The perfect dessert for your Mermaid party!
This might look hard but trust me, it’s a piece of cake! Er, cheesecake! You could use this color swirl concept for so many parties and holidays. All you have to do is divide cheesecake batter into three bowls (just shy of 2 cups of batter in each bowl) and tint each section your desired color. Use measuring cups to scoop portions of batter randomly in the crust. When you’re done, swirl the colors together with a chopstick or knife. How gorgeous is this?


I came up with this fabulous swirled Mermaid Cheesecake for Disney Dinners: The Little Mermaid. To add even more mermaid magic, I made shimmery white chocolate mermaid tails to top each slice. This was also easier than it looks; I used teal Wilton candy melts, a silicone mermaid tail mold, and some edible pearl dust for the mermaid tails.

If you’ve ever baked cheesecake at home, you might be wondering how I got such a flat top. The key is baking the cheesecake in a water bath and cooling the cheesecake in the oven to prevent cracks. The result is a professional, smooth cheesecake – no cracks in sight! Secure the springform pan with an ovenproof bag and aluminum foil to prevent leaks and set the cheesecake in a pan filled with boiling water. You want the water to go about halfway up the sides of the pan, but the amount of water will depend on the size of your pan. The water bath is essential so don’t skip it!
As for the flavor, this is a classic New York style cheesecake and it was a hit at my Little Mermaid party! My dad called this, “the best cheesecake he’s ever had” and he does not hand out compliments easily. Enjoy!

10 whole Graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp butter, melted
3 8oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Turquoise, purple, blue food coloring
Whipped cream, recipe follows
White chocolate mermaid tails, recipe follows
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (Note: do NOT use the convection feature on your oven when baking cheesecake.) Wrap an oven safe bag around the sides of a 9″ spring form pan. Wrap three sheets of aluminum foil around the springform pan to secure the pan from water leaks.
- Process Graham crackers in a food processor until they become crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and process until the texture of sand. Press the crust in the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9″ spring form pan. Bake for ten minutes, then let cool while you make the cheesecake.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice, and beat until smooth.
- Divide cheesecake into three bowls and tint each portion your desired shade of teal, purple, and blue. Using a different measuring cup (1/4-1/3 cup measuring cups works perfectly) for each color, scoop colored batter randomly into prepared crust. Once all of the batter is in the crust, use a knife or chopstick to swirl the top colors together.
- Pour boiling water into an oven-safe baking dish that’s large enough to fit your springform pan. Carefully set the cheesecake in the water bath and bake for 60-75 minutes or until internal temperatures reads 150 degrees.
- Turn the oven off, crack the door about 2” and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30-60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and carefully remove the cheesecake from water bath. Remove foil from spring form pan. Run a knife along the edge of the cheesecake to loosen the edge from the side of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack for an hour, then pop (uncovered) in the fridge to cool for about six hours. Cover and chill overnight.
- Garnish each slice with whipped cream and a mermaid tail.
Whipped Cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Beat cream in a metal bowl with a metal whisk until soft peaks form. Whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla, then pipe onto cheesecake.
Mermaid Tails
Mermaid silicone mold
Turquoise candy melts
Edible silver pearl dust
- Melt turquoise candy melts (mine took six melts per mold) and pour into silicone mermaid tail mold. Gently tap the mold to release air bubbles, then pop in the fridge for about fifteen minutes to set.
- Gently pop the tail out of the mold and brush a bit of edible silver pearl dust on each tail. Store at room temperature in a tupperware container until ready to use.
Read more about Disney Dinners: The Little Mermaid here. Watch The Little Mermaid episode of The Rose Table here:
Happy baking,
Don’t forget to follow/like The Rose Table on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Sign up for The Rose Table’s emails here. Shop The Rose Table here. Follow my blog with Bloglovin. Buy The Rose Table cookbook here.