Sure, there’s nothing glamorous about carrying a watermelon, so to speak, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I rather enjoy many parts of being pregnant. For example, you get to wear elastic-waist pants all the time. Your hair gets really thick and shiny; I mean, sure, it doesn’t last but if this is as close as I’m going to get in my lifetime to my Pantene Moment, you’d better believe I’m going to revel in it. It’s so very wrong, but I even secretly enjoy the soft bigotry of low expectations as literally nothing I admit — that I’ve been only swimming two times a week instead of three recently, that if I cook dinner twice a week, it’s a triumph, etc. — is met with less than “Go you! That’s amazing!” I even delight in watching people’s expressions change to borderline-panic on the street as they realize this rather normal-looking woman approaching them is, in fact, colossal when viewed from the side.
That is, until the end. The final weeks are a little different, aren’t they? They are both too long and too short, erratic sleep, puffy feet, and can I admit that I dread standing in line at the grocery store because I know I won’t escape without having to converse with a stranger about the state of my midsection? I actually found myself debating the pros/cons of a grocery store run yesterday because of this, but fortunately, the need for cream cheese and graham crackers for cheesecake ice cream pie triumphed, as it always and forever should.
You could say I’m on a frozen dessert kick this summer, whether I’m making the argument that popsicles are breakfast food, campfire-charred marshmallows should be slurped through a straw, and that anything with the nickname “crack” could be an ideal ice cream sandwich vehicle. I’m sure it has nothing — nothing — to do with the fact that 80 degrees outside is more like 105 in Third Trimester-ese, or that when your household includes a Kindergartener and a husband that’s been kind enough to eat like a stereotypical pregnant woman (pickles! ice cream! chocolate!), well, nobody is going to argue. Although I own an ice cream maker, my primary goal is to avoid using it because it requires advance planning (at least 24 hours of bowl-chilling) and nothing about ice cream cravings involve delayed gratification.
So, when I spied a stunning churn-free recipe for Mexican Chocolate Coffee Ice Cream Pie on one of my favorite food blogs and realized that the core recipe was just a few steps away from cheesecake, and that I’ve never met anyone — dad, grad, kid, carrier of watermelons — who did anything less than a leap for joy when told that if they opened the freezer, they’d find a billowing homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie inside, I knew what needed to be done. And I don’t regret a thing.
One year ago: Valerie’s French Chocolate Cake
Two years ago: Espresso Granita with Whipped Cream
Three years ago: Chocolate Swirl Buns
Four years ago: Dobos Torte
Five years ago: Crushed Peas with Smoky Sesame Dressing
Six years ago: Pickled Sugar Snap Peas and Springy Fluffy Marshmallows
Seven years ago: Breakfast Apricot Crisp and Dead Simple Slaw
Eight years ago: Fideos with Favas
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Endives with Oranges and Almonds
1.5 Years Ago: Eggnog Florentines and Linzer Torte
2.5 Years Ago: Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce (so perfect for summer, too, with or without mint extract)
3.5 Years Ago: Cashew Butter Balls
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie
Adapted a bit liberally from Lisa Fain’s Mexican Coffee Ice Cream Pie
An additional note about texture: The cream cheese base of this pie gets firm but not rock-hard in the freezer (a good thing), but the whipped cream topping can get very firm, almost popsicle-like. If this isn’t to your liking, you can add the whipped cream right before serving, or only let it firm up 10 minutes in the freezer, enough that it can stand up to the wet strawberry topping but not be fully frozen.
Crust
1 1/2 cups (155 grams) finely ground graham cracker crumbs (from about 10 crackers)
3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
2 pinches sea salt
7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake filling
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream topping
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Strawberry sauce
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Make crust: Heat oven to 350°F. Combine graham crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl and stir until mixed. Add butter and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Press crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a standard 9-inch pie dish. I like to use the outer edge of a heavy measuring cup to press in neat, firm sides but nobody will be the wiser if you just use your fingertips. Bake crust until lightly browned, about 9 to 10 minutes. Set on cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, you can even transfer it to the freezer to get it started on the chilling process.
Make cheesecake filling: Beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy, then slowly beat in condensed milk until smooth. Beat in zest and vanilla. [This step updated to ensure everyone avoids lumps.] Pour into cooled crust and freeze for 6 to 8 hours, until firm.
Make whipped cream topping: Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the frozen filling and return to the freezer until firm, usually less than an hour.
Make strawberry topping: Combine strawberries, sugar, lemon, cornstarch and water in a medium, heavy saucepan. Let macerate for 15 to 20 minutes, then cook over medium-low heat to a simmer, stirring. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, then remove from heat and chill sauce completely. You can hasten this along by stirring it in a bowl set over a bowl of ice water. Chill strawberry sauce in fridge until needed. (We won’t be freezing this part.)
To serve: Using a hot, wet knife, cut pie into wedges and drape each with strawberry sauce. Eat, repeat.
Perfect. Local strawberries have arrived and I’ll be making this to take to work tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be a howling success. You haven’t let me down yet. Thank you.
Love the look of this pie. And you look gorgeous Deb! Always did! (Thus endeth my girl-crush moment.)
Oh man – this looks so damn good. That strawberry topping is gorgeous!
You look marvelous Deb! Love your burst of energy and all of the posts – you are nesting! Good luck!
This is a perfect Father’s Day dessert! Being eight months pregnant myself, Im eager to eat it as well!
I don’t know if I should be delighted or mortified to realize that I have all of these ingredients on hand. I know what I’m bringing to our neighborhood happy hour this Friday….
Deb this looks amazing! What are your thoughts on making this ahead of time? Need to take a dessert to work on Monday and am wondering about things melting during my hour commute. Thanks!
Priyanka — Unlike “real” ice cream, I don’t think it would be the end of the world if this melted (it’s not total liquid), but it would be soft and pudding-y at the base. I’d put it on a bag of ice in a cooler and you’ll probably be fine. Lucky coworkers!
Promise me if I work hard my dessert will look just like yours =) Oh………I loved your “discussion” on pregnancy. You know, I loved every minute of being pregnant!!!! I felt that people were so nice to me, holding open doors, helping to carry things, it made me so happy. And I wasn’t “mean” to myself about being a little chunky. I vow to never buy a store bought graham cracker crust after this !!!
Deb, it looks amazing – and easy! What fruit could replace strawberries in countries (like the Holy Land) where strawberries are a winter fruit?
wow!! Deb/ you are killing me! what a wonderful ideal for the summer time and the strawberries are out at this time, p.s. would like to ask you if the cheese is the 18 ounces are did you say 1-8 ounce pkg. of cream cheese?
Beautiful! How long would the strawberry sauce last in the fridge? Or can it be frozen? I have strawberries but probably won’t get around to making the cheesecake for a bit.
This looks gorgeously delicious! I don’t know if you are a tennis fan, but Wimbledon is starting in a couple of days, and this recipe goes perfectly with the strawberries and cream theme! Perfection.
xx Lane
Add sweetened condensed milk to anything and it’s a winner. Including a spoon. There’s a book called The Sweet Potato Queen’s Book of Love that has a pie recipe called “Oh God” that has SCM and cream cheese, and it might be one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Which leads me to believe that I should make this pie this weekend for comparison’s sake.
this looks incredible. also, you look so cute! what is the black dress you’re wearing??
Don’t you think this would work well with raspberries, too? Not to brag, but we have raspberry bushes that, after three years, have really come into their own, and I’m on a constant search for recipes (I’ve made your gratin and buttermilk cake many times–both delicious!).
This pie looks… amazing. I think I will need to clear out my freezer, there’s a pie about to happen. BTW, I am a bit envious of you but that is because my daughter was due on Labor Day (ha ha, I was the joke of my Lamaze class) so I spent my entire third trimester in Washington DC heat and humidity – and with no A/C. Then dear daughter decided to wait and come 10 days late. I thought I would either explode or melt. In any case, like all of your Gentle Readers, I am eagerly looking forward to being introduced to your new little one, very soon.
Perfect timing! My cheesecake loving cousin will be thrilled to have this on Saturday for his birthday dinner dessert. Thank you!!!
This is a reason to get more strawberries. The last batch were sacrificed for the strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes :) You look amazing Deb – that black dress rocks and you are so not colossal looking!
I just checked out that side profile shot and you look freaking awesome – grocery store strangers be damned!
Is it possible just to do this in the fridge without any freezing (more like a normal cheesecake)? My teeth are super sensitive to the cold these days and can no longer tolerate anything that is freezer-cold (fridge-cold is often too much!). Thanks!
The last time I made cheesecake was an epic fail, and I swore never again, BUT since this is really ice-cream, I think I feel brave enough to try, try again.
Every time I click on your site, I hold my breath waiting for a big announcement post!!
How do you cook while pregnant? I find the minute I’m in the family way I cannot for the life of me summon up the energy or motivation to spend any substantial time in the kitchen.
Wow, this is beautiful! Strawberries and cream cheese are such a classic combination, and this preparation is great because in summer all I want to eat is the food category Frozen Things.
I would love to do this with your vanilla bean pudding instead of the cheese cake filling. And of course there would be rum in the pudding. 4th of July dessert planned!
Deb, dearest preggers Deb, whatever pork butt or roast is taking up the room that is required for your ice cream bowl is not worth it! Cook that sucker and make room for important items! :) Mine is permanently housed in the freezer, sorry pork butt.
Rosa — Just one (8-ounce) package.
JR — Another berry or cherry, or really whatever you like with cheesecake. Frozen berries would work too.
mary — Thank you. It’s this one from JCrew in black, i.e. not maternity so if you could listen to closely, the seams would be saying “HELP ME” because they don’t deserve this. I’ve found that I could get away with all sorts of stretchy summer dresses this time that are not maternity (yay)… until about 1 week ago. So, let’s hope this baby gets here soon because I am not going shopping.
amyhodge — The cheesecake part wouldn’t set up in the fridge; it would be more of a soft battery pudding, you might instead bake an actual cheesecake filling, or part of one, into the pie shell if you want to keep it in the fridge.
Sue T — Thank you. DC heat and humidity is NO JOKE. (I used to live there. Love that city, despite this.) Jacob was born in September so I remember the summer being unbearably hot but I’m learning now that the first pregnancy is always easier because you don’t have the existing kid to take care of. I worked from home, put my feet up whenever I needed to. I am quietly resenting Deb of 2009 right now. :)
Mary — I’d expect the strawberry sauce to be good for a week. Longer, with more sugar. You could probably freeze it as well.
Amy — Absolutely with raspberries. Maybe a little more sugar in the sauce.
liz — Ha! I have zero energy for regular cooking. To wit, the last post here was a full week ago and it was for pancakes. Actually, I was going to talk more about that next week, I hope, what I’m doing instead. Who says pregnant women eat for two? Give me a couple slices of watermelon and I’d happily skip dinner.
Sarah — I used to house it permanently in there, which I agree is most logical. A couple summers ago, I switched to the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl attachment. I like it a lot more (less “ehnnnnnn” noise, driving me bonkers) but it’s bigger! And it doesn’t fit in the freezer unless I remove the shelf and I basically never want to do that. My laziness knows no bounds.
Oh my…instant gratification is what I love, and this is practically as close to it as you can get with cheesecake-turned-ice-cream. I love love love this idea. The strawberry sauce also looks like absolute perfection. You ARE amazing! And I laughed out loud reading about your mental dilemma to go to the grocery store or not…yes, Deb, graham crackers and cream cheese always win! :)
:o. My friends and family have a little summer/last holiday until November bbq/dinner get together coming up in a couple of weeks and I’m planning on making Sally’s Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bar but figured I needed another dessert and THIS, this is perfect. Thank-you for sharing it looks so gooood.
This looks beautiful and yummy. I’m a longtime cheesecake lover, but I’ve never made anything like this.
So, this was months ago but I’m still eagerly awaiting the banana pudding recipe you’d mentioned. ;) No rush! But I can’t wait to see what you put together. :)
1. That pie looks so delicious. I think I drooled a little bit.
2. You look so much more gorgeous and put together while 9 months pregnant than I ever do (typed while wearing rolled up jeans and a t-shirt)!!
Perfect for 4th of July… Thank you!
This looks fantastic…I notice you are on a bit of strawberry jag…perfect for June. Do you let this thaw a bit on the counter before serving? I wonder about how hard it would be to cut if left overnight in the freezer. Best wishes in the third trimester! It is an exhausting time, but when you get a dear new baby at the end of it, it will be well worth every minute, of course!
Hi Deb–I may be a little dense here, but when you say “blend” the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, are you using a blender, or are you just mixing them together in a bowl? Seems it would be too thick to put in the blender, but I could be wrong!
You are such a cute pregnant lady!! And this looks amaze as always. I have been considering “anything from Smittenkitchen.com” for our next Cookbook Club (since we already used your book!)
I absolutely HEART this baby you’re pregnant with…impeccable taste that one. Every recipe to date is a WINNER :D This is on my summer “to-make” list! Oooooh, so excited!!!!!
sooo, do you think it would be possible to replace the graham cracker crust with an oreo crust instead (such as one from here: http://bit.ly/1BmK8O2)? if yes, would it be necessary to still bake the crust before adding filling? thank you so much, deb. you are a diva~
This version sounds awesome. Similar to one we do without freezing. Instead of using vanilla and lemon zest we use lemon juice and place it in the fridge to set for an easy pie. I use 1/4 cup of juice but my mom uses more. She also uses lime juice sometimes. The toppings are similar as well. Most of my family want this at almost every get together. :)
Hey Deb, so why granulated sugar in the whipping cream? I’ve always used confectioners sugar, but I don’t have a good reason to back up my choice. Is there is difference in final product? Thanks!
Ah you crack me up! I think I would venture off to the grocery store, too, if I had this pie in mind despite any annoyances that might await. It looks incredible…so fluffy and creamy!!
Deb, I have to say, after taking a small hiatus from your website (forced due to being insanely busy at work and not being able to distract myself with your lovely stories and recipes) I have to say that I absolutely love your pregnancy posts. You are coming up with some amazing things that I never would have thought of. I’m loving spending some time distracting myself with my (very neglected as of late) laptop for the evening while hubby is out with some friends. Thank you for all you do. Although I’ve never met you, I’ve missed you!!!! :)
That gif is fantastic! You make me laugh …
Seconding the folks who had issues with this not setting. The flavors were lovely (though the full allotment of sweetened condensed milk makes it way too sweet for me and my audience), but the result was basically a thick pudding, even after hours in the freezer after each step. Even went back to check the recipe afterwards, because I’d followed it exactly but was sure I’d made a misstep.
Hi Deb,
This looks so good. I’m making it this weekend. The only problem is that you spoiled the instant gratification part for me by posting the graham cracker recipe. Once I made them I was ruined for store bought.
Thank you for the zillion wonderful recipes I’ve gotten from Smitten Kitchen.
Ellen
Hi Karen,
I think I can answer your granulated vs. powdered sugar question. The reason to use powdered sugar in whipped cream is that the corn starch in powdered sugar keeps the cream whipped longer. As the whipped cream in this recipe will be frozen deflation is not a concern.
Ellen
OMG. That actually went through my head when I opened up this page. I think I need to make this now and the only reason I’m not is because my kid has eaten every crumb of fruit I had (raspberries, cherries and watermelon) so I need to wait until the fruit stand is open tomorrow. Thanks for this and you look fabulous! Rockin that non-maternity wear.
It looks so delicious! I love your blog so much!!!
It’s always a treat to see you Deb. Know that strawberry pie will be on our table very soon. For 4th of July might add a few blueberries to the top. So many ideas come to mind. Peach season will soon follow. Wishing you smooth sailing the rest of your pregnancy. Always enjoy your “delivery” of words at the beginning of each post. Happy Father’s day weekend.
Tim – I just put this pie in the freezer, and since I decided I’m too lazy to break out the blender, I think I can answer your question: no, it does not work to just mix the ingredients in a bowl. I tried first with a spoon, then with a whisk, and just couldn’t get rid of the cheese lumps, so eventually gave up and used an immersion blender, and only then I got a nice smooth consistency. I guess maybe it could work with a hand mixer, too? Or a food processor or something. But cream cheese appears to be just too stubborn for regular mixing.
(Also, additional laziness means I used a store-bought pie crust, instead of making one myself; I’m sure the buttery version is tastier, but just couldn’t bother, today. I will report on the results.)
This is the perfect recipe for when you are in need of some (guilt-free) indulgence. From a nutritional perspective, Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamins C and K as well as providing a good dose of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. :)
Oh sniff–another recipe with strawberries. I am not feeling the love since I am allergic to them. I clicked over to the Mexican coffee inspiration and read that ice cream pies were popular in Texas in the 1950s. We have a family story from the 1920s when my uncle as a very small boy ate so much ice cream cake for his birthday that supposedly his stomach froze and he had to be taken to the ER. He survived.
This sounds like a dream! Small question: how could I reduce the sweetness in this one? Can I replace some of the condensed mik by a non-sugar version, or maybe cream? (I usually make your recipes with half to 2/3 of sugar – I guess my sweet tooth isn’t sweet enough!)
Karen, re, granulated instead of powdered sugar in whipped cream — I’ve always used powdered sugar, too, and then one day I didn’t have any and used granulated and it turned out, it mattered very little. It completely dissolves as you’re beating the cream, and I didn’t find that the cream softened faster without the additional cornstarch in powdered sugar (which, for the amount I’d use in this much whipped cream, is really nominal). So, no reason not to use powdered sugar, but I didn’t feel there was any reason to add another ingredient to the list for it.
Kelley — Sure, you can use a chocolate crust. Also, the Homesick Texan recipe I adapted this from uses one too, but just adding cocoa powder to a graham crust. (She uses slightly different proportions, but once I landed on this one, it became my go-to crumb crust and I haven’t wanted see if another works.)
Tim, re: blending the cream cheese portion — Yes, I used the word exactly to imply that you could either blend it in a blender or use an electric mixer. I realize that’s not the clearest way to write a recipe! As Yael noted, cream cheese can be very pesky to blend. It needs to be very, very, very soft before beating in another ingredient, softer than butter. So, a machine-motor is better than hand mixing. I’ll write that direction out a little more clearly to address this.
JP — You can let it thaw a bit. In the freezer, the whipped cream gets very firm, the cheesecake base, only moderately. So, if you don’t want it too hard, you might leave the whipped cream off until the end, or only partially freeze it.
Wow, wow, wow!! This thing is beautiful. And you look amazing for how far along you are!! At that point of my last pregnancy, I could barely, and I mean, barely shove my feet into Uggs or Crocs…and she was a winter baby. You have strappy sandals!!
What a perfect way to use up the season’s last strawberries, while thumbing my nose at the 100+ temps here in CA! Can’t wait to try this out with the peaches that are just about ready to pick. BTW….You’re beautiful! So glad you’re enjoying these days. They’ll be sweet memories soon enough (as you already know!).
Deb, this looks like a terrific dessert for the 4th. It reminds me of a cream cheese pie that my Mom made years ago, minus the canned cherry pie filling topping.
That looks so good Deb! And I want to go swimming also now! I swam a couple of times a week when I still lived in the Netherlands. But I swim slowly, using a very unprofessional looking breaststroke. Here in Madrid all swimmers look like true professionals and I don’t dare join them :)
Have a good weekend!
This is akin to a Bon Appetit pie, Coconut Cream with a Macaron crust, that I made two weeks ago while on vacation, the only time I had enough free time to make it without work or toddler intervening. http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/coconut-cream-pie-with-macaroon-press-in-crust
These types of pies are great for summer. It is already 100 degrees in Savannah, and when I was pregnant this time of year two summers ago, I wore nothing but elastic waste jean shorts and a tank top. No regrets.
Deb, you should really consider moving here to San Francisco if you love elastic waist pants so much! Lulus are essentially the ex-9-5 uniform here :)
I am pregnant right now too, and I feel like you have been reading my mind the last few months!!! This looks so good.. Last night I made a super lazy version of this – really good ricotta whipped with some powdered sugar, topped with strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of balsamic. This dessert is on my list! :) Thanks for all the inspiration.
I’m a hesitant baker but have loved making your summer strawberry cake and will make this for father’s day! I’m wondering if leftovers – if there are any – would go back in the freezer (a bit concerned what would happen to the whipped cream)?
This looks amazing. I guess I need to keep on running if I’m going to wow my tastebuds with this gorgeous pie! Thanks for sharing!
Any substitute for the graham crackers you can suggest? We don’t have them where I live.
This looks divine esp as I have a fridge full of homegrown strawberries to use. However, neither my partner nor I like cream but I’m guessing this cheesecake would be just as yummy & successful without the topping of whipped cream?
Deb – if I have to pick one shortcut to this recipe and opt to use some cool whip for expediency’ sake, how would you recommend I incorporate it? Melt it on the counter a little bit, then fold it on top of the cheesecake? I’m in DC and a month out from third trimester… hot hot hot!
All these strawberry recipes are gratefully appreciated as I have a fridge full of Nofo strawberries. The guy at oysterponds berries has decided, however , to concentrate on raspberries .. Not a bad thing, but will have to take out a raspberry mortgage . We await the arrival of even more Perelmans ! You Look terrific. For Labor nurses, make your Everyday Chocolate Cake… Let them take slices as needed. ( it is also Fabulous with berries and whipped cream !)
Man that last month of pregnancy was fun in some ways. I did in fact carry a seedless watermelon on my hip into the grocery store once, taking full delight in the huge eyes and double-takes I got. I was so tickled I had to show my husband when I got home and the blessed man told me the watermelon was bigger (it wasn’t.). The looks when I turned to the side were priceless, too. Ah, the memories. = )
I always found this article helpful in these days. All the best and thank you for all your beautiful writing and recipes. http://www.mothering.com/articles/the-last-days-of-pregnancy-a-place-of-in-between/
I love this recipe. Your writing is masterful yet down to Earth. I found this blog today and will bookmark to make sure I can return often. Thank you!!!
Pure heaven! I can completely relate to your pregnancy woes and joys, as I have an 8 month daughter. Being pregnant through the summer was not delightful, but it did give me more liberty to eat lots of ice-cream and fresh fruit. Many congratulations and good vibes to you through these last difficult weeks! :) I cannot wait to make this beautiful pie!
Now this is just unfair. How am I supposed to run a race with this amazing-looking recipe staring at me? Maybe I’ll make this as a post-race reward :)
Hello Deb, I want to ask you where can I buy the white pie pan or can you just past the site where you got your …thank you.:)
Not going to read the rest of the comments right now, but I just had to reply to the comment made by Sue T. (#17). I similarly afflicted my mother. I was due on the 1st of September but declined to make my appearance until 10 days later. My poor mother. I’ve never been that big a fan of summer, myself…
This was very quick and easy to make using a bought graham cracker crust. Thank you for another delicious recipe.
All you need is this:
http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com
Looks great- I’m assuming it can be frozen overnight or longer than 8 hours ( without the whipped cream)?
happy father’s day to me!
Forget thee cheesecake looking delicious. Girl, you look amazing!
Oh my goodness – this looks heavenly!!!
Update on the pie I made yesterday: it is delicious. Took longer than 8 hours to get really firm – when we ate it yesterday evening (after it has been in the freezer from around noon or so) it was still kinda soft and gooey, but today the texture is much better. It’s kinda weird to eat frozen whipped cream, but eh, I like it.
I made a blackberry sauce, instead of strawberry (used frozen berries), and accidentally used double the required cornstrach, so it got a bit too thick and jammy, but who cares, it still tastes good.
Oh, and the readymade crust works just fine – I’m sure a homemade one with butter and Lotus biscuits (graham crackers are hard to find here, but Lotus is a more than adequate substitute) would have been tastier, but for other lazy folks, don’t worry, it’ll work either way.
Yum! This looks absolutely divine!
Can most of this be made a few days in advance and kept in the freezer? (Excluding the whipped cream, of course!)
Wow, this came out shockingly bad. Like, so bad I looked back at the recipe after waiting 8 hours to make sure I hadn’t done something wrong! The crust is frozen to the pie plate, requiring a chipping-out process that destroys the integrity of the slice. But the filling, after 8 hours, is still just a gloppy, conndensed-milk texture, without any good cream cheese flavor – so I just end up with a pool of crust-studded filling when I finally manage to get it out of the dish. The proportion of 14oz of condensed milk to 8oz cream cheese is likely to blame – this is just doctored condensed milk put in the freezer. I’ll consider leaving it in my freezer to see if anything good happens with more like 24 hours of freezing, but the flavor is such a bummer I don’t know that I’ll eat much even if it sets up. This is a rare stinker from Smitten Kitchen.
I mad the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie and it toke for me about 16 hour all most but it came out beautiful, absolutely delicious. ….P. S. ..hi Deb , what I was asking you was, where can I get a pie dish like yours. …:)
Here is my site so you can see my strawberry cheesecake ice cream pie..
http://maggiggie55.blogspot.ca/2015/06/strawberry-cheesecake-ice-cream-pie.html?m=1
this looks so beautiful – like my whole childhood in pie form. good luck with your final weeks! they are rough!
It came out beautifully and tasted devine, no stinker overhere. So a big thank you to Deb!
i actually had a lot of trouble with this pie. made it yesterday. the crust shrank down from sides. then when i went to serve it, the crust was rock hard, solid in one piece that refused to be cut. we had to just scoop out the filling and then some folks broke pieces of crusts with their hands (messy!!). the cheescake filling got very soft right out of freezer but the whipped cream topping was much firmer, i would have preferred both to be same texture. i have made many graham crusts and have no idea why it went so wrong this time – over baked, over packed, over frozen?? other possible issue was i used a king arthur pan that is meant for butter crusts (ridges on bottom) – perhaps that was the culprit. flavor was great, i just wish i had tried it out at home before bringing to a party where it was so messy.
You look great!
I gave up eating dairy and wheat months ago because eating them gives my mother’s-milk-fed baby bad eczema: this sort of recipe makes doing so a bit (lot) harder. I might make this for the family, and just hold a napkin to wipe the inevitable drool off my face.
Your first ref to the “Mexican – – – – Ice Cream Pie” says “Mexican Chocolate” when in fact it’s “Mexican Coffee.” Not so much for you, but disappointing for those of us who don’t drink coffee. :(
Otherwise, brilliant as usual. Best luck and all good wishes for a speedy delivery and beautiful baby sib for the boy.
I made this for the weekend with store bought crusts and pre-sweetened frozen strawberries…dishwasher is broke and I couldn’t handle more dishes than necessary! It was yummy!! My whole family ate it and practically licked the plates. The cream cheese part was soupy but it had been out of the freezer and on a bag of ice in a cooler for hours so I wasn’t surprised. I have the second one in the freezer for the celebration w the other side of the fam today. Can’t wait!
Admittedly, I am somewhat technologically challenged, but where are people seeing photos of Deb? “All” I see are the photos of the food, which is great, but I feel I am missing out on some important visual information. Thanks!
Deb: must make banoffee pie. Apparently it’s popular in Ireland and I am shocked and sad to never hear of it until last year. Graham crust, sliced bananas, caramel, coffee custard, and whipped cream.
SusanB: click the highlighted words in the article. They’re links that take you to the Flickr photos of Deb and other miscellaneous cute photos.
Love your food photography and details, really helps,
thank you so much for sharing
Christy…mine came out the same! I made this one and the Mexican coffee version from Homesick Texan…both very soupy after nearly 24 hours in the freezer. I too reread both recipes to see what I missed. Real bummer.
I’m not sure which is more gorgeous – this pie or you! Ok, you win, hands down, but thanks for this delicious recipe!!!
This pie is sitting in the freezer waiting for my family to be ready to sit down for dessert. So far I have high hopes. I did not use graham crackers or bake the crust, I suspect the problems people had with shrinking and sticking crust are from baking it. Instead I made a no-bake Oreo crust with gluten free Oreos, 20 cookies to 1/4 cup melted butter, grind it up and pat in pan, and freeze before putting in filling.
The filling set up perfectly in my freezer, I made the filling at noon yesterday and stuck it in there. Added the whipped cream today and figured we’ll decide it we like that. It cut well with a hot, wet knife. Will update with taste reports as soon as my family tears themselves away from their game to eat.
Taste reviews: The filling was firm, but did soften while eating, getting a little gooey, but very rich and delicious. We made a cherry sauce because my husband is not a fan of strawberries; we used a 1 lb bag of frozen sweet cherries from Trader Joes, might have added a smidge too much cornstarch but it was still delicious and didn’t need more lemon juice at all.
I think a no-bake pie crust is the way to go here, or a premade graham cracker crust pie. I didn’t have any issues with the crust sticking, but I have in the past when I tried to par-bake a crumb crust for a no bake pie. So just skip that step.
if your filling gets gooey or doesn’t set, it may be that you didn’t fully whip the cream cheese so that it could really incorporate with the condensed milk. The milk will keep it from freezing solid, but if you have spots where the cream cheese isn’t fully integrated it’s going to be puddly. That was my experience. I found one gooey spot and it was sweeter than sweet, meaning I’d missed thoroughly whippin’ that cheese. So don’t be impatient whipping the cream cheese before adding the milk.
Those are my humble cook’s notes. Delicious special-occasion pie, super rich and I might have to go lie down for a bit. It was a fun pie for the kids to help make.
Made this today for Father’s Day. It was delicious and worked perfectly as the recipe is written. Will be making again and possibly try with blueberries and kicking up the lemon a bit more!
I made this today as a Father’s Day dessert, since my kids and I saw the photos and thought it looked amazing. Based on the notes, I decided to only freeze the cheesecake layer. It was plenty firm after about 6 1/2 hours, but even with a hot, wet knife as directed, getting through the frozen crust was tough. Once I had two pieces out, it was easy to slide a butter knife between the dish and the bottom of the crust, so the next pieces came out without much trouble. We added my (nearly-overwhipped) cream and the sauce and dug in. I found the sauce to be too thick, but it was ok. I also found the texture of the cheesecake layer to be strange, almost gummy. The flavor was good, but I just couldn’t deal with the texture. Nothing ice-cream-ish about it. My 7-year-old twins LOVED it, though! :)
I made this over the weekend. I thought I would let it sit for a bit, so it would be easier to cut. This turned out to be a BIG mistake, as it melted into a goo. I loved the taste but need to figure out the perfect time out of the freezer before serving.
My Father’s Day guests and I enjoyed this beautiful dessert. As an alternate to strawberry shortcake, this is a great do ahead recipe that saves whipping cream and berry prep just before serving. We had trouble getting the crust out of the pan, but by the time we took out the 4th piece the slice of pie released easily in my warm kitchen. Thanks for the recipe!
We had this last night and everyone (including my picky chef brother) loved it. I made the pie & the strawberries the day before, and made the whipped cream day of. A perfect summer make ahead dessert.
Not my favorite SK recipe :( I didn’t have any problems with lumps or mixing of the ingredients, but the filling didn’t really firm up. I think next time I’ll add more cream cheese to try to get a firmer texture and more depth of flavor. To me it just tasted like cold condensed milk.
Rosa — The pie pan was from Giada’s line at Target several years ago, don’t think it exists anymore. I found it after obsessively looking for a plain, white, unadorned pie dish that was NOT deep dish. If you search on Amazon for “white pie dish,” there seem to be a lot more options these days.
Filling not firming up — I wish I knew why some are too firm and some are too soft. I’d chalk it up to vagaries in freezers, I guess.
As for the other concerns, I agree, this pie is a pain to cut (the hot, wet knife helped tremendously) and I’m sorry it wasn’t for everyone. Ours is (whoops) long gone now and has been requested again. From my husband, of all people, who usually merely tolerates non-chocolate desserts. ;)
Re, unbaked crumb crusts vs. baked ones — I began making my graham crusts consistently this way after the Key Lime Pie earlier this year. I was delighted to have a crumb crust that wasn’t so crumbly and I chalked it up to the baking time, which I assumed melted the sugar enough that the crust stays together better. I don’t think I’ll be making them any other way in the future. I also liked that it didn’t get as soggy as graham crusts can. So, that’s more of an explanation of the rationale. Of course if you’re happy with whatever no-bake graham crust you’re using, you can/should use it instead here.
Thank 6Deb for getting back to me, law the two pictures of you and you look pretty darn good for someone that is pregnant….
Oppssss – thank you Deb, for getting back to me, I saw the two pictures of you look pretty darn good for someone that is pregnant (very pretty)
I loved this recipe! I had no issues at all.. I made it a day ahead so it froze for a full 24 hours.. Not sure if that’s what helped it out but it was perfection. Thanks so much Deb! I’ve realized I no longer look around the Internet for recipes, I just come here or look in your book.
My filling was soupy as well, but delicious! I blame it on user error: I did the blending during my daughter’s nap time, so used the food processor (easiest appliance to move outside to the porch where it won’t wake the baby). Have no idea why I opted for the food processor over a hand mixer, but I will blame that one on a year of sleep deprivation. I figured since I basically chopped the filling instead of whipping it, it wasn’t freezing as well. Wow – frozen whipped cream is delicious. I may just have a dish of that in my freezer all summer.
Wow. I made this with peaches instead of strawberries, and it is amazing. I’m a fan of cheesecakes generally, but the freezing really adds something great. Ice cream pie may be my new favorite dessert!
After a tough day at work, this pie is here for the rescue. Love how sweet and colorful it is. That’s everything a woman ever wanted.
My husband, who normally sticks to “this is good, babe” for most of my cooking, was momentarily speechless when he dug into this pie, and a minute later came up with a reverent, “This is extraordinary.” Say no more! One tip, though, because I blithely ignored your directions and poured my condensed milk all in one go into a lumpy mass of cream cheese – if you have an immersion blender, you can easily remedy this and make an ultra smooth batter by running your blender into the batter for a minute.
Also, curious how some turned out soupy. Even after just four hours, mine was perfect. I do suspect varying freezer temperatures and strengths!
Wow, I looked at the photos – of course, you look gorgeous – and you are totally having your Pantene moment! Fantastic hair. And I have to make the pies, both naturally. N xx
UPDATE! After another night in the freezer, the texture was SO much nicer. Yum!
I made this and it turned out great. I wonder if some people had problems due to their freezers? The filling was not frozen solid like ice cream, it was firm and cold and refreshing. I don’t eat whipped cream, so my husband added it at the table. I used a no-bake crust and lined my pie plate with parchment paper. The crust was hard to cut BUT I could lift it up with the parchment and managed to get nice-looking slices of dessert. Mine was ready to eat after about 6 hours.
I just made this, and it’s delicious! It ended up tasting exactly like key lime pie, but that’s never a bad thing. Even with the strawberries, the lemon overwhelmed a bit. That’s okay. This could always be my new key lime pie recipe!
Help please?
My husband’s birthday is coming up and he has requested “a GIANT Oreo cheesecake”. Would you recommend making a sky-high version of this ice cream cheesecake or just following your already tall NY cheesecake recipe to mix in the crumbled cookies? Thanks!
I made this last weekend and the hubs said it was the best dessert he’s ever tasted! My only dislike was that the filling had a slightly “gooey” texture, as in even though it was solid, it would sort of stretch like putty. Do you think this was due to the condensed milk? What could it be replaced with?
Oh my gosh, Deb, this pie tastes so amazing! Made it while my mother in law was visiting and everyone talked about how great it was. Thank you for another winning recipe. :)
I also had issues with graham crust sticking to the pan. I would recommend planning for chilling more than six hours on your coldest freezer setting–by the time came to bring it to a cookout, it did not even approach sliceability.
I would add, however, that by the end of the night it was almost gone, which means that people had to first chisel chunks of crust out of the plate and then drink the filling with a spoon, but they all did it, which means that YES. It was just that good. For those who are so inclined, may I suggest a layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache between the crust and the filling? Nice note of bitter with the creamy, the sweet, and the tart (depending on your strawberries).
I made this practically the day you posted it! It looked too good to pass up. Subbed blueberries, it turned out great!
This looks lovely! And in the same realm as this incredible Lemon Icebox Pie via Salon/Francis Lam that I finally made after years of it lingering on my Pinterest boards: http://www.salon.com/2011/04/02/lemon_icebox_pie_recipe/
suggestions on how to modify this to be a 8×8 or 9×13? I am thinknig about making this for a party, and serve it in squares?
I made this today for our annual street Canada day party and it was *amazing* – while it was a bit tough to cut/eat the crust, not a single person complained! :) I will definitely make this again – thank you!!!
this looks so similar to this cherry-amaretto tart i made from serious eats this week: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/06/sweets-cherry-amaretto-tart-recipe.html
it’s a (walker’s) shortbread crust instead of graham crackers, and the filling is a blend of mascarpone cheese & amaretto–heavenly. the topping is sweet cherries cooked down in more amaretto and it is totally magical. given that mascarpone is crazy soft, i let this one hang out in the freezer for about 4 hours to firm up and it is amazing. i much prefer mascarpone to cream cheese, but i’ll still try this one next week and see how the combo of cream cheese & condensed milk is.
Deb,
I just made this pie and it was a huge hit for the 4th. After hearing a few other people complaining I made the following tweaks:
1) I did not press the crust into the bottom with much force. And it came out pretty well without much sticking.
2) I folded some unsweetened whipped cream into the pie filling to get it to freeze a little harder, so… then before cutting it I took it out about 2-3 minutes before to thaw a bit. It cut like a champ! And I feel like the unsweetened cream helped cut some of the over the top sweetness (though the kids inhaled it).
3) After adding the strawberry topping I sprinkled a few fresh blueberries for the red, white and blue effect. It was VERY pretty!!
Other than that I used your recipe and it was delicious!! Thank you for a great recipe! I was shocked by how much it tasted like ice cream.
Oh I forgot to add, I made it the day before so it had almost 12 hours in the freezer. I think that helped a lot.
You’ve had a long journey Deb! I celebrate every recipe that you share. Be making one this near weekend. :)
Made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday. So easy to make and turned out delicious!
My water broke right after making this crust, and I finished the pie when we returned from the hospital. It was an amazing celebration treat! Everytime I make it I’ll remember that our kids are one day apart. Love you, my amazing friend I’ve never met or talked to!
Francesca — Wow! Congratulations. (I had unused blueberries when I went to the hospital. Uh, they were thrown away a week later, covered in mold, so I’m impressed!)
Could you put a strawberry layer inbetween 2 layers of cheesecake?
I love to peruse this site and see what interesting and new thing I can make. I saw this recipe for the strawberry ice cream/cheesecake and because I had everything needed for this recipe I decided to make it. While whipping the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together I tasted it and oh my goodness was it sweet. Too sweet. And we love sweets here. I thought how can I fix this and get rid of the overpowering sweetness? I added the juice of 2 lemons and that took care of it. Otherwise it turned out perfect, but here’s the thing, Deb. This recipe got me to thinking about when I was in a Home Economics class about a 100 years ago. We made this exact pie, but added the lemon juice as I did. Poured a can of cherry pie filling on top and it was called “Cherry O’ Cream Cheese Pie”. You can “Google” it and the recipe will actually come up. What it made me think about was the girl and I who made this pie. We made it for a class dinner, but she and I ate it all standing in the kitchen ourselves!
If I wanted to double this recipe, would it work to make this in a regular springform pan? And would I also double the crust recipe? I think I may go ahead and do it like that and just wing it, but hopefully it’ll work!
Leslie — I think a springform would be about right, and yes, double the crust as well to be safe.
Pat — I’m not sure how well it would work. This is more of a custard pie, not a stackable layer cake. And, the strawberries get icy when frozen (popsicle-ish) so I prefer to keep that sauce loose in the fridge.
I know you dislike giving the amount of servings because it can be so objective, but what would your guesstimate be on this one? :) I was planning on making this (with an oreo crust and hot fudge instead instead of strawberries) tonight, and I realized I’m not sure if it’s going to be big enough. There will be 10 people. Do you think that’s a stretch, or could it work? Thanks in advance!
Rebecca — For pies, almost always 8 actually! It’s the one place where, to me, it’s fairly consistent. However, I do think you could stretch it to 10. Not huge servings, but people should be too busy eating to complain.
This is just irresistible. It’s one of those things that I would make during the day when no one else is home and inhale. alone. with no one watching. Thank you, I think (?) ;-)
To come back to my question from comment 136: I ended up getting 11 perfectly tiny slices and it was just perfection. Everyone raved and could not believe how simple the filling was. This is definitely a make again! It was the perfect compromise between me wanting an ice cream cake and my husband wanting a cheesecake. :)
i made this over the weekend for a Labor Day party. it was a big hit, but i was disappointed with the pie not firming up well in the freezer (i froze it for 24 hours). The taste was excellent, but because it didn’t firm up, i didn’t love the gooey texture. However, i took leftovers to my father-in-law’s house and, after sitting over night in HIS freezer, it was a perfectly firm texture. all that by way of saying, I think a very low freezer temp is key to getting the cheesecake to set.
Made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday. So easy to make and turned out delicious!
I made this yesterday for a Memorial Day dessert. It was delicious. The cheesecake layer firmed up nicely in the freezer overnight. I beat the cream cheese for quite a while to make sure it was nice and fluffy before pouring in the condensed milk in a slow stream while the mixer was running. I used vanilla bean paste instead of extract for extra vanilla flavor. I whipped the cream and added that and the strawberry topping just before serving. Everyone loved it. I did have some difficulty cutting through the crust, but it was much easier after the first slice.
My only problem is the leftovers are not very good. After the whole pie is in the freezer, the whipped cream and strawberries are much too hard, and left to sit out for any length of time, the bottom layer turns to liquid before the others soften up. If I were to make this again where I knew it would not be eaten all at once, I’d top the slices individually with whipped cream and strawberry sauce so that only the crust and cheesecake would need to be frozen.
This has been our family’s go-to summer pie recipe for the past 40 years – I think the original was printed on the sweetened condensed milk can in the the 70’s. We never freeze it but it does take several hours to firm up, I usually make the night before. I think it’s key to add 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice if you aren’t going to freeze it to help the filling set. Once set, it will cut perfect semi-firm slice. Pre-made crust makes it easier to pull together on a busy summer day. We choose fruit that is in season but the original recipe called for a can of cherries with thick syrup. This doesn’t make a huge pie but because it’s sweet, it serves 6-8. After reading this take on the recipe, I’m going to freeze it next time, I know my family will love it!
I’ve made a version of this pie again yesterday, but with a few changes – main one being that I skipped the whipped cream and fruit topping, and instead mixed the fruit right into the filling (used a little bit of raspberry puree I had leftover in the freezer, as well as frozen raspberries cooked with sugar, lemon and a little cornstarch – like Deb does for the topping, basically, just inside rather than on top). That worked really well, and I definitely think I’ll do it in the future, as well.
Also, made my own crust this time, using Lotus biscuits instead of graham crackers – and a lot less butter than in the recipe. There was no way I’d use 100g butter for 155g biscuits; even the 68g I used (that’s how much was in the open packet in the fridge, so I figured what the heck) felt a bit excessive. Maybe different cookies have diferent butter absorption, or something? It turned out delicious, anyway, but I think next time I’ll cut it down to 50g.
Once again, freezing time is rather long (even though I used a flatter tart pan, which I hoped would help it set quicker). We ate it after about 7-8 hours freezing, and it was still a bit gooey in the centre. Probably would be better today.
Hey Deb, thanks for the delicious looking recipe. I just started making the crust and I will say that’s way too much butter for the amount of graham crackers by weight I’ve got pools of butter sitting on my graham crackers. Going to have to start over :( That’s ok though I know it will be delicious in the end.
I made this for the 4th and it was delicious! Some adjustments were made, because I was concerned about some of the comments. I used a pre-made graham cracker crust, folded 1/2 cup unsweetened whipped cream into the pie mixture, froze that 24 hours, added the sweetened whipped cream and the (doubled) strawberry topping when served. It made 8 generous pieces and everything was gobbled up. It came out of the pan and sliced perfectly. Texture was great. Thanks!
I made this over the weekend and didn’t have any of the problems that other commenters did. It froze perfectly, was easy to cut (after I ran a knife under hot water) and tasted delicious. It was a perfect summer treat…light, refreshing, delicious!
This was a giant, enormous, disappointing flop and I don’t know what I did wrong. The crust stuck to the glass pie plate, so nobody could serve themselves a piece. The filling was just like soft taffy except for the first two minutes out of the freezer and didn’t even taste like cheesecake. I’m so sad, especially because I brought it to work for a pie get-together. I double checked the recipe and don’t see any missing ingredients or missteps on my part. Best of luck to everyone else!
I sprayed the pie plate before making the crust. I also (accidentally) slid the pie out of the plate and sliced it with my long bread knife on the cutting board, then put the pieces back in the pie plate. So much easier. I agree that it thaws out quickly, and would be hesitant about taking it to a get together.
Exactly my experience. Exactly. I liked the flavor, but had the same issues you did. My first SK fail ever.
Normally, the majority of the recipes I make from this site are gold, but I had a little trouble with the crust of this one. When I made it, it came out super hard. I had to take a sharp knife and pretty much jab down at the crust in order to cut it. Where could I have gone wrong? I used honey graham crackers instead of plain, could this have made a difference?
Can I make it in a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom? Thanks!
I think it would fit, well, the frozen part but of course the whipped cream and more would go over the top edge. I haven’t tried it in that size, however, so this is mostly an estimate.
I made this in a tart pan with a removable bottom and it worked like a charm. Popped right out of the tart pan and it was super easy to cut neat slices. My family freaked out – was a hit all around!
I make so many recipes on here that I love, but this one wasn’t great. Like others, my crust stuck hard to the bottom of the dish and made it tough to get pieces out. I also wasn’t a fan of the filling – it’s just cream cheese and condensed milk, and it melts do quickly. There isn’t anything very ice cream about the texture. Mind you, everyone loved the taste and didn’t mind, but I wouldn’t want to make this again. In addition, my sauce didn’t get very saucy at all, mostly my strawberries are coated but there isn’t much liquid. Maybe my freezer isn’t as cold as others who have had success?
This was great! I got rave reviews. I froze the whipped cream only about 10 minutes before serving, and I thought that was perfect. It was still delicious later with the cream fully frozen, but I didn’t like it quite as much. I had no issues with soupiness – I thought it was the perfect texture and I look forward to trying riffs on this idea.
You can keep your ice cream tub in the freezer! Mine lives in my freezer. It’s a bit large, but I put things inside it, like bags of frozen fruit or veg so the space isn’t wasted. Then, whenever I want to whip up a frozen confection, it’s ready to go.
It also has found a use as a quick beverage chiller/cooler. Fill it with water and insert room-temp bottle of whatever (wine, beer, soda).
I baked the crust, but instead of hardening it melted! Any idea why?
Cheesecake has great flavor and texture. It never set firm, which is fine, so it was easy to cut right out of the freezer. Cake started getting goopy and runny within 20 minutes so I’d recommend serving immediately or cutting in ready to serve slices stored in the freezer. I added an extra tablespoon of sugar to the strawberry sauce and omitted the whipped cream. If I make this again I would try using small, 1 serving size mason jars or ramekins
my strawberry sauce looks nothing like the picture 😕
my first Smitten Kitchen ‘failure’. of course, it still tastes delicious!
What does it look like?
I love all of your recipes! You are my go to for everything.
I would like to make this in advance for a weekend away. Unfortunately it is 5 hours away and it sounds like this needs to stay chilled.
Do you think it is possible to make the crust and filling early? However keep them separated and once ready to freeze assemble and put in the freezer?
Or do you think the filling would become a weird consistency? Thank you!
I think you could make the crust and filling separately and keep them in the fridge. You’ll want a bunch of hours (it always takes longer than it seems it should) for it to freeze although you could also serve it semi-frozen.
Please do us all a favor and rework this recipe!! This looked great and I thought I was in the clear however 1 minute after cutting a slice it turned into a runny mess. How embarrassing. I thought I could beat the odds but this isn’t a five star recipe yet
Delicious! Now for a silly question: keep the leftovers in the freezer? Or fridge?
Freezer, for us.
This was delicious. Very rich. I think of it as more of a “company” desert than an everyday, family desert. The only thing I would change would be to make less crust. It was very hard to cut. In fact, I had difficulty cutting it, and the whole pie slid right out of the pie plate. Whoa! Then the light bulb appears. I picked up the frozen pie and set it on a cutting board. I took my long bread knife and easily sliced the pie, then put the slices back in the plate. A great hack when you are serving it in front of company. Next time will work in some amaretto:) Definitely recommend making it. Love this site — and your book!
I mixed the whipped cream into the cream cheese (to freeze firmer ensuring I could get them out), made the crust with coconut oil instead of butter, and froze in a silicone muffin tin for delicious single serve desserts! Does justice to even the best berries!
Deb, the buttermilk roast chicken was amazing. I marinated about 30 hours, well worth it for the flavor! My question is, can we get nutritional analysis of the recipes? My daughter hooked me up with your website, thanks for all you do for us❤
Thanks. I don’t include calorie counts because there are too many variables in my recipes (serving sizes, ingredient choices, etc.) but I use this recipe analysis tool when I want to check information. It’s far more useful than any list I could add at the end of a recipe because it allows you to cut and paste whole recipes, removing or adding any ingredients you’d like and adjusting serving sizes to what you’ll eat or make.
From your recipe, it seems you could also do a key lime frozen cheesecake pie (add lime juice to the cream cheese mix)
Well it mostly turned out. For some reason the filling didn’t set up like I thought it would. It was pretty runny but still went over well with everyone. It was really too sweet for me but I don’t know how that could be remedied. Sweetened condensed milk is what it is. It was for my son’s birthday and he loves it and will likely eat the last 3 slices for breakfast tomorrow. Ha! Not likely something I’ll make again but certainly easier than my go-to, to die for cheesecake recipe that takes hours to make.
I only have 4 hours. Will it freeze enough??
Made this and was so sad because it failed miserably.
The crust stuck to the pan and would not budge, cheesecake filling was still liquidy even after spending 24 hours in the freezer. It’s now been almost 48 hours and it is a little firmer but impossible to get out of the pan with the crust. Looks nothing like the picture, not sure what went wrong.
It a mess but a tasty one at least.
Should’ve listened to the other comments!
Wonderful!! We made them for Father’s Day dinner and it was spectacular. Made exactly as written. We liked the firm/ frozen whipped cream; it was really unique and was a good contrast to the base. Thanks!!
Apologies in advance for leaving a “I changed it entirely” comment, but since a few other SK commenters had a lot of trouble I wanted to troubleshoot a bit. I did a cookie crust in a normal pie pan, and then used half of the cheesecake recipe on SK’s Cheesecake Bars with All the Berries. I cooked it for about 30 minutes at 350, it came out creamy and very nice. I topped with a little lemon curd (just because) and piled on the strawberries. It got rave reviews!
My partner’s 2 favorite things are cheesecake and ice cream, so making this for his 45th birthday was a no-brainer! Even my cheesecake-adverse brother had multiple helpings. This recipe is super simple and delicious, I’ll definitely be making it again and again!
I added some unsweetened peanut butter to the filling and am waiting for the pie to freeze. I snuck a lick of the base batter and, while I know it’s bad form to *expect* a Nobel Peace Prize…
I made this pie today and didn’t read all the reviews first…wish I had. Like many others, absolutely love this site and have had great success with virtually everything I’ve tried here, but this was a bit of a disappointment. My filling was also super runny five minutes out of the freezer, crust super hard and very difficult to slice. I kept going back to the recipe thinking I’d missed something. It feels like maybe it needed another package of cream cheese…IDK, but it made me sad.
Is there ice cream in the recipe that I missed? The cheesecake filling was very thin and melted within 15 minutes when I took it out of the freezer. Super disappointed 😔
Sadly this failed for me 🙁 the crust stuck to the plate and the filling never set. I used the metric measurements for the recipe maybe that was the mistake (I’ve had this happen on other recipes where the cup measurements and metric ones don’t actually equate). The strawberry filling was very good though.
My kids chose this dessert to make for dinner 2 nights ago. We all loved it and can’t wait to make it again soon! It’s starting to get hot outside here and this will be my go-to recipe for the smoltering days of summer!
Hi there! I usually have great success with your recipes, however this was a huge fail. I made the cheesecake base and had it in the freezer overnight (well past the 6-8 hours). The next evening I added the whipped topping and chilled that in freezer for a good hour. When I took it out to serve with berries it immediately because cheesecake soup! Terribly disappointing for me and my guests…
I love this dessert, but the cream cheese mixture doesn’t firm up for me. What am I doing wrong?
Made this with cherries instead of strawberries (we live in cherry capital of Traverse City, Michigan). Delicious! Wondering if we could make a frozen yogurt base instead ..
Unfortunately, everything but the strawberry topping was a fail for me here. The crust was way too thick and hard–the only way I could cut slices was to slide the entire thing out of the pie pan and even then, you couldn’t break through it with a fork when eating it. The filling wasn’t as bad, but I think I just don’t like the taste/texture of this type of no-bake filling.