Mom's Light and Fluffy Cheese Cake Recipe

This is a light and fluffy type of cheese cake. No baking, just refrigeration. This is definitely melt in your mouth goodness. My Grandma made this and it always got gobbled up within the day. Oh, it is so good!

You might look at the recipe and think there is a lot to do, but really, it doesn't take long at all and it is so worth it in the end.

Ingredients for Making the Cheesecake

  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 package (3 oz) lemon jello
  • 1 large can evaporated milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 T. lemon juice
  • 32 graham cracker squares
  • 1 stick margarine or butter
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

The night before you are going to make the cheese cake, put the can of evaporated milk in the fridge. This is to ensure it will whip.

Preparing the Crust

The day you are making the cake, prepare the graham cracker crust first.

  1. Take 32 graham cracker squares and smash into crumbs, this does not have to be finely smashed but you don't want large chunks either. You can also use a little more squares if you want, I do because I like the graham cracker crust.
  2. Melt 1 stick margarine or butter then add to the graham cracker crumbs along with 1 T. sugar and mix all together. If you use more graham crackers for the crust, use 1 T. plus 1 tsp. sugar.
  3. Set aside some of the graham cracker crumbs so you can sprinkle on top of the cake when you're finished.
  4. Pat the remainder of the crumbs into the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 glass baking dish. I pat the crumbs in the bottom and just a little up the side of the pan. 

This is optional, if you want you can bake the graham cracker crust for about 4 minutes in a 350 degree oven to make it firmer.

Preparing the Cheese Cake

The day you make the cheese cake do the following.

  1. The morning you are going to make the cheese cake, take out the cream cheese to softened.
  2. Make jello using 1 cup hot water then put in the refrigerator. Jello should be about 3/4 of the set, meaning it should easily jiggle. That being said, if you forget about the jello and it becomes firm, it won't ruin anything.

When the jello is done and the cream cheese has softened, do the following.

  1. When cream cheese has softened, put in mixing bowl and slowly beat in 1 cup of sugar. Use spatula to occasionally clean the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium and until smooth. You beat the sugar in slowly so it mixes well and so the final mixture isn't gritty from the sugar not being mixed well.
  2. Add lemon juice and mix all together. Keep fingers out of the bowl.
  3. Whip jello on medium, in the bowl you made it in. Whip until the jello looks like it mixed into little chunks of jello. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Set aside.
  4. Using a larger mixing bowl, whip evaporated milk until thick. Whip on medium to medium high.
  5. Fold the cream cheese and jello mixture into the whipped evaporated milk.
  6. Pour finished mix on top of the graham cracker crust and sprinkle with some of the left over graham cracker crumbs.
  7. Put in refrigerator to chill before serving. About two to three hours.

Variations

You can add a layer of canned cherries on top of the graham cracker crust before adding the cream cheese mix or you can add the cherries to the top of the cake after it has been allowed to chill.