Byron Thomas says his mother would often serve this make-ahead no-bake cheesecake on Sundays between church services. (Photo illustration: Yahoo Canada; photos: McKenna Thomas, Byron Thomas)
If the TikTok-viral no-bake Japanese cheesecake made you a fan of Biscoff cookies piled into a carton of Greek yogurt, you’re not alone: Many Canadians who grew up during the ’80s and ’90s may be familiar with a similar combo that was often a staple of summer barbecues, warm-weather birthdays and Canada Day celebrations.
At any potluck, barbecue or picnic — at least on the East Coast — no-bake cheesecake would likely be in the mix of dishes. But, there’s possibly no place that loves no-bake cheesecake more than the childhood home of food blogger Byron Thomas, who recalled it as a fixture of Sunday dinner when he was growing up in rural Newfoundland.
“I honestly cannot remember the first time I had this cheesecake. It was a staple in our family home while I was growing up,” Thomas, who’s the recipe developer behind Lord Byron’s Kitchen, explained for Yahoo Canada’s Passed Down series. “My mom would make it almost every week for Sunday dinner dessert. It was just one of those things that I guess I took for granted. So, later in life, I wanted to bring that familiarity to my kitchen.”
Growing up, Thomas said his household would attend church twice on Sundays. Between one service in the morning and another in the evening, there was “little time in the day to prepare what most people would think of as a traditional Sunday dinner,” he noted.
It’s no wonder his mother — who “was a working mom for the most part and didn’t have time to make everything from scratch” — turned to this affordable no-bake cheesecake that made for the perfect make-ahead treat.
This “simple, fast” dessert combines layers of crushed graham crackers, a filling made of cream cheese and whipped cream as well as a topping made of jam or fruit. (Photo illustration: Yahoo Canada; photo: Courtesy of Thomas)
Served following chicken or beef alongside a number of potato salads that Newfies may call “cold plates,” Thomas shared that no-bake cheesecake was “simple, fast and certainly a dessert that the whole family enjoyed and looked forward to.”
Why this dessert makes the perfect Canada Day treat
Thomas’s mother might’ve had a seasonally-agnostic devotion to no-bake cheesecake throughout his youth. Still, he’s ready to make the case for why it’s the perfect sweet ending to your celebrations this summer, from Canada Day straight through.
“I think it would be absolutely perfect for Canada Day — especially if you are going to use red jams or berries on top. You’re going to get that red-and-white colour combination. I also think it would be great for a picnic or a barbecue because it does transport well,” he said, suggesting to prep the dessert in a 9″ x 13″ pan, pop it in the fridge and then bring it to your event location with the berries or jam topping in a separate lidded container.
Kitchen essentials for Byron Thomas’s no-bake cheesecake
The original no-bake cheesecake was a textbook example of its era, made from packaged ingredients at the apex of food industrialization. It also built on the national appetite for unbaked desserts like Nanaimo bars and date squares.
In turn, Thomas has given the defining treat of his childhood a makeover that any modern foodie would, arguably, love.
Tips and tricks for making no-bake cheesecake
Most notably, don’t leave this dessert out in the sun if you’re bringing it to an outdoor Canada Day celebration. Instead, use a cooler or find a nearby fridge to keep the treat chilled. And for the recipe’s jam topping, it’s ideal to wait to add this layer until it’s time to serve.
To create the cream cheese filling, Thomas whisks whipping cream until firm peaks form. Then, he’ll fold it into lump-free cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract for a more nuanced take on the original, which typically favours Cool Whip.
“I do like the lightness of homemade whipped cream rather than the heavy sweetness that I get from using Cool Whip,” Thomas added.
The fruit-based topping can be adjusted to your liking, according to Thomas: “I have prepared it with well-drained, canned, crushed pineapple. I have prepared it with diced apples that I have cooked with cinnamon and allowed to cool. I’ve prepared it with freshly sliced strawberries.” (Courtesy of Thomas)
The original version was topped with canned pie filling, something Thomas remembered scraping off his serving as a kid. It’s little wonder, then, that he swapped the tinned option for a high-quality jam.
“If you have a favourite homemade jam, or for that matter, even a favourite store-bought jam, go for it and use it. There’s no steadfast rule when it comes to this cheesecake,” he suggested, adding he’s tried making the topping with canned crushed pineapple, diced apples cooked in cinnamon and even freshly sliced strawberries.
“The recipe works so well with almost anything. In fact, I have a family friend who will peel kiwi fruits, mash them and spread those onto the cream cheese layer. It’s absolutely phenomenal.”
The importance of passing down family recipes
Thomas isn’t sure where his mom’s recipe for no-bake cheesecake came from. However, he mentioned a copy of a childhood photo from 1982 showing him and a sibling gobbling a slice in the kitchen.
“I would’ve been six years old at the time. So it’s safe to say, I’ve been eating mom’s no-bake cheesecake for quite some time,” he shared. “Family recipes are important because they are the only thing that I can think of that will invoke all of the senses when reflecting back on one’s childhood and upbringing.”
Thomas shared that it’s been almost 10 years since his mother died: “I tend to feel most close to her when I am preparing one of the recipes that she had handwritten 20 to 30 years ago that I still have in my possession. Preparing those recipes in my own home brings me back to when life was simpler and she was still with us.”
Like his mother, Thomas often spends a day in the kitchen on weekends, sometimes even crafting the same dishes he ate as a child in Newfoundland. Still, he’s willing to admit that even the treasured recipe of another becomes truly our own when we learn to riff on it.
“I would love to say that my recipes are heavily influenced by my mom, much like the no-bake cheesecake recipe. However, I was never allowed in the kitchen with my mom,” he said, explaining she was a great chef but cooked to feed a family of five rather than out of pure passion for the craft.
“I, on the other hand, absolutely love cooking and baking. … I show my love for others by sharing food that I’ve prepared with them. With that said, I think all of us could agree that the foods we grew up eating, the foods that our mom prepared for us, were always and are always the best. And I can’t think of a better reason why my recipes reflect my family and personal life.”
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