Does it seem weird? Does it kind-of sound not appealing? Maybe. But we do it anyway and actually it’s quite delicious. Especially because I would eat jello everyday if I made it everyday. This cake is so very Polish to me and maybe even Polish-American. I saw it in Poland. But jello is so American to me, as well as no bake cheesecake. So it’s one of those things that somehow became a thing when mainstream American commercialism made its way to post Soviet countries. At least that is my story. I can say I never grew up having this at any of my American friends houses and we have had it many times and I see it at almost every Polish bakery. So there you go.
Here is a picture of me on my second birthday eating a very similar style cake my mama made 🙂
Here is how I made mine, I thought it was very good. Also yes to no baking in the oven!!
Cheesecake and Jello Cake
2 cups crushed up ginger cookies (the dry hard kind)
5-6 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese
8 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of half a lemon
2 packets plain gelatin – 1/4 oz each
2 cups white grape juice
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups berries (about), cut into bite size pieces if big like the strawberries especially
– Mix the melted butter with the cookies and press them into an 8 inch spring form pan (or something close to that size) to create a crust. Place it in the fridge for half and hour.
– Mix the ricotta and cream cheese together in a food processor until well blended. Add the zest, extract and honey and mix well.
– Once the crust is hardened enough pour the cheese mixture onto the top and let the whole thing sit in the fridge for an hour.
– In a small saucepan heat 1/4 cup of the white grape juice until warm enough to mix in the sugar to dissolve it. Keep it on low.
– In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over another 1/4 cup of the white grape juice. Let it sit 2 minutes.
– Turn the heat off the saucepan and pour in the other gelatin mixture and mix well with a whisk. Then add the rest of the grape juice.
– If the jello mixture is cool pour it over the cooled cheesecake and start to add your pieces of fruit in whatever way is pleasing to you. Make sure not to touch the cheesecake part with your fingers and don’t press the fruit down too much.
– Let it cool about 1.5 hours until set. Before serving run a knife around the edge before removing the spring form. Keep it in the fridge if not eating 🙂
Enjoy!
Babushka Training 