Unbaked Cherry Cheese Cake

Just last week Anneliese shared a post on Last Times! I think most of us could hardly read that post without a dry eye. Today I am sharing a recipe post, which I remember fondly when Helen, our mother in law said that she would no longer be able to make her cherry cheesecake. I remembered this as our 'last' time, enjoying her specialty cake, and am still savoring those last bites.
So I visited with her this past month and asked her permission to use her recipe, her pans, and tools. She was more than delighted that I would consider keeping this Christmas recipe alive in our family. So I followed her recipe, as she described with full details each step, and realized that I could continue serving Helen's most delightful cheesecake. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make this in advance, a few days before your event. With a bit of optimism, we have been able to revive her recipe for our next Christmas gathering.

• 1 1/3 cup graham wafer crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter (melted).
• 250 grams cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 cup finely chopped hazel nuts
• 1 cup whipping cream ( to be whipped)
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon vanilla instant pudding powder
• 540 ml (19oz.) cherry pie filling

1. Combine graham wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press onto the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
2. Chill for 30 minutes
3. Combine cheese and icing sugar. Mix until blended and fluffy. Spread over graham wafer crumbs.
4. Sprinkle with hazelnuts
5. Beat whipping cream, icing sugar, vanilla, and then mix in pudding powder.
6. Spread over nuts.
7. Cover pan with saran wrap and chill several hours.
8. Spread cherry pie filling evenly over all.
9. Cover again and chill several hours or overnight.

Now you know why some of Helen's tools hold a high price. This orange lifter is called a Kuchenretter, made in Germany, which is a must in every kitchen. It lifts the cake with ease as it slides onto your platter.