You Only Need Cookies, Cottage Cheese, and Fresh Berries for This Epic No-Bake Fridge Cake

If you are sweating just looking at your kitchen stove, this cool, layered berry cake is exactly what you need. You basically just crush up some store-bought cookies for a quick crust, blend up a super smooth cream cheese layer, and finish it off with a second layer made from whatever fresh berries you have sitting on your counter. It is light, refreshing, and looks like you bought it from a bakery, even though the fridge did all the hard work for you.

Here’s what you need: 5 oz (140g) of shortbread biscuits, 4 tablespoons (60g) of melted butter, 6.3 oz (180g) of farmer's cheese or ricotta (divided), 1¼ cups (300g) of sour cream (divided), ½ cup (80g) of sugar (divided), ¼ cup (120g) of sweetened condensed milk (divided), 20g of instant gelatin powder, and 5.5 oz (160g) of any fresh seasonal berries.

Pulse the shortbread biscuits into a fine, sandy dust and combine thoroughly with the melted butter. Press this damp mixture firmly into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan to create an even, solid base, then pop it straight into the fridge to firm up.

To craft the snowy center layer, bloom half of your gelatin in a splash of cold water, then warm it gently until completely fluid. Whisk 100g of the farmer's cheese together with 200g of sour cream, 40g of sugar, and 50g of condensed milk until completely silky and smooth, stream in the liquid gelatin, and pour this velvety white cream directly over your chilled base before returning the pan to the fridge.

For the crowning fruit layer, bloom and melt the remaining gelatin. Throw your fresh berries into a blender alongside the remaining cheese, sour cream, sugar, and condensed milk, buzzing everything into a brilliant, colorful purée before incorporating the final splash of gelatin. Gently smooth this berry cream over the semi-set white layer and leave the entire cake to chill for at least 5 hours or overnight until it slices like a dream.