Chinese kitchens are not exactly equipped for Western cooking. From the typically miniscule refrigerators to a general lack of storage space, finding the supplies and the room to cook can be a challenge. But perhaps the biggest obstacle arises for those who like to bake. The lack of an oven in a vast majority of kitchens in China may seem to put a crimp in the style of aspiring pastry chefs across the country. But fear not, because there are a variety of no-bake desserts out there that can be done either on the stove top or simply set in the fridge. Take a look at five of the best no-bake desserts out there. Your friends won’t believe it when you whip out these sugary delights and say you made them from scratch!

1) Strawberry Icebox Cake (serves 8)

2 pounds fresh strawberries, washed
3 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 sleeves (about 19 ounces, or 24 to 28 whole crackers) graham crackers
2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
- Take out a few strawberries and set them aside for the garnish. Slice the remainder of the strawberries into thin slices.
- With a hand mixer, whip 3 cups of cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar, and vanilla, and whip to combine.
- Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan, or a similarly-sized platter. Lay down six graham crackers. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat three times, until you have four layers of graham crackers. Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and swirl it lightly with a spoon. Add a few more strawberries.
- To make the ganache, heat the cream until bubbles form around the edges, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a few minutes, then whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy. Drizzle this over the layered dessert with a spoon, or transfer to a squeeze bottle and use that to drizzle.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Garnish with additional berries.

Difficulty finding ingredients: 5/10
You’re basically going to have to find some sort of imported grocery store to get this one done – the confectioners sugar (also known as powdered sugar to us laymen), vanilla and graham crackers pose a particular conundrum. For those living in big cities, finding such a store (or twenty) certainly won’t be a problem, but those who live a little further out may want to bring some of these ingredients back after your next trip home. The strawberries, cream and even the chocolate shouldn’t be a problem.

Difficulty making: 6/10
This difficulty ranking would have been slashed in half if it weren’t for those stiff peaks! Alas, I haven’t mastered the art of making such peaks sufficiently stiff, so my whipped cream tends to be a bit softer than the recipe calls for. At least it still tastes good…

2) Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (makes 24 cookies)

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- Place a piece of wax paper or foil on cookie sheet. Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to rolling boil.
- Remove from heat; cool 1 minute. Add peanut butter; stir to blend. Add oats, peanuts and vanilla; stir to mix well. Quickly drop mixture by heaping teaspoons onto wax paper or foil. Cool completely. Store in a cool, dry place.

Photo: allrecipes.com

Difficulty finding ingredients: 3/10
The vanilla and cocoa powder will basically be your only obstacles here, with peanuts, oats, butter, milk and white sugar all being incredibly easy to find. If for some reason your local Chinese store doesn’t carry peanut butter (which has apparently caught on in recent years), you can always try going hard core and make your own!

Difficulty making: 1/10
If you can stir, you can make these cookies. Part of what I love about these (besides their overall deliciousness) is the fact that all it requires is stirring over no heat, stirring over heat, then stirring over no heat again. Definitely not rocket science.

3) Cheesecake (makes one 9 inch cake)

2 packages (20 sheets) graham crackers
11 tablespoons (1 3/8 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 14-ounce can (1 1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Put graham crackers in a large resealable plastic bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until very fine crumbs form. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl; stir in sugar. Add butter and stir until well combined.
- Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, spreading it 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the side; press flat. Chill crust in freezer at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.
- Pour the filling into the crust; smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, two and a half to three hours. Unclasp sides of pan and remove cheesecake.

Difficulty finding ingredients: 5/10
Again, the graham crackers will most likely have to come from an imported grocery store, as will the vanilla. I have noticed more Chinese grocery stores selling cream cheese nowadays, and sweetened condensed milk is sometimes used as a dipping sauce for some desserts in China, so those items no longer prove so difficult to find.

Difficulty making: 3/10
My biggest issue with this recipe was finding a springform pan. Carrefour usually carries them, but you may be better off just bringing one from your home country (it will certainly be cheaper!). Other than that, it’s a pretty straightforward recipe. Oh, and it is possible to substitute that electric mixer it calls for with a hand mixer, although it’s a bit more time consuming.

4) Mango Panna Cotta (serves 6 to 8)

One 0.25-ounce package of powdered gelatine, about 3 teaspoons
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch salt
2 to 3 very ripe mangos
- Sprinkle the powdered gelatine over the 1/4 cup of cold water in a medium bowl and set it aside to soften for about 5 minutes. In a small saucepan heat the cream and sugar to a light simmer then turn off the heat. Whisk to help the sugar dissolve completely in the liquid, then whisk in the gelatine mix, making sure to whisk out any lumps. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Peel and cut up the mango into small chunks. Evenly divide about 2/3 of the mango chunks among 6 bowls. Pour the panna cotta mixture over the mango. Put in the fridge to chill. When the panna cotta is getting firm (after about an hour), evenly distribute the rest of the mango on top of the panna cotta and dust lightly with nutmeg. Chill until completely firm and serve.

Difficulty finding ingredients: 2/10
You can find pretty much all these ingredients in a Chinese grocery store, except maybe the vanilla and nutmeg. I recommend waiting to make this dish until the fruit is in season – you can’t beat a ripe Chinese mango!

Difficulty making: 3/10
As a rule, I don’t like working with gelatine (it’s too finicky for my not-so-delicate cooking skills) but this one’s a no-brainer. While it can get a bit time-consuming because of all the whisking and chopping, this panna cotta is surprisingly uncomplicated to make.

5) Chocolate Cake (serves 12)

butter, to grease pan
8 ounces / 225 g 70% chocolate, well chopped
8 ounces / 225 g heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
2 teaspoons finely ground espresso (optional)
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
cocoa powder, to serve
- Lightly butter a 6-inch / 15cm springform pan or equivalent. Line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Barely melt the chocolate in a double boiler over gentle heat.
- In a separate medium pan heat the cream over gentle heat. Stir in the allspice and the espresso, if using. When the cream is very warm / hot to the touch, remove from heat and stir in the salt.
- Pour the chocolate into the cream, and very slowly and steadily stir until everything comes together smoothly. Make sure the components aren't separate. Pour into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled throughout, a few hours, or overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove from the pan, let set at room temperature for ten minutes or so, dust with a bit of cocoa powder, and slice.

Difficulty finding ingredients: 6/10 (if using optional ingredients); 2/10 if not
Good luck finding espresso and allspice in a second or third tier Chinese city. But if you find yourself in that position, simply skip those optional ingredients and the whole thing becomes much easier to make. While those two items do add a little extra something to the flavour, the overall product is almost just as delicious – it is chocolate cake, after all!

Difficulty making: 4/10
Again, the springform pan proved to be my biggest adversary. The next hardest part was making sure the chocolate, cream, salt, allspice and espresso were completely melted (you don’t want to be able to see any of the individual ingredients) in the pan. As long as you pay attention to that, this is a deceptively easy, delicious chocolate smorgasbord.

So next time you’re feeling a little discouraged at the lack of kitchen equipment you have at your disposal, try to get creative and think outside the box. Gone are the days of needing an oven to make cakes and cookies. Now your baking aspirations are absolutely limitless!

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