While there’s a lot to love about baking (the aromas! tasting as-you-go! feeling talented!), I can never just leave my creation be. I always slow everything down because of a need to check the oven every few minutes, which is why no-bake desserts are the best. That, and you feel like you’re cheating the system by making them.
Oh, and you avoid this.
Since no-bake desserts only require time to set in the fridge, they’re hard to screw up. Low-labour and high reward is a beaut dessert combination, whether with cheesecakes, tarts or slices. Here are three fairly decadent offerings for when you need a sugary slice of comfort food.
HAZLENUT-CARAMEL SLICE
So easy, so rewarding. (Photo: MyLittleLarder.com)
What you’ll need:
- 250 gm milk chocolate
- 120 gm dry-roasted hazelnuts
- 175 gm butter
- 250 gm packet choc ripple biscuits
- 395 gm condensed milk
- Brown sugar
- Thickened cream
Caramel and hazelnuts. Can you name a more iconic dessert duo? I’ll wait.
First up, line a square cake tin with baking paper. Crush the biscuits into crumbs, melt 125 gms of butter over a saucepan, then mix it in with the crumbed biscuits. Again, a food processor helps, but isn’t 100% necessary. Spread it out into a base on the pan, then place the hazelnuts on top, evenly spaced out. Refrigerate for 15 mins.
Meanwhile, for the filling, heat the milk, sugar and the rest of the butter (50gm) over medium-low heat. Keep stirring, since it’ll stick to the pan if you don’t. You’ll need to do that for 10-12 mins, until it’s thicker and a little golden. Pour it over the hazelnuts and smooth the top over.
That second layer needs 10 mins to set, so wait a few before starting this step. For the chocolate top, you’ll need to chop the chocolate up then melt it with thickened cream. It’s better
to melt it together in a bowl over a pot of boiling water than using a microwave, though if you’re keen for a quick fix, stick to 30 seconds in the microwave and add more time if you need to.
Spread it on top, and refrigerate it for 3 hours. Cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
After you’ve productively filled three hours with meditation and reading self-help manuals (or watching reality tv, it doesn’t really matter), cut it into slices, sprinkle on a touch of sea salt, then eat more slices in one sitting than you’d care to admit.
LEMON CHEESECAKE
Hold up. (Photo: TheRecipeRebel.com)
What you’ll need:
- 1 packet Scotch fingers
- 500 gm cream cheese
- Condensed milk or Greek yoghurt (a tiny bit healthier, if that matters)
- 2 lemons
- Vanilla extract
- Icing sugar
- 125 gm butter
Whether you’re still not over Beyonce’s Lemonade or you just want a zesty, creamy cake to go with a cup of tea, this is it.
Let’s start with the crust. You’ll need to melt then butter first up, then mix it in with finely smashed scotch fingers. Add a layer of baking paper to a pie tin before you press it in to form a nice, even crust. Pop it into the fridge.
An electric mixer is ideal here, but you can make do with some srs whisking power.
Whisk the cream cheese in a bowl into a fluffy consistency, then add in either a 400gm can of condensed milk or 200 gms greek yoghurt, and mix it all in together. For the lemon part, you’ll need to grate the lemon skins for zest as well as juice them. Here, we’re adding in both, with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 1/4 cup of icing sugar. Once it’s a bit stiffer, pour it into the crust, and leave it for about 4-5 hours.
Meanwhile, we’d recommend thinking about the ways your exes have hurt you and processing it in a relaxed, measured way.
When it’s ready to go, blueberries on top would be a perf addition. It should be wobbly but structurally stable when you cut into it. Bliss.
DARK CHOCOLATE CUSTARD TART WITH STRAWBERRIES
Layer the strawberries however you’d like. (Photo: www.SarahBakesGlutenFree.com)
What you’ll need:
- 220 gm dark chocolate
- 210 gm/1 packet chocolate wafer biscuits
- Three strawberry punnets
- 350 ml milk
- 5 eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
- Coconut oil
- Cornflour
- Caster sugar
Supremely silky, this tart balances out the slightly sour dark chocolate with an airy wafer crust and strawberries. It’s a dream.
First up is the chocolate custard. You’ll need to heat the vanilla essence and milk to a simmer in a saucepan while whisking 5 egg yolks, cornflour, about 65 gm of sugar and a dash of salt in a bowl. When it’s thick, it’s time to slowly whisk in the milk, then pop it over the heat until thick again. Take it off the heat, whisk in 15 gm butter and 150 gm of the chocolate until it’s all combined. Pour it into a shallow dish and refrigerate it to chill, putting some cling wrap on top. Leave it for about 2-2.5 hours.
About an hour before you take out the custard, make the crust. You’ll want to stir 2 tsp coconut oil with the rest of the chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water – the heat will travel up and melt it (microwaving for 30 secs or so works too). A food processor is best for the next step: break down the wafers to crumbs, add the chocolate and mix it in. In a tart tin – sprayed with olive oil to make it non-stick – pour the mixture in and make it into a crust. Keep it refrigerated for 30-40 mins.
After both custard and crust are looking firm, add in the custard to the tart tin, and spread in chopped strawberries throughout. Leave it again for 10-15, then dig in.
Now that you’ve got the general idea of how no-bake desserts work, you should mess around with it. Melt down your fave chocolate bars for ultimate indulgence: a Snickers or Mars bar slice is a damn good place to start.
Photo: MyLittleLarder.com
