If you follow me on Instagram (and if you don’t you really should), you’ll know that I’ve been looking for funny vintage food ads on the internet and sharing them on my IG stories for a few months now. I created a highlight for them if you want to see the archive. I love them because obviously times were so different then, but it’s really great to see how ad agencies thought back then and how they marketed certain food products to the consumers—mostly stay at home wives—and how much different ads are nowadays. In my quest for these funny out-dated ads, I came across a 1961 ad for a company called Ann Page Foods, who among many things, produced a line of jams and preserves. The ad in question (which you can see below) featured a “Bakeless Wonder” recipe that was titled simply, Strawberry Cheese Treat. I thought it would be a fun challenge to try out the recipe and share it on the blog. In the end, it was pretty a fun exercise and I got a great treat at the end, so it’s a win-win.
Let’s start by dissolving the gelatin. This will not only impart some flavor into the dessert, but it will also help in making it stable enough to cut…since this is a no-bake situation after all. In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin with 1 cup hot water until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
**Note: You want to make sure the mixture has cooled down significantly so as to not melt or soften the cheese too much later on when you go to add it!**
Pour the cottage cheese into a sieve, set over a large bowl, and push through with a rubber spatula to remove the any lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
**Note: Sieving the cottage cheese won’t completely make it smooth, but it will help in eliminating most of those chunky lumps. Allowing the mixture to incorporate much more smoothly into the cream cheese and gelatin.**
**Tip: I deviated slightly from the original recipe in a few spots. One of which was adding a splash of vanilla extract here. I just think it really brings it all together. Either way, it is optional.**
Stir in the cooled gelatin to the cheese mixture, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until firmed, about 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
It’s important to note that the mixture will appear to be rather thin at this point (before the chilling) so it’s very important for it to really chill and firm up because you want to be able to cut the cake and serve without it falling apart later on!
Once ready to assemble, line a 9-inch spring-form pan with 18 or so split lady fingers, along the bottom and sides of the pan. (If your lady fingers are smaller, you might need a few more).
**Note: There are two different kinds of lady fingers you’ll find at the store. The firm kind that are more commonly used for soaking up espresso in Tiramisu and then the soft, cake-like lady fingers. You want to use the soft ones for this recipe!**
**Tip: There was another deviation from the original recipe here, and that’s that I ended up using more lady fingers than listed in the recipe. You want to completely cover the sides of the pan and the bottom, so use up however many it takes.**
In a large bowl, beat together the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add 2/3 of the whipped cream to the thickened cheese mixture and fold until evenly incorporated.
**Note: Reserve the remaining whipped cream for topping later. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to top the cake at the very end.**
To assemble, pour half of the cheese mixture into the pan and spread out into an even layer. Cover the top with 6 to 8 more split lady fingers. Spoon ½ cup of the preserves on top and pour the remaining cheese mixture on top into an even layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the side of pan and top the cake with the remaining 1 cup preserves, along the edges of the cake.
**Note: The original recipe states to just pour the 1 cup of preserves on top of the cake, but I tried to follow the image as much as possible and it was only spooned along the edges, so that’s what I did.**
This is the last point where I deviated from the original recipe. I wanted to finish it off with a bit of a flare. So I recommend topping with that remaining whipped cream that we saved earlier and some halved small fresh strawberries. You definitely don’t have to do this step, but it’s a nice touch if you’d like.
Admittedly, I rushed the process a bit because I was anxious to finish shooting it, and so it didn’t cut as cleanly as I would’ve like. But if I had left it in the fridge chilling for the right amount of time, I know that the cake would’ve cut perfectly.
In the end, it was a fun project to do! If you’re a fan of no-bake and not overly sweet desserts, then this one is for you! It’s a great summer-time treat when you don’t want to turn on the oven. But at the same time, it would also be great during the winter months when berries aren’t in season, as really you just need the preserves in the center and top of the cake, and that’s found all year round! Step back in time with me and give it a try! Be sure to let me know what you think!
Vintage Strawberry Cheese Treat
Ingredients
- 1 3-ounce package lemon-flavored gelatin
- 1 lb. cottage cheese
- 1 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened
- 2 3-ounce packages soft lady fingers, divided
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups strawberry preserves divided
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and sliced in half (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin with 1 cup hot water until dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Pour the cottage cheese into a sieve, set over a large bowl, and push through with a rubber spatula to remove the any lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Stir in the cooled gelatin, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until thickened, about 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
- In a large bowl, beat together the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add 2/3 of the whipped cream to the thickened cheese mixture and fold until evenly incorporated. Reserve the remaining whipped cream for topping later.
- Line a 9-inch spring-form pan with 18 or so split lady fingers, along the bottom and sides of the pan. (If your lady fingers are smaller, you might need a few more). Pour half of the cheese mixture into the pan and spread out into an even layer. Cover the top with 6 to 8 more split lady fingers. Spoon ½ cup of the preserves on top and pour the remaining cheese mixture on top into an even layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the side of pan and top the cake with the remaining 1 cup preserves, along the edges of the cake, and with the remaining whipped cream in the center. Top with fresh strawberries, if desired. Cut and serve immediately. Enjoy!
This is absolutely beautiful! I love strawberry and cheese in desserts – such a great dessert ♥