No Bake Birthday Cheesecake

Featuring a velvety vanilla and almond cheesecake filling, crisp cookie crust, and a veritable mountain of sprinkles, this birthday cheesecake captures the festive spirit of birthdays, no baking required.

Let's be honest: Birthdays are a lot of work!

There's the cleaning, the baking, the party throwing and the all-around mountain of emotional labor... Which is why my favorite birthday treats are the easiest ones.

Whether I'm upgrading a boxed cake mix or making something easy from scratch (like white chocolate brownies or a chocolate coffee cake), sometimes, life just requires keeping it simple.

And like this birthday cheesecake, simplicity can make it all the sweeter!

Ingredients

Below, you'll find tips on key ingredients and their role in the baking process. A full list of ingredients and measurements is available in the recipe card.

• Heavy whipping cream: A well-whipped heavy cream is the secret to getting a thick, no-bake filling. Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream can be used interchangeably (they're actually the same thing).
• Cream cheese: This recipe works best with full-fat cream cheese. Cream cheese spread should not be used as a substitute.
• Granulated sugar: This is the secret ingredient for a perfectly smooth batter. Beating the sugar and cream cheese together breaks down the cream cheese and makes it silky smooth.
• Sour cream: Adds an additional tanginess to the filling.
• Almond extract: I like to round out the flavor of this very vanilla-forward cake with just a little bit of almond extract. The addition of almond also gives this cake that signature Funfetti flavor and moves it beyond just another vanilla cake.
• Nilla wafers: I like to use Nilla Wafers because of their texture and vanilla flavor, but any wafer or digestive biscuit would work.
• Butter emulsion: Adds butter flavor without having to add more butter to the recipe. I like the way this mimics the buttery flavor of sponge cake, but you can leave it out if you don't have it on hand.

Alternative crusts

While I like a good ol' fashioned Nilla Wafer crust for this cheesecake, you could really use just about any cookie crust.

Other tasty options include an Oreo crust (like in this chocolate strawberry cheesecake), a no-bake graham cracker crust (like in this banoffee cheesecake), or a baked graham cracker cookie crust (like in this mimosa tart).

How to make this birthday cheesecake

First, make the crust.

Stir together the Nilla Wafer crumbs and butter until coated.

Press into the bottom and up the sides of a lined 9" springform pan.

Refrigerate.

Second, making the filling.

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.

Beat together the sugar and cream cheese. Add the sour cream, extracts and emulsion and beat until combined.

Fold the whipped cream into the batter.

Add the sprinkles, fold and immediately pour into the prepared crust.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Finally, garnish with store-bought frosting and extra sprinkles.

Keep cold until ready to serve.

Storage

This cheesecake should be stored in the refrigerator ('cause, you know, dairy) and will last up to 3-4 days.

Freezing your cheesecake: You can wrap your ungarnished cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

More celebration cakes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you help me make them better.