (crumbs, or butter cookie crumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons/30 g sugar
  • 2 ounces/57 g butter (melted)
  • For the Filling:
  • 8 ounces/227 g cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup/50 g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup/240 ml heavy whipping cream
  • For the Gelatin Topping:
  • 1 large package strawberry gelatin
  • 1/2 cup/100 g ice cubes
  • 1/2 cup/100 g blueberries
  • 1/2 cup/100 g pineapple chunks
  • 1 cup/200 g strawberries (halved)
  • Garnish: whipped cream

Steps to Make It

Make the Crust

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.

  3. Place a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of an 8 to 9-inch/20 to 22-cm springform pan. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and refrigerate until ready to fill.

Make the Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, whip room-temperature cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until completely smooth and fluffy. (This can take anywhere from a few minutes to 5 minutes or more, depending on the temperature of your cream cheese.)

  2. In a separate medium bowl, whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and stir in by hand to lighten it.

  3. Then, fold in the remaining whipped cream, being careful not to deflate the volume, until well incorporated.

  4. Transfer to prepared pan, smoothing top. Place in the refrigerator while you make the gelatin topping.

Make the Gelatin Topping

  1. Place strawberry gelatin in a medium bowl and add boiling water per package instructions. Stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add ice, stirring until melted. Let stand 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

  2. Meanwhile, arrange the blueberries, pineapple, and strawberries in a single layer in a decorative pattern on top of the cheesecake. Pour thickened gelatin on top.

  3. Cover with plastic wrap, not letting plastic touch the surface of the gelatin. Chill several hours or overnight.

  4. Remove cheesecake from springform pan and cut into slices. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

  5. Enjoy!