No-Bake Aero Mint Cheesecake

Aero Mint Cheesecake is an homage to the wonderful peppermint aero chocolate bar. The blend of flavours is truly delicious and reminds me of mint chocolate ice cream!

The base is made with crushed bourbon biscuits, and topped with a creamy, peppermint cheesecake filling, whipped cream and mint aero bubbles. It’s the perfect dessert for special occasions.

Recipe Tips

• Crushing the biscuits: Place the bourbon biscuits in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin, or place in a large bowl and use the end of the rolling pin to bash them into crumbs.
• Cream cheese: If cream cheese is over-beaten it goes runny, so I prefer to beat the cream cheese and sugar by hand, though I do use an electric whisk for the whipped cream. If you wish to use an electric mixer for the whole process, go slowly with the cream cheese and be very careful not to over-mix it. This is especially relevant in the UK as the cream cheeses we have are not as firm as the block cream cheeses available in some other countries, e.g. USA.
• Whipped cream: The whipped cream helps the cheesecake to set so it needs to be quite stiff.
• Peppermint extract: For the best flavour, use the highest quality peppermint extract you can afford.

Recipe Variations

Mini cheesecake variation: This recipe can also be used to make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan. Place two strips of greaseproof paper in the bottom of each muffin cup, at right angles to each other so that the ends extend above the top of the mini cheesecakes. Freeze the cheesecakes in the muffin pan and use the ends of the greaseproof paper to lift them out while still frozen. Great for individual servings when needed, if a whole cheesecake is too much.

Storing Leftovers

Cover and store any leftovers in a refrigerator for 1-2 days.

The cheesecake can also be frozen but it’s best to do this before decorating. Follow the instructions above to decorate it and defrost fully before eating.

This mint aero cheesecake recipe is rich, creamy and wonderfully minty. It’s not baked, so it’s quick to prepare, and makes a lovely dessert for special occasions.

INGREDIENTS

• 75 g (⅓ cups) butter dairy or plant-based
• 300 g (1 cups) bourbon biscuits these are naturally vegan and gluten-free
• 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) double cream dairy or Elmlea double plant
• 120 g (½ cups) sugar
• 400 g (1 ⅔ cups) full fat cream cheese dairy or Violife vegan cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• A little green food colouring
• 1 x 90g peppermint aero bar
• 1 x 80g bag of mint aero bubbles
• 50 g (¼ cups) dark chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

• Line an 8-inch loose-based flan tin.
• Melt the butter in a microwave for 30 seconds.
• Bash the biscuits (cookies) to make crumbs or blitz them in a food processor.
• Place in a bowl and pour in the melted butter, stirring well until thoroughly combined.
• Use the back of a spoon to press the buttered crumbs firmly into a lined, loose-based flan tin, ensuring the crumbs go right to the edges.
• Chill the base in a fridge for 30 minutes before you make the topping.
• When the base has set, use an electric whisk to whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
• In a separate bowl, beat the sugar into the cream cheese using a wooden spoon until smooth and well combined. Then gently fold in about ¾ of the whipped cream, along with the peppermint extract and food colouring. Mix carefully until everything is fully combined.
• Chop the aero bar using a sharp knife and stir the bits into the cheesecake mixture.
• Spoon the mixture over the base and level with a knife or spatula.

SUGGESTED DECORATION:

• Add a few drops of the green food colouring to the remaining whipped cream and stir well to get an even colour.
• Spoon or pipe blobs of the coloured cream in a ring around the edge of the cheesecake and place the aero bubbles onto the cream to secure them in place.
• Grate some dark chocolate over the middle of the cheesecake.
• Place the cheesecake in a refrigerator for at least 4 hours to firm up.

NOTES

• Cover and store any leftovers in a refrigerator for 1-2 days. The cheesecake can also be frozen but it’s best to do this before decorating. Follow the instructions above to decorate it and defrost fully before eating.
• Place the bourbon biscuits in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin, or place in a large bowl and use the end of the rolling pin to bash them into crumbs.
• If cream cheese is over-beaten it goes runny, so I prefer to beat the cream cheese and sugar by hand, though I do use an electric whisk for the whipped cream. If you wish to use an electric mixer for the whole process, go slowly with the cream cheese and be very careful not to over-mix it. This is especially relevant in the UK as the cream cheeses we have are not as firm as the block cream cheeses available in some other countries, e.g. USA.
• The whipped cream helps the cheesecake to set so it needs to be quite stiff.
• For the best flavour, use the highest quality peppermint extract you can afford.

NUTRITION

• Calories: 580kcal
• Carbohydrates: 48g
• Protein: 7g
• Fat: 41g
• Saturated Fat: 22g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 12g
• Trans Fat: 1g
• Cholesterol: 108mg
• Sodium: 359mg
• Potassium: 237mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 34g
• Vitamin A: 1241IU
• Vitamin C: 1mg
• Calcium: 97mg
• Iron: 4mg