My No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Squares is a make-ahead friendly recipe made with fresh strawberries and a dark chocolate cookie crust ~ it’s an easy strawberry dessert that anyone can do, no oven required.
No bake strawberry cheesecake is the perfect dessert for the steamy days of summer
I’m of the firm opinion that dessert should never be too complicated, especially in spring and summer when we’ve got so many better things to do than slave over a hot oven. You can serve these cheesecake squares frozen or chilled, depending on which texture you prefer. If you like them frozen, let them sit out for about 10 or 15 minutes before serving to let them achieve a spoonable consistency. Either way they’re a cool, light, delightful way to end a meal.
The flavor is a mashup between fresh strawberries and fresh cream, which is, after all, one of the iconic combos of spring.
Whipped mascarpone cheese makes a fabulous topping
My whipped mascarpone topping is a uniquely delicious way to cap off these treats. You can even make your own homemade mascarpone cheese, if you’re super motivated!
The cheesecake filling is as simple as mixing pureed strawberries with cream cheese, sugar, and whipped cream. It lacks the eggs that traditional baked cheesecakes include, and the gelatin that no-bake recipes use, but I don’t think you’ll miss them one bit 🙂
The black bottom is an easy crumb crust made with those amazing Nabisco Famous Wafers. If you can’t find them, any plain chocolate cookie will do, and in a pinch you can use Oreos.
I’ve gotten the piping bug lately and I’ve hauled out my pastry bags and tips for all sorts of recipes, from savory dishes like my Cottage Pie to these strawberry bars. The whipped mascarpone topping I made for this recipe is nice and firm and pipes beautifully. Of course you can just dollop it on with a spoon if you prefer, your taste buds won’t know the difference 😉
I couldn’t help myself and had to add the pansies.
Have a love/hate relationship with your oven? I’ve got lots of no-bake goodies on the blog ~
- No Bake Strawberries and Cream Pots
- No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- No Bake Rhubarb Dream Bars
- No Bake Lemon Crunch Bars
This creamy, soft set dessert is kind of like biting into a (strawberry) cloud.
tvfgi recommends: large piping tips
I used the Wilton Large Drop Flower piping tip for my whipped mascarpone topping, it’s the 2D. Even if you’re not much of a baker I think it’s helpful to have a few piping tips in your arsenal for the odd occasion when you feel the urge to get fancy. I think the large tips are the most useful for frosting cupcakes, piping meringues, and toppings.
No Bake Black Bottom Strawberry Cheesecake Squares
Ingredients
black bottom crust
- 6 ounces Nabisco Famous Wafers (2/3 of the box)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
filling
- 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
whipped mascarpone
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 3 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly spray and line a 9x9 square baking pan with parchment paper with long ends. This is so you can lift the cheesecake out of the pan later for easier slicing.
- Process or crush the chocolate wafers until they are finely ground. Blend in the melted butter and mix well, until all the crumbs have been moistened. NO PROCESSOR? Put the cookies in a baggie and whack the heck out of them with a rolling pin.
- Pat the crust into the bottom of your prepared pan, pressing down firmly. Refrigerate.
- To make the filling, make sure that your cream cheese is at room temperature. If it's cold there will be lumps in your cheesecake, fair warning. I like to use my Vitamix, but you can also use a food processor for this recipe. Add the strawberries to the blender first, processing until they're pureed. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend until smooth and silky, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the machine as necessary. Fold in the whipped cream until completely incorporated and there are no white streaks.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the chilled crust, and smooth out evenly. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight. You can also put the dessert in the freezer to chill it faster.
- To make the whipped mascarpone put the ingredients in a food processor and process briefly until everything is smooth and creamy. You can also do this with a hand mixer. Spoon or pipe onto individual cheesecake squares before serving.
- Note: If you are storing this in the freezer you'll need to let it sit out at room temperature for a bit so it can be sliced easier.
Notes
- Use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries in place of strawberries.
- Use graham crackers instead of the chocolate wafers.
- The prep for this cheesecake is quick, but it must chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Where do you get the pansies that are OK to put on food?
Pansies are edible flowers and you can use any pansies that haven’t been treated with chemicals. Be sure to wash and dry them first. I’m in California and pansies have been in season all winter here, they’re spring flowers in other parts of the country.
You can also find them on Amazon and Etsy, for example. Just search edible pansies.
I made these and they were delicious! So pretty too. This was a rather expensive ingredient list for the serving size so I’ll probably reserve this recipe for special occasions.
Thanks Jill, I’m so glad you like them. I think they’d be perfect for the spring holidays!
I think this would be perfect for my Mother’s Day brunch. Something sweet, but light and so pretty!
They look stunning, Sue. I love that whipped mascarpone cream! So darn good!