Harley Quinn Circus Cheesecake
Updated: Dec 20, 2020
Harley Quinn Circus Cheesecake
Harley & Bruce are back with a festive twist on my circus animal cookie no-bake cheesecake recipe! This cheesecake has Christmas cookies in the base and chopped cookies sandwiched between layers of delicious white chocolate/vanilla cheesecake!
It's a breeze to put together aside from the fondant work which takes some time. Other than that, though, this is a very simple and quick recipe to whip up and enjoy for the holidays!
Servings: 1 9-inch cheesecake
Prep Time: 4 Hours
Total Time: 15 Hours
Ingredients
Animal Cookie Crust
2 + ¼ cups frosted animal cookies, crushed
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
3 tablespoons gelatin powder
6 tablespoons water, cold
24 ounces (3x8 oz blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
1 + ½ cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups white chocolate, melted
1 + 1/2 cups frosted animals cookies, chopped
Cream Cheese Buttercream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Red food coloring
Green food coloring
Red fondant
Green fondant
Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
Fondant: If possible, start the fondant prep work a day in advance or before you do anything with the remainder of the cheesecake so that the letters have time to harden. Roll out red and green fondant to about 1/8 of an inch and use letter cut-outs to cut out HARLEY QUINN (~7 of each color). Place in the fridge to chill and harden.
Crust: Line a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
Crust: In a food processor (or using a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin), crush enough animal cookies to fill 2 + ¼ cups. Melt 6 tablespoons of salted butter in the microwave. Combine in a small bowl.
Crust: Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan using a spoon. Chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
Cheesecake: Add 3 tablespoons of gelatin powder and 6 tablespoons of cold water together in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined; wait for 5 minutes.
Cheesecake: In a large microwave safe bowl or using a double boiler, melt 2 cups of white chocolate chips. Allow time to slightly cool.
Cheesecake: In a large bowl, add 3 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese, 1 + ½ cups of heavy whipping cream, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until well combined. Heat the gelatin in the microwave for 30 seconds and then add the gelatin and white chocolate to the mixture. Beat until well-combined.
Cheesecake: Pour 1/2 of the cheesecake batter over the chilled crust. Layer with chopped animal cookies. Pour remaining 1/2 of the cheesecake batter.
Fondant: On the top of the cheesecake, press in the fondant letters to spell out 'HARLEY QUINN' until the surface of the cheesecake is covered. Sprinkle with some red, green, and white sprinkles.
Cheesecake: Place the cheesecake in the freezer to chill for at least 5 hours but preferably overnight.
Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, 8 ounces of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, and 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
Buttercream: Beat 4 cups of powdered sugar into the mixture.
Buttercream: Divide the buttercream into three bowls (about 1/2 in one bowl and then 1/4 in the remaining two bowls). Dye the buttercream in the smaller bowls red and green. Fill three piping bags with the buttercream.
Buttercream: Spread out a piece of plastic wrap onto the table. Pipe a thick line of white buttercream, a thin line of red buttercream, and then repeat. Fold the plastic wrap into a cylinder and then place inside a large piping bag. Repeat with the green buttercream.
Buttercream: Pipe dollops of buttercream on top of the cheesecake (half with the green buttercream and half with the red). Sprinkle Christmas sprinkles on top of the buttercream.
Enjoy!
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