NO-BAKE Strawberry Balsamic Cheesecake Semifreddo

Wat’cha gonna do with all those STRAWBERRIES?! Make this recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Cheesecake Semifreddo. Semifreddo (semi frozen)  is a prefect make ahead  Summer dessert.

The idea for this came from the #Let’s Lunch crew of bloggers  that challenged members to move out of our comfort zones and make a dish with some pre-packaged items. I chose to use Cool Whip, something I usually avoid, to make this dessert and  it turned out beautifully. The tongue in cheek name for this month’s #LetsLunch theme is “RECIPE GEMS“.

First I started by slicing fresh strawberries and macerating them with raw sugar and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar adds a deep richness to the dessert, the acid in the vinegar really highlights the fresh strawberries. Cream cheese gives the recipe body and richness while the Cool Whip lightens the dish.

After I made this I stored it in the freezer to firm up, you may need to let it soften a bit in the refrigerator on the counter before slicing. You could slice and serve the semifreddo on top of pound cake…mmm I think it would make a great filling for a pound cake sandwich.

For an easy to pick up dessert you could scoop it into mini  tart shells like in the picture below. To up the ante a little bit I scattered Pop Rocks on top instead of sprinkles. I figured if I was going to use a processed food I’ll go all the way!

I made this in a loaf pan but this would be perfect in a vanilla wafer pie crust as well. You could even put a crust into the bottom of a spring form pan, pour the semifreddo mixture in, freeze and serve more like a traditional cheesecake.

Check out posts from the rest of the #LetsLunch crew

Spicebox Travels – Spam Musubi 

Asian in America- Chocolate Cake with Mango Coconut Frosting

Monday Morning Cooking Club- Hedghog Slice

HapaMama – Chinese Cold Noodle Salad- 

NO-BAKE Strawberry Balsamic Cheesecake Semifreddo #LetsLunch

Demetra Overton SweetSavant.com

You will need a loaf pan that can hold at least 6 cups Plastic wrap food processor

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  

• 16 ounce container fresh Strawberries
• 2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar or white sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1 12 ounce can condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cup Cool Whip

Instructions

 

• Slice the strawberries
• Add raw sugar and balsamic vinegar to the strawberries and let sit for 5 minutes
• Process the strawberries in a food processor for 30 seconds
• Add cream cheese to the processor and process until smooth
• Add the condensed milk
• Pour this into a large bowl
• Add Cool Whip to the bowl and stir to combine. A whisk may be helpful
• Line the loaf pan with plastic wrap
• Pour the mixture into the the loaf pan and freeze until solid or overnight
• TO SERVE: Unmold the semifreddo and remove the plastic wrap. Let this soften a bit and slice or scoop