Berries on a Cloud Dessert

Luscious, creamy cheesecake is layered on a sweet, light-as-air meringue base and topped with berries in this berries on a cloud dessert. It is incredible!

This refreshing and unique dessert is one of our favorite summer desserts, although, truthfully, it can be made anytime of the year! It’s a cheesecake-lovers dream dessert!

How to Make Meringue

The soft and pillowy meringue layer makes up the “cloud” part of this berries on a cloud dessert. Meringue is very easy to make at home!

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until foamy.
2. While beating at high speed, gradually add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. This is essential! If the meringue is mixed only to soft peaks, it won’t set up correctly.

For this recipe, we are baking the meringue in a 9X13-inch pan to form that light and airy layer that sets the foundation for the cheesecake topping and berry sauce.

The meringue bakes for one hour AND THEN it is left in the oven for 10-12 hours so the meringue can set and cool.

The center of the meringue will fall and the edges will likely pull away from the sides of the pan and crack a bit. Totally normal!

When the meringue is ready, mix up the easy, no-bake cheesecake layer and spread it across the top of the meringue.

A Wonderful Make-Ahead Dessert

This entire dessert (the meringue + cheesecake layer + berry topping) can be made several days in advance.

In fact, you need to make the meringue ahead of time, so plan for that. And once the cheesecake layer is added, the dessert needs to chill for another 4 to 8 hours (and up to 24 hours).

This helps the cheesecake layer set up, but it also allows the cheesecake to soften the top of the meringue just slightly so it becomes a seamless, glorious dessert.

The berry sauce can be made days ahead of time; simply refrigerate until ready to serve, and then spoon a bit of the berry topping on each individual piece.

Berries on a Cloud Dessert

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Additional Time: 12 hours hrs

Total Time: 14 hours hrs

4.73 stars (54 ratings)

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Ingredients

Meringue:

• 6 large egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (318 g) granulated sugar

Cheesecake Layer:

• 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 ¼ cups (143 g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Berry Topping:

• 16 ounces (454 g) frozen sweet cherries
• ½ cup (106 g) sugar
• ¾ cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (see note)
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

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Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• For the meringue, in a large glass, metal or ceramic bowl (don't use plastic), beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt until foamy. While beating at high speed, gradually add the sugar one tablespoon or so at a time until it has been incorporated. Continue beating until the whites form stiff peaks. Don't underbeat or the meringue won't set up correctly.
• Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Spread the meringue mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the pan of meringue sit in the oven overnight (or for 10-12 hours).
• For the berry topping, in a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, water, lemon juice and cornstarch.
• Over medium-low heat, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour the mixture into a bowl and let cool at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
• Stir in the sliced strawberries. Cover, and refrigerate until fully chilled.
• At least 4-6 hours before serving, remove the meringue from the oven.
• For the cheesecake layer, in a medium bowl, whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Pour in the whipping cream and starting on low speed (so the cream doesn't splatter everywhere), whip the mixture together until it is thick and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Spread the cream cheese topping over the cooled meringue.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to serve, cut the dessert into pieces and top with a spoonful of the berry mixture.

Notes

Make Ahead: the meringue can be made 2 days in advance, topped with the cream cheese filling up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated and the berry mixture can be made one day ahead also. 

Cornstarch: the fruit sauce, as written in the recipe, is on the thin side. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons. 

Author: Mel

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 635kcal, Carbohydrates: 85g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 113mg, Sodium: 230mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 79g

Recommended Products

Mixing Bowl

Electric Hand Mixer

Glass 9X13-inch Pan

Recipe Source: sent to me by my friend, Ursala, adapted from Betty Crocker (reduced sugar in both the meringue and the filling, altered the cherry filling to use frozen cherries instead of pie filling, omitted the marshmallows – seriously, too much sweetness – and increased the cream cheese)

Recipe originally posted June 2013; updated October 2024 with updated photos, recipe notes, etc.