Strawberry-Raspberry Cheesecake Squares
Totally found the coolest thing ever at the grocery store the other day…
…Greek yogurt cream cheese! I hadn’t planned on making cheesecake, but as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it.
I’ve actually used full-on Greek yogurt in my cheesecake before (see here), but the thought of it already being combined into the cream cheese tickled my fancy—I don’t know why, haha.
This is a no-bake cheesecake. I know I may have just said I was not the biggest fan of no-bake cheesecakes, but this one may have converted me!
I formed this in a square baking dish to cut into squares, but you could also form it in a spring-form pan for a more traditional cheesecake shape. I just think the little bars are adorable, and easy to serve!
I think these squares are just gorgeous. The cheesecake portion is a light baby pink, and then there is a beautiful, orchid-colored, berry gelée on top. I threw some edible flowers on top, just to glam these little squares up even more.
Perfect for Spring, right?
The slightly tangy cheesecake mixture has fluffy whipped cream folded right into it, making it so light and sumptuous! If you couldn’t tell by the obscene amount of photos, I’m kiiiinda obsessed.
You could actually make this recipe using any berries or combination of berries. Blueberries would be lovely! If you use something like blackberries, you may want to pass the blended berry mixture through a sieve to catch and seeds!
PrintStrawberry-Raspberry Cheesecake Squares
Yield: 16 squares
Ingredients:
for the crust:
- 8 honey graham crackers
- small pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
for the starwberry-raspberry gelée:
- 3 gelatin leaves ***(see note)
- 1/2 lb. strawberries, washed and hulled
- 5 to 6 ounces raspberries, washed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
for the cheesecake:
- 1 lb cream cheese Greek yogurt, at room temperature (This is what I used. Feel free to sub regular cream cheese.)
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- small pitch salt
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
for the crust:
- Pulse the graham crackers and salt together in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Drizzle in the butter and pulse until the crumbs come together.
- Press into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Place in the fridge while you make the next parts.
for the starwberry-raspberry gelée:
- Fill a large baking dish with cool water. Place the gelatin leaves in and soak for 10 minutes until softened.
- In a saucepan, combine the fruit, sugar, and vanilla extract. Heat over medium high heat util the fruit starts to break down and the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan.
- Remove the gelatin leaves from the water and kind of wring them out with your hands. Place into the saucepan and stir over low heat for a few seconds until fully dissolved. Reserve 3/4 of a cup of the gelée mixture in the saucepan, and pour the rest into a bowl. Set aside while you make the cheesecake.
for the cheesecake:
- In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese sugar vanilla, and salt until very smooth. Add in the gelée (except the reserved portion) and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, gently fold into the cheesecake mixture.
- Pour into the crust and refrigerate for 45 min until firmed up a bit. Pour the reserved gelée over the top (you can warm it up over low heat if necessary), and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, and up to 24.
***Instead of gelatin leaves, you can also use a packet of powdered gelatin. Sprinkle it over 2 tbsp of cool water in a bowl, and proceed with the recipe.
recipe adapted from here
Oh, gosh. How PERFECT does this cheesecake look?! it looks so ultra-smooth and silky and I’m loving the fact that it’s no-bake! Plus, um how could you ignore something so dang gorgeous?! I love your photos, Rachael!
Rachael replied: — April 22nd, 2015 @ 10:27 am
Aw thank you so much, Sarah!
Wow, these cheesecake squares are *seriously* gorgeous!! The color of the berry gelee, the flowers…so THIS is what perfection looks like!
Rachael replied: — April 22nd, 2015 @ 10:28 am
Haha! Oh my gosh, you are so sweet! Thank you so so much!
Love the fresh flower decor idea, and of course square buts are unique as well, nicely done!!!
Rachael replied: — April 28th, 2015 @ 10:45 am
Thank you so much! 🙂
hi Rachel,
I think you have typo in your second paragraph ( 2 ). I think the word should be ” whip “, not
” while “.
Mira
Rachael replied: — May 3rd, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Thank you, Mira! I’ve fixed it 🙂
The colors in these photos are fantastic!
Rachael replied: — May 11th, 2015 @ 11:29 am
Thank you so much, Maren!