White Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake

This dessert is chillin’ out in my freezer just waiting for July 4th to arrive.  For once I’m a little ahead of the game!  Life has been busy lately, and it didn’t help having a big fat cake FAIL during Father’s day preparations.  The cake was Pop’s special request and the recipe is from a little old lady who makes and sells the cakes from her home.  She’s been making them for decades, and I suppose it was a little presumptuous of me to think I’d get her method right with my first try.  My second attempt was spot-on, but I was exhausted and having mental burnout by the end of the day.  Next time, I’ll be placing an order with the expert!

I have another busy week ahead with the husband’s birthday and family plans.  It’s times like these that I’m thankful for “No-Bake“.  This recipe is really easy to throw together, and in patriotic spirit I’ve added a red layer and topped it with fresh blueberries.

The idea for this cheesecake came from an ovenbaked Red Velvet cheesecake from the McCormick site (which I’m still hoping to make sometime). This version is a little more colorful, and there’s no fretting over cracking or questionable baking times.  It’s creamy and cold, and a perfect remedy for the miserable heat we are experiencing in the Southern US.  I’m already certain that July 4th will be a scorcher!

I made this twice. Once in little 1.75x 3 pastry rings (yields 10 servings) and then once as a standard 9″ cheesecake.  The small cakes were a bit fussy to make, and I had a lot of excess graham cracker crust left over (thumbs down).  I’ll be making the large version again, and maybe even experiment with some peanut butter chips.  Refrigerator cheesecakes are normally lighter than the baked variety, but don’t let this one fool you.  The white chocolate gives it a richness that may have you reaching for a tall glass of milk!

White Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake          [click for printable version]

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1- 1/4 oz. package unflavored powdered gelatin

2/3 cup water

16 oz. cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups white chocolate chips (the best you can find)

1- 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tbsp. liquid red food coloring

1 pint fresh blueberries

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar in a bowl.  Press evenly into the bottom of a 9″ spring-form pan.

In a large bowl, melt the white chocolate at 30 second intervals, stirring well between each heating.  When smooth, add the cream cheese and mix well with an electric mixer.  Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth.

In a small saucepan, combine the water and gelatin.  Let set for 1 minute, then gently heat on the stove-top until gelatin has dissolved.   Stir gelatin into cream cheese mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in heavy cream.

Pour 3 cups of batter into a liquid measure.  Stir in red food coloring and mix vigorously until white streaks disappear.  Pour over graham cracker crust and shake pan to level batter.  Put red layer in the freezer for 20 minutes. It should set to a matte-appearing surface, if it is still liquid after the freeze time, put it back in the freezer until it is no longer liquid. Leave white batter on your counter top and stir occasionally while the red layer freezes.  Pour white batter on top of red layer and refrigerate for 4 hours. 

To unmold, run a knife along the edge of the cheesecake and pop open spring-form pan.  Remove cheesecake from mold and top with fresh blueberries.

***Tip: The white batter needs to be layered on top of the red as soon as the 20-30 minute freeze time is up. The gelatin will solidify the white batter if left sitting for too long. 

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Jessica @ How Sweet
Jessica @ How Sweet
13 years ago

Those are just beautiful! I love the color addition.

Garner
Garner
13 years ago

do you think it would work to add a strawberry puree instead of food color to give it a pinkish red hue? would it be to liquid?

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

beautiful and just perfect

Heather (Heather's Dish)
Heather (Heather's Dish)
13 years ago

i am IN LOVE with this dessert…it's stunning and so festive! well done girl! 🙂

Linda Vandermeer McCubbin
Linda Vandermeer McCubbin
13 years ago

This dessert looks perfect and the photo's are amazing. Gorgeous.

cookies and cups
cookies and cups
13 years ago

Stinkin' gorgeous! You make everything look absolutely delicious…I am sure that they taste delicious too 😉

Mara Campbell
Mara Campbell
13 years ago

Oh wow, this look amazing! I love the mini ones and those fresh blueberries look delish!

the southern hostess
the southern hostess
13 years ago

These could not look more perfect! Yum!

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

This is gorgeous and… my mother in laws birthday is on July 4th and she loves Cheesecake!! I think i know what I might be making.

Now; question:

How long will these keep in the fridge

Cat
Cat
13 years ago

Wow, Heather!! These look sooooo good!! I nearly wanted to lick the computer screen!! I am THE biggest fan of cheesecake! Those blueberries look really good, too!! Mmmmmm!! Great pictures and great recipe – as always! Thanks for sharing!

cheesecake recipe
cheesecake recipe
13 years ago

That looks heavenly!Oh my, I will definitely try this. But since you're using blueberry would it be nice to have the food coloring to be a little lavender, or some hint of bluish tint to it? Just a thought. I made a blueberry cheesecake one time and I added blueberry jam in my batter, it actually turns lavender, lol! Or maybe use cherry or strawberry for garnishing, since red and white looks amazing actually, what do you think?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

Thanks everyone! To Garner! To get a deep red color you would probably need to do a strawberry puree gel, (see the strawberry layer in my ginger-ale terrine recipe- http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2010/05/strawberry-ginger-ale-terrine.html) which I would layer on TOP instead of the bottom because the cheesecake batter is a little heavier. You could probably incorporate a little puree directly into the cheesecake batter, but I'm afraid a large amount of puree would upset the gelatin/batter ratio and it may not set up properly. Hi Adam! I'd recommend storing the cheesecake in the freezer until the day before it is to be served. You… Read more »

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

To cheesecake recipe: (hello!) Your version sounds delicious! I'll have to remember your blueberry jam tip – I bet that was so pretty! And yes, cherries and strawberries would be lovely as a garnish! Great ideas!

Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking
13 years ago

This is flawless! Absolutely beautiful job. Great idea for a patriotic party this coming 4th!

Ambika Venkat
Ambika Venkat
13 years ago

Gorgeous!! Youve made it look so exotic..I come to your site whenever I'm visually starved and I'm always satisfied with what I find here!

desperate.viz
desperate.viz
13 years ago

absolutely stunning recipe and pictures!

Aaron John
Aaron John
13 years ago

This looks amazing!! I love how it's no bake because turning on the oven in the summer heats up the whole house!! This is simple and easy!

Would you mind checking out my blog? 😀
http://ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com/

Amanda
Amanda
13 years ago

Absolutely beautiful!

Mrs. Ronso
Mrs. Ronso
13 years ago

That is a beautiful dessert. I am not much of a baker, but this just might inspire me!

Do you have any tips for cooking in the mini rounds vs the instructions you gave for the whole cake?

Thanks!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

Hi Ellen, I do have some tips for the small cheesecakes. Each pastry ring was placed upon a square of plastic wrap. I used 3 tbsp. graham cracker crust mixture in each ring. The crust was pressed in tight with the bottom of a small drinking glass. I used 1/4 cup of each batter with freezing time (as mentioned in recipe)between the red and white layer. I froze the mini cheesecakes completely (about 2 hours). To unmold, I ran a dish towel under hot water and wrung it out well. I wrapped the towel around the pastry rings to warm… Read more »

Nicole@The Dirty Oven via twitter @ovenloving
Nicole@The Dirty Oven via twitter @ovenloving
13 years ago

Lovely and so easy!!! Thank you for sharing.

Gala
Gala
13 years ago

Simply gorgeous!

Finla
Finla
13 years ago

I don't think i have ever seen a more beautiful cheese cake than this one.

Lindsey @ Hot Polka Dot
Lindsey @ Hot Polka Dot
13 years ago

These are adorable and beautiful! I love individual desserts. I also love that you don't have to bake them! Yum!

Grace
Grace
13 years ago

This is going to be perfect for my mom's July 4th birthday! Thank you so much for sharing this — I know she'll (and the rest of my family) will adore this surprise. Question: This cake will be served on Saturday, but I only have time to make it on Thursday night. After I finish making the cake, shall I freeze it until Friday night then stick it in the fridge to thaw until Saturday night to serve? Thanks so much! P.S. Also, any advice/suggestions on to where to purchase a spring-form pan? Would one from Target be okay? Kind… Read more »

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

Hi Grace! You could certainly freeze and thaw as you've stated above. That said, your wait time is only two days so you could also get away with storing it in the fridge for that short amount of time. If you skip the freezing then I would store/keep the cheesecake in the spring-form pan, just be sure it is well wrapped with with cling film. I'd unmold it about an hour before party time – and don't forget to run your knife around the top edge of the cake before removing, it tends to stick there. As for the spring-form… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

Hi SprinkleBakes,

I was just curious… would the red gelatin seep into the graham cracker crust? or is it solid enough to stay on top?

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

Oh! Also, when would you recommend to put the blueberries on? Right after the 4 hours of refrigerating? Or after thawing it (let's say I want to keep it in the freezer for 24 hours)?

Thanks!

Teri [a foodie stays fit]
Teri [a foodie stays fit]
13 years ago

this is beautiful! I think I'm going to make it this weekend for my visiting family. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

To the person asking about the crust/berries:

The batter is thick enough to sit right on top of the graham cracker crust. Make sure you press the crust firmly into the bottom and everything will work out A-okay!

I would place the berries on the completely thawed cake right before serving. Just pile them right in the middle and let them fall into place naturally. I did very little arranging with the berries.

Thanks for your questions!

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

Great! Thanks SprinkleBakes! Will let you know how it goes this weekend… =)

Grace
Grace
13 years ago

Hi SprinkleBakes,

Is the red layer after the 20 minute freeze supposed to still be liquidy? I'm afraid to pour the white over and have it sink.

Thanks!

Stephanie
Stephanie
13 years ago

These look amazing! I just stumbled upon your blog and have a ton more recipes that I need to make.

frabala
frabala
13 years ago

Just like you paint it! Cons! Greetings from Thessaloniki!

Sue
Sue
13 years ago

Wow! Both the BIG and little versions look gorgeous and tasty!!! They are so perfectly round! Happy 4th of July to you!!!

Life in Rehab
Life in Rehab
13 years ago

Oh dear God, we have to make this!

Unknown
Unknown
13 years ago

I LOVE THE PICTURES THAT YOU HAVE POSTED ON THE SPRINKLEBAKES WEBSITE OF THE "ALICE" PARTY YOU HAD….I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU HELP ME HOST A PARTY SO THAT I CAN LEARN FROM YOU HOW TO MAKE SUCH BEAUTIFUL AND DELICIOUS TREATS. YOUR WORK IS AMAZING!

Waverly
Waverly
13 years ago

Beeeeuutiful! This looks so summery and yummy. Thank you!

Jodie Mac
Jodie Mac
13 years ago

Oh my goodness. I love your blog and always admire your creations and photography. I'm VERY intimidated to try making the creations myself, but I made this one today to enjoy at my "Girl's Game Night" tonight and it was an absolute hit! So easy to make and so delicious! The store I went to didn't have red food coloring, and I didn't have time to go to another one, so I bought the purple and it made this beautiful lavender color that matched the blueberries perfectly. I will definitely be making this again – wow so very decadent. Oh… Read more »

Sakorarox
Sakorarox
13 years ago

this looks SO GOOD

Danny
Danny
13 years ago

wow, i am amazed at the beauty of this dessert!

Danny
Danny
13 years ago

do you think it's possible to do a webbed design on the top using milk or dark chocolate? or mabye reserving some of the red food colored mixture and swirl it on top and using a tooth pick to create the web?

Andrea
Andrea
13 years ago

Are you supposed to whip the heavy whipping cream before adding it to the batter? And does the gelatin only take a minute to dissolve or did I do something wrong? I'm still learning. Thanks!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
13 years ago

Hi Andrea, The heavy cream is not whipped. The reason you "fold" the heavy cream in as opposed to beating it in with an electric mixer, is so you don't increase the volume of the heavy cream. When the gelatin is sprinkled over the water in the saucepan, it will start to swell and might even wrinkle – and look kind of funky in general. The gelatin will soak up the water in about one minute. You will then put it on the stove over medium-low heat to melt it. The gelatin should be completely liquid when you add it… Read more »

Jenni
Jenni
12 years ago

I made these in individual serving (pint) size mason jars so we could take them on our 4th of July picnic. This delicious cheesecake accent the fireworks perfectly. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

I just finished making this and im not sure i did it right.. I have never worked with gelatine before and i think that's where it went wrong. My batter looks kinda chunky and you can't pour it at all. I really do hope it turns out ok, or at least edible 🙁

Colette (Coco)
Colette (Coco)
11 years ago

So pretty. The red's very eye-catching.

rigel
rigel
9 years ago

This looks really good, do you think it would work using little ramekins instead of pastry rings? thank you!!

Shane
Shane
9 years ago

how long will a no bake cheesecake last if it is out of the fridge?