Description
This No-Bake Cheesecake Flag Cake is a delightful, visually stunning dessert perfect for patriotic celebrations or any festive occasion. It features a rich, creamy cheesecake filling atop a chocolatey graham cracker crust, beautifully decorated with fresh strawberries and blueberries arranged to resemble the American flag. The preparation requires no baking, relying on chilling to set the layers, making it an easy yet impressive dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- â…“ cup white sugar
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream
Decoration
- 20 large fresh strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise, or as needed
- 24 large fresh blueberries, or as needed
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter until the mixture is crumbly and thoroughly combined.
- Set the crust: Transfer the crust mixture into a 9×11-inch baking dish and press it firmly and evenly onto the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes until set.
- Mix the cheese filling: In a bowl, blend together the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, stirring well to combine.
- Whip the cream: In a separate metal or glass bowl, whisk the whipping cream with â…“ cup sugar until soft fluffy peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture until the filling is soft and evenly combined.
- Assemble the cheesecake layer: Spread the filling over the chilled crust in the baking dish, smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on the countertop several times to settle the layers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to chill and set.
- Arrange the strawberries: Start at the bottom long edge of the cake and place strawberry halves in a horizontal line with the pointed ends facing right. Create additional strawberry stripes above, extending the full length of the cake, leaving a square space in the top left corner.
- Create the flag stripes: Continue making strawberry stripes about ¾ inch apart, laying down three more full-length lines and one shorter line beneath the top right stripe to leave space for the blueberries.
- Make the blue field of stars: Fill the reserved square space in the upper left corner evenly with blueberries, placing them closely together with the blossom ends pointing up.
- Serve: Cut the flag cake into squares and serve chilled.
Notes
- Be sure to chill the crust and cheesecake filling adequately to allow for proper setting.
- For best results, use cold heavy whipping cream straight from the refrigerator.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of fruit depending on the size of your baking dish or personal preference.
- This dessert can be prepared a day ahead and kept refrigerated until serving.
- Use a metal or glass bowl for whipping cream to ensure better whip volume.
