Description
This No-Bake Cheesecake Flag Cake is a festive and delicious dessert perfect for patriotic celebrations. It features a rich graham cracker and cocoa crust topped with a creamy lemon-infused mascarpone and cream cheese filling. The cake is decorated with fresh strawberries and blueberries arranged to resemble the American flag, creating a visually stunning and delightful treat that requires no baking.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
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
- ⅓ 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: Combine graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, cocoa powder, and melted butter in a bowl until mixture is thoroughly combined and crumbly.
- Set the crust: Transfer crust mixture to a 9×11-inch baking dish. Press crust into bottom of dish until smooth and even. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling: Mix cream cheese and mascarpone cheese in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract into the mixture.
- Whip the cream: Whisk ⅓ cup sugar into 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream in a separate metal or glass bowl until the cream is fluffy and forms soft peaks. Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently whisk until filling is soft, fluffy, and well combined.
- Assemble the cake: Spoon filling on top of the graham cracker crust, spreading and smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on a work surface several times to settle the crust and filling. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours.
- Arrange the strawberries: Starting at the bottom long edge of the cake, arrange strawberry halves in a horizontal line with the pointed bottoms of the strawberry halves pointing to the right. Start a second stripe of strawberry halves at the top right of the cake, arranging strawberries with the bottoms pointing right in a line stretching about 2/3 of the length of the cake.
- Continue strawberry stripes: Make three more horizontal stripes of strawberries, starting about ¾ inch up from the bottom stripe and stretching the full length of the cake. Add one more short stripe below the second stripe to leave a square space for the blueberries.
- Add the blueberries: Fill the square space at the upper left of the cake with lines of blueberries, blossom ends pointing up, placing berries closely to each other to mimic the blue field of stars on the flag.
- Serve: Cut cake into squares and serve chilled.
Notes
- Use room temperature cream cheese and mascarpone for a smooth filling without lumps.
- Press crust firmly to ensure it holds well after chilling.
- Chilling time is crucial for the cheesecake to set properly before decorating.
- Fresh strawberries and blueberries should be ripe and firm for an attractive presentation.
- Keep the cake refrigerated until serving to maintain texture and freshness.
