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This firecracker No-Bake Eton Mess Berry Cheesecake is an easy, no-bake, so delicious, dessert, perfect for the 4th of July. The filling is made with 5 base ingredients…cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and fresh berries. The crust is a mix of sweet graham crackers, salted butter, and a touch of white chocolate. When the crust is combined with this creamy cheesecake filling it makes a luscious, no-bake cheesecake that’s sweet, creamy, and filled with berries. The cake is finished off with a drizzle of raspberry sauce, dolloped with whipped cream, and topped with crushed meringues and fresh blueberries for a red, white, and blue Eton mess inspired cheesecake!
And just like that, the 4th of July is only days away. How, I don’t know, but the time is here to celebrate America. And I am ready! Ready for some time off, ready for time in the sun, and ready for a berry-filled cheesecake with a British twist.
Leave it to me to put a British spin on a 4th of July dessert. But hey, it’s festive, easy, and so delicious, and that’s really what matters most. And when I say delicious, I really mean it. Each bite is filled with a little sweet crunch, creamy filling, juicy berries, and sweet meringues. It’s roll your eyes back good, and one of those desserts that everyone loves.
First, let me break this cheesecake down so that we’re all clear on exactly what this dessert consists of. It’s part classic cheesecake, parch classic Eton Mess…
1st Layer: classic graham crust, but made better with the addition of some white chocolate.
2nd Layer: cream cheese, honey, heavy cream, a splash of vanilla and all the red and blue berries.
3rd Layer: sweet raspberry sauce
4th Layer: whipped cream + crushed meringue cookies (the Eton mess layer)
Last layer: MORE BERRIES!
No oven. Nothing too fancy. Simple prep time. Easy.
For the crust, I knew I wanted to keep it simple, but I also knew I wanted to create a no-bake dessert. In an effort to do both simple AND no-bake, I stirred a little melted white-chocolate into the crust. Once the chocolate hardens it really helps to create a firm crust that’s easy to cut into and holds up well. I thought this was important for a 4th of July dessert. Messy is great, but we want a crust that can hold up well when serving guests. This is that crust.
While the crust stiffens up in the freezer, get to work on the filling. It’s honestly the simplest thing in the world, but also so delicious. Just whip together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream and you’re done. You have a no-bake cheesecake filling that’s so creamy and luscious…I’m not really sure why you’d ever use eggs?
The last step is to spoon the cream cheese filling into the crust and swirl with lightly mashed raspberries and blueberries. Then just like that, you have a red, white, and blue cheesecake.
You see, so easy!
Now, you can simply stop here and call it a day. OR, you can do as I do and take this cheesecake one step further by adding a topping.
I like to make a simple raspberry sauce to spoon overtop the cheesecake. Then I dollop on freshly whipped cream, very lightly crushed store-bought meringues, and finish with fresh berries. Trust me, these finishing touches are a game-changer and make for a really fun no-bake cheesecake.
You can even make this no-bake cheesecake a day or so ahead, making it perfect for entertaining.
What’s also great? This cheesecake is completely NO BAKE. Which, to be honest, I could kind of care less about, since the temperatures have yet to go above 70 degrees here in the mountains. But I figured the rest of you might appreciate a no-bake dessert that does not require turning the oven on and heating up your kitchen during these hot summer months.
And with that, I’m leaving you for the day, as my brain is well into weekend-mode.
Have a great FRIDAY and please…have yourself an Eton Mess!
PS. If you’ve never heard of an Eton mess, it’s an English dessert. Traditionally it consists of strawberries, whipped cream, and lightly crushed meringues. It’s simple, sweet, and perfect. In the past, I created my take on the classic Eton mess with this Eton Mess Layer Cake. It’s nothing quite like this cheesecake, but still another delicious option.
If you make this no-bake Eton Mess berry cheesecake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
No-Bake Eton Mess Berry Cheesecake.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1182 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 full-size graham cracker sheets finely, crushed (about 1 1/4 cups when crushed into crumbs)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
Filling
- 2 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3-1/2 cup powdered sugar, to your taste
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup crème fraîche
- 6-8 meringues, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- 1. To make the crust. In a small bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and melted chocolate until moistened. Press the crumbs into an 8 or 9 inch tart pan, or spring-form pan with a removable bottom, to form a flat even crust. Transfer to the freezer to harden. 2. To make the filling. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla together until smooth. Add 1 cup cream and whip until soft peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Spoon the cream cheese filling into the crust. 3. In a small bowl, mash 1/2 cup of the raspberries with a fork until saucy. Gently swirl the mashed raspberries into the cream cheese, then sprinkle with a few blueberries (about 2 tablespoons). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.4. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup raspberries with the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon honey. Cook, stirring, until raspberries break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Stir into berry mixture and bring to a boil, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat stain into a heatproof bowl, discarding the seeds. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup whole raspberries. Let cool completely and spoon berry mixture over chilled cheesecake. 5. Make the whipped cream. Using an electric mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crème fraîche and 2 tablespoons honey and beat until incorporated, 30 seconds. Chill until ready to use. 6. Remove the cake from the tart pan. Just before serving, dollop the cake with whipped cream and then crush the meringues over the cream. Decorate with fresh berries. Enjoy!
Notes
*The cheesecake can be made a day or two ahead of time and assembled through step 5. Keep chilled in the fridge and then finish as directed just before serving.
My sister asked me to bring dessert for her family birthday celebration. Everyone loved this, including my brother in law who usually eats only one bite of any dessert. This. Was. Delicious!
Hey Melissa,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
I made this for Easter dessert and my entire family raved about it! It’s surprisingly simple, impressive to look at, and out of this world delicious! Thanks, Tieghan!
Hi Nikki,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This might be a silly question, but is it 8oz total cream cheese, or 2x 8 oz packages? thank you!
Hey Kate,
Sorry for any confusion, you will want to use 2-8 ounce packages of cream cheese for this recipe. I hope it turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! Does this cake really need the full 8 hours to chill, or do you think 4 will suffice?
Hey Monica,
I would allow for the full 8 hours. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
The crust was awesome, but the no bake wasn’t my favorite to much on the soft side for me and a little to sweet.
Hey Jamie,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Could you use strawberries instead of raspberries?
Hey Nandini,
Yes strawberries would work too! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love this! I am thinking about making it to take to a family reunion, if I assemble it at home just before leaving, do you think it will survive for a few hours?
Thanks!! xx
Hey Alicia,
Yes I think that will be totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We enjoyed this. I especially loved the white chocolate in the crust! I made this 24 hours in advance and it was set but barely set (if that makes sense). I had read other comments about it not fully setting and was thinking it might be a recipe error when I noticed I purchased and used whipping cream rather than heavy whipping cream… the extra milk fat makes a difference! I might make this again as it was super tasty but it was time consuming and very rich so it’s definitely not a “go to”. It was a fun 4th of July dessert this year.
I am glad this turned out well for you, Tara! I hope you love it more with heavy whipping cream if you get a chance to try that! xTieghan
I made this cheesecake for my brother’s birthday, and the whole family loved it! I couldn’t find the meringue cookies, so I left those out. My husband said it was one of the best cheesecakes he has ever had! Oh, and this was my first time ever making a cheesecake. Thank you, Tieghan!
That is so amazing to hear!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Kara!! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I’m not from the US – just want to confirm the amount of cream cheese, you say two packages (8 0z), is that 8 oz in total, or 16oz?
Thanks
HI! It’s 16 ounces total of cream cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
Wonderful recipe, will make for Christmas Day as it will be summer in New Zealand.Just Catherine checking… is it 2x 8oz cream cheese or 8oz total cream cheese?
Thanks
Catherine
How would you recommend adapting the recipe for cherry season?
Hi there! You can use cherries in place of the blueberries. I would recommend halving the cherries before stirring into the creamy cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this recipe this weekend for my family and they all LOVED it!!! I was surprised by how simple it was for such a showstopper! I also loved that it was no-bake… it’s been so hot out lately! The perfect level of sweetness, and the fruit makes it a refreshing treat! Definitely will be making it again!
Thank you so much Mae! I am so glad you absolutely loved this recipe! xTieghan
Hello. I love all your recipes but this one did not work out for me. The cheesecake did not set up. It was a total flop. Although it was hot out when I made it, I refrigerated the bowl and beater beforehand. I had no issue with making the whipped cream topping – which was interesting. I made it in a spring-form pan because I did not think I could get it out of my tart pan. It was a good thing I did because I could not get the crust off of the springform pan base (maybe spray it with nonstick spray next time?). We ended up calling it “The Glacial Explosion” and we deconstructed it into small individual serving bowls. It was delicious.
PS: Where did you get the pan you baked this in? I love it. How did you get it out of the pan?
Hey Pamela! I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? Any ingredients different? What brand cream are you using? Was the cream thick when you added it to the crust? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details. I will say that it might just be that you need to freeze the cake. The warm temps might be melting the cream too quickly once you remove it from the fridge.
Hope I can help you!
Oh and the pan is from Williams-Sonoma. The bottom just pops right out! Linked below. xTieghan
https://rstyle.me/+xWSW9cAeQN6rBlPdtQCSPw
This was so delicious and so easy. I made a gluten free version with crushed GF honey graham cookies, and substituted marscapone for creme fraiche since not at my supermarket.
Amazing! So glad it turned out so well for you Theresa! xTieghan