Kinder Bueno No Bake Cake

This no-bake Kinder Bueno cake layers a buttery biscuit crust under a thick cream cheese filling loaded with chopped Kinder Bueno bars. I've tested this one enough to know it needs no oven, no gelatin, and no fuss. Just a few hours in the fridge to turn it into a slice that holds its shape.

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There's a little vintage café two towns over, the kind with faded floral wallpaper, mismatched china and glass cake stands that look like they've been there forever. It sells exactly one Kinder Bueno cheesecake a day.

The slice sits behind the counter among the old-fashioned cakes and pastries. If you don't get there before noon, someone else has already carried it home. I managed to snag the last slice exactly once on a slow Tuesday. I thought about that cold, creamy filling for weeks afterward.

Driving 40 minutes on the off chance they still had a slice felt a little unhinged, so I set out to make my own instead. It took a few weekends of chopped bars and taste tests, but I finally nailed a no-bake Kinder Bueno cheesecake that rivals the café's. Now I keep one in the fridge whenever the craving hits.

What makes this cake so good is how everything plays off everything else. The crust is a sweet biscuity base, crisp and buttery. The cream cheese layer is smooth and a little tangy. And the Kinder Bueno pieces bring that creamy hazelnut crunch you already know from the bars, the same Kinder chocolate filling wrapped in crisp wafer.

I love this recipe the way I love a tray of Kinder Bueno brownies, rich but never heavy. If you like Kinder chocolate in any form (like me), you'll go back for seconds. Once you've tried this, you'll see why it goes right next to my Heaven on Earth Cake, another no-bake cake I make on repeat.

Most recipes I tried leaned on mascarpone and whipping cream folded into condensed milk, sometimes with a splash of double cream. They tasted fine, but they never held a clean slice. My kids usually want a cake they can actually pick up. Full-fat cream cheese fixed that for good.

My husband asks for it most, usually with an extra drizzle of chocolate sauce on top, right up there with my Instant Pot Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake when we want something cold and creamy.

So here's the good news. This delicious no-bake Kinder Bueno cheesecake sets in the fridge, which means you get the whole dessert without baking a thing. If you can crush a few biscuits and stir a bowl, you can make this Kinder cheesecake at home. I use Kinder Bueno bars and S'mores spread, though Nutella works fine if that's what's in your pantry.

Ingredients

Full-fat cream cheese gives the filling its body and the thickness that lets it slice clean, where a low-fat tub would leave it too loose. The Kinder Bueno bars feature a milk chocolate shell and a creamy hazelnut filling that make them taste like the candy. S'mores spread carries the chocolate and marshmallow flavor, along with enough thickness to hold the filling together without any heavy cream. Graham crackers give the crust its sweet crunch, with melted butter and a pinch of salt rounding it out. Digestive biscuits bring the same base if that is what you have.

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

How to Make Kinder Bueno No Bake Cake

This no-bake cheesecake recipe comes together in about 20 minutes of hands-on work, and the fridge does the rest, setting the creamy filling.

Make the biscuit base

• Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the bottom and about half an inch up the sides of a nine-inch springform tin.
  • The tin size matters here, since a wider tin gives you a thinner cake.
  • Chill it for 10 to 15 minutes while you make the filling. Then, pulse the crumbs in a food processor first if you want them extra-fine.

Beat the filling

• Do so until the cream cheese mixture is smooth and lump-free.
  • Use full fat here, not a low-fat tub, or the cheesecake mixture stays loose.
• Whisk or beat it well, then fold in the S'mores spread with a spatula until the color runs even all the way through.
  • Taste it right here and add a little more icing sugar if you want it sweeter. You can't really adjust it once the bars go in.

Fold in the Kinder Bueno

• Stir slowly and stop the second they're spread through, since overmixing crushes them into the batter.
  • You want real chunks of the individual bars in each slice, not a smooth brown filling.

Fill the crust

• Smooth the top with the back of a spoon so it looks tidy when you slice it later.
  • Take your time on this part. A level top makes the finished cake look far more polished than the effort it took.

Marble and top it

• Don't overmix, or the two blend into one muddy color instead of a swirl.
  • Scatter even more Kinder Bueno on top as a crunchy topping.
• Afterwards, refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight until it hardens.

Slice and serve

• Wipe the knife between slices for clean edges.
• For the top, spoon any type of chocolate you like over each slice.
  • Melt a couple of Kinder chocolate bars in the microwave, let the melted chocolate cool slightly, then add it in thin lines across the surface.
  • You can melt the Kinder chocolate on its own too, or use melted white chocolate for contrast against the dark bars.
    • Dark chocolate gives you a chocolate drizzle with less sweetness, and drizzling melted chocolate on warm makes the prettiest finish.

Storage

Keep the cheesecake in the fridge covered. It holds well for four to five days. Store it in an airtight container, or wrap the pan tightly so it doesn't pick up other smells. Refrigerate it right up until you're ready to slice, since it softens the longer it sits out at room temperature.

You can make the cheesecake ahead without any trouble, which is part of why I lean on it. Prep it the night before a party, leave it in the fridge overnight until fully set, then pull it out just before serving. If you added a chocolate topping, do that fresh so it stays glossy on top.

Recipe