Celebrate the arrival of summer and fresh, sweet strawberries with this rich and creamy Eton mess cheesecake with fresh strawberries. A dramatic topping of strawberry swirled whipped cream, juicy strawberries, rose water meringues, and strawberry coulis blankets a smoothly textured, easy homemade vanilla cheesecake.
The first fresh local strawberries of the season are beginning to make their appearance at markets and in gardens. This is a summery recipe that highlights these beautifully vibrant, flavor packed berries at their peak. With long warm evenings upon us, I wanted to create a summery dessert worthy of being the centerpiece at a festive outdoor party.
A classic strawberry cheesecake seemed like a reliable option, but so did traditional English dessert Eton Mess, a layered concoction of whipped cream, crushed meringue cookies, and fresh strawberries. My indecision led me to combine the two in a strikingly elegant and decadent dessert.
I first made a rich, creamy cheesecake, and then topped it with a layer of meringue studded whipped cream, swirls of fresh strawberry coulis, ruby toned strawberries bursting with fruity summer flavor, and decorative shards of rose water flavored meringues. Not only is it visually appealing, but OH MY, the taste. This is a dessert to celebrate.
INGREDIENTS
* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
Cream cheese is the key element that provides the taste, tang and creaminess that we know and love in cheesecake. I opted for decadence and used full-fat cream cheese in this cheesecake recipe. If you prefer, you can make a lighter cheesecake by substituting American Neufchatel cheese.
Sour cream is added to cheesecake to soften the cream cheese and provide moisture content. You can substitute full fat Greek yogurt in its place if you'd like. Sour cream also acts as a stabilizer when added to the whipped cream, helping it stay light and airy for longer.
Fresh, local strawberries are really the highlight of this recipe, providing amazing flavor and pretty visual interest.
If you're in a pinch, you can substitute frozen berries when making the coulis (fully defrost the berries first). Stick with fresh berries for the decoration to avoid introducing extra moisture into the topping.
Cream of Tartar is an acid that stabilizes and helps add volume to the egg white in meringues. It also helps to cut the sweetness a bit. Substitute an equal amount of white vinegar if needed.
Rose water - Rose water adds a delicate floral note to the meringues.
It's very concentrated and can be overly perfume-like when used in large quantities. Measure carefully to keep the scent and flavor subtle. Rose is an excellent flavor pairing with strawberry.
I purchase rose water from a local Middle Eastern store that carries products from all over Europe and Asia. If you have a similar specialty store, start there. You can also purchase online.
Whipped cream meringue mixture with strawberry coulis folded in.
Additional strawberry coulis swirled over top of whipped cream meringue mixture.
Frequently asked questions
Eton mess is a traditional English dessert that consists of layers of lightly sweetened whipped cream, broken meringues, and fresh strawberries.
There are varying versions of its origin. The most common story is that cooks at Eton College, a boy's boarding school outside of London, served this dessert in their mess hall. Rumor has it the original was made with bananas instead of strawberries!
You can make some of the components in advance. You must assemble the final dessert only an hour or so before serving. This will ensure the meringues remain crisp and the whipped cream is light and airy.
Cheesecake with graham cracker crust - make several days in advance and keep well wrapped in the refrigerator. Baked cheesecake can also be frozen. Allow at least one full day to fully defrost in the refrigerator before serving.
Strawberry coulis - make several days in advance and store in a well sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Meringues can be challenging (at least in my wet climate). A heavy rain or high humidity can affect baked meringues, causing them to become sticky on the exterior. After baking, store meringues in an airtight container at room temperature until use. If they begin to soften or become tacky, place them back in a very low oven for a period of time to dry out again. Keep the oven on your lowest setting, ideally around 180 degrees F.
Whipped cream topping should be made shortly before assembly to maintain the volume of the whipped cream and prevent it from weeping or separating.
The visual cues for stiff peaks are the same for both meringue and whipped cream.
With stiff peaks, the mixture is glossy and very thick. When lifting the whisk out of the bowl and turning it upside down, the peak should stand upright and not slump.
Refer to this helpful visual guide so that you can make both the meringue and whipped cream with confidence and recognize when they are ready.
A hot water bath provides humidity and steam that helps ensure the delicate, egg-heavy batter of the cheesecake rises evenly and doesn't bake too quickly on the exterior.
A water bath, or bain-marie, is a worthwhile step that I would not omit when baking this cheesecake.
In order to cook the cheesecake batter evenly, wrap the cheesecake pan base in aluminum foil and place in the oven to bake within a larger pan filled partway with hot water.
You can freeze the full-fat version of this homemade cheesecake, without the cheesecake toppings, after it is baked and fully cooled. After the Eton mess toppings have been added, it's best to serve promptly and eat within a few days.
To freeze: run a knife around the inside of the springform pan to loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan. Wrap the cheesecake and cheesecake base carefully with plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.
To defrost the cheesecake, place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, or set out on the counter for 2-4 hours.
NOTE: If you're substituting Neufchatel cheese for full fat cream cheese, or Greek yogurt for the sour cream, these ingredients have a higher water content and freezing may impact the texture of the cheesecake.
How to simplify the recipe
While I hope that you'll give the full recipe a try, I recognize that sometimes you're short on time and can't pull off a full cheesecake recipe, Eton mess recipe, and meringue recipe all in one!
You can purchase a plain vanilla cheesecake and then proceed with the rest of the recipe as written.
You can also buy meringues at some bakeries or specialty grocery stores.
The beauty of this recipe is the separate elements that you can combine to make one very special dessert.
Love this recipe? Please leave a comment and star rating. ★★★★★ Your feedback, suggestions, and adaptations are very helpful to other bakers!
📖 Recipe
Eton Mess Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
CHEESECAKE
- 1½ cups (150g) graham crackers, finely ground (approximately 10 full sheets)
- 2 Tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 32 oz (907g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream
- 1 Tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
ROSE MERINGUES
- 2 egg whites, (approximately 66g)
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon rose water
STRAWBERRY COULIS
- 2 cups (1 pint, ¾ lb, 350g) strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 2 - 3 teaspoon (8-12g) granulated sugar, to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- 1 cup (250mL) heavy whipping cream, cold from fridge
- ½ cup (120g) sour cream
- 2 - 3 tsp (8-12g) granulated sugar, to taste
FRESH STRAWBERRY DECORATION
- 2 cups (1 pint, ¾ lb, 350g) fresh strawberries , for decoration
INSTRUCTIONS
CHEESECAKE
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C, gas mark 4).
- In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Pour crust mixture into 9 inch springform pan and distribute evenly in the base.
- Using the bottom of a measuring cup or a smooth bottomed glass, press crust mixture down until smooth. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place a 10 x 14 x 2 inch (25 x 36 x 5 cm) metal baking pan, roasting pan or broiling pan (must be large enough to fit a 9" (23cm) springform pan) on the center rack of the oven and fill with ¾ inch (2 cm) of water.
- Wrap the exterior of the springform pan with aluminum foil to prevent water entering during baking. Set springform pan aside.
- Adjust oven temperature to 300° F (150° C, Gas Mark 2) with prepared water bath inside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add sugar and beat on medium-low until mixed in. Scrape the bowl again. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low speed until well combined, scraping down the bowl several times to ensure cream cheese is fully blended into the mixture. Remove bowl from stand mixer.
- Add beaten egg mixture and mix by hand with a spoon or spatula until completely incorporated. Mixing by hand helps ensure you do not overmix. If you overmix, the cheesecake batter will contain too much air, which can cause cracks.
- Pour cheesecake filling on top of baked crust and rap the springform pan firmly on the counter several times to pop any air bubbles that have formed during mixing.
- Place cheesecake directly into hot water bath and bake at 300° F for 70 minutes. The cheesecake should be slightly dull on the top, and mostly set. The center should have a slight wobble. It will continue to bake when removed from the oven.
- Remove from oven and place onto a rack to cool completely. When cool, cover pan with foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
ROSE MERINGUES
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 225° F (105° C, Gas Mark ¼). Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper.
- Into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites. Beat on low for a minute until mixture is frothy. Add cream of tartar through a sieve to distribute it evenly and ensure there are no lumps. While mixing on medium, pour in the sugar in a stream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add rose water. Turn mixer to high and beat until stiff peaks form. The mixture should be glossy, and the meringue should begin to form a ball inside the whisk.
- Place a jumbo star tip (I use Ateco #868) into a 16" piping bag. Scoop the meringue into the piping bag and twist the top closed. Holding the bag at a 45° angle, pipe meringues in roughly egg-sized ovals onto the baking sheet. You should have around 20.
- Bake meringues for 60 minutes on the middle rack of the oven - watch to make sure they are not browning at all. Do your best not to open the door during baking! Meringues should turn from glossy to matte and be firm to the touch. When done baking, turn oven off and leave meringues inside with oven door shut until completely cool. When cool, remove meringues from baking sheet and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
STRAWBERRY COULIS
- Place 2 cups sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Blend until mixture forms a puree and no lumps remain. If desired, strain to remove seeds (I didn't feel this step was necessary). Place in a lidded jar and refrigerate until needed.
WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING AND ASSEMBLY
- The cheesecake should be assembled shortly before consuming for best results.
- Place the chilled cheesecake on a serving platter. Break ¾ of the meringues into small pieces. These will be folded into the whipped cream mixture. Break the remaining ¼ of the meringues into small and medium pieces. These will be used to decorate the top.
- Wash and dry the whole strawberries that were set aside for decoration. Slice half of the strawberries in half vertically through the green stem, keeping the leaves attached. Slice the remaining portion of strawberries into quarters and eighths, removing the stem.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the whipping cream, sour cream and sugar. Whisk on medium speed, increasing speed to high, until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in the larger amount of broken meringues. Add 6 tablespoon of the strawberry coulis and gently swirl it through the mixture. Not too much mixing - you want the red streaks to remain.
- Scoop the whipped cream mixture onto the top of the cheesecake. Using the back of a spoon, gently push it outwards with a swirling motion so that the whipped cream covers the cheesecake. Drizzle more strawberry coulis in a swirl pattern over the whipped cream. Arrange some of the nicest looking strawberry halves on top of the cheesecake, with some cut side up and some cut side down. Fill in with smaller sliced strawberries. Decorate with some of the remaining meringue pieces. I tried to select the pieces with ridged piping pattern on them to add additional texture.
- Slice and serve with additional strawberry coulis (and any leftover strawberries and meringues) if desired.
Madeline says
This cheesecake is the best! It has turned out perfectly every time and has quickly become a family favorite.
Kathleen Culver says
Hi Madeline,
I'm SO happy to hear that!
I love this cheesecake since it is so reliable (and delicious).
Thanks for sharing it with your family.
Kathleen
Madeline says
Made it again for Easter! I always come to this blog on special occasions, thank you so much! Your recipes are wonderful <3
Kathleen Culver says
Happy Easter, Madeline!
Thanks so much for your comment. I'm honored to be included in your special occasions. : ) I'm so glad you all enjoy the cheesecake!
Kathleen