Mary Berry No Bake​ Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Mary Berry No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake is a classic British dessert. It features a buttery digestive biscuit base topped with a smooth blend of dark chocolate, cream cheese, and whipped double cream.

Mary Berry’s approach here is brilliantly straightforward because she skips the gelatin that many other recipes use. Most versions rely on setting agents that can make the texture rubbery, but this one relies on the fat in the double cream and the cocoa solids in the dark chocolate to hold it together. It gives you a much softer finish that still stands up on a plate without feeling like you’re eating a block of jelly. I’ve found that this specific balance makes it far more approachable for a Saturday night treat when you don’t want to mess around with boiling water baths or cracking tops.

I didn’t expect the temperature of the cream cheese to matter that much until I tried it with cold blocks straight from the fridge. When you add melted chocolate to cold cheese, the chocolate sets instantly into tiny hard lumps that you can’t get rid of no matter how hard you stir. Now I always leave the cheese on the side for an hour to make sure everything mixes into a silky mousse. It’s a small detail that saves the entire dish from having a gritty, unpleasant mouthfeel. This is a lovely recipe to have in your back pocket for when you need a reliable crowd-pleaser.

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Mary Berry NoBake Chocolate Cheesecake Ingredients

For the Base

• 200g (7oz) digestive biscuits
• 75g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling

• 200g (7oz) dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 450g (1lb) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 150g (5oz) icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300ml (10fl oz) double cream

For Garnish

• Chocolate shavings
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

How To Make Mary Berry No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

1. Prepare the tin: Lightly grease and line the base of a 20cm (8-inch) loose-bottomed springform tin with greaseproof paper. Make sure the paper sits flat so the base of your cheesecake is even when you turn it out later.
2. Melt the chocolate: Place the dark chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water, or the chocolate might overheat and turn grainy.
3. Make the biscuit base: Blitz the digestive biscuits in a food processor until they look like fine sand. If you don’t have a processor, put them in a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin until there aren’t any big lumps left.
4. Combine the base: Stir the melted butter into the biscuit crumbs until every bit is coated and looks dark. It should feel like wet sand that holds its shape when you squeeze a bit in your hand.
5. Press into the pan: Tip the buttery crumbs into the prepared tin and use the back of a metal spoon to press them down firmly. Spend a minute getting this level and tight into the edges, then pop the tin in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Beat the cream cheese: Put the room temperature cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat them together until the mixture is smooth. I use a wooden spoon for this to avoid whipping too much air in before the chocolate goes in.
7. Add the chocolate: Pour the slightly cooled melted chocolate into the cheese mixture and stir until the whole thing is a uniform brown. If the chocolate is still piping hot, it’ll make the cheese go runny, so give it a few minutes to cool first.
8. Whip the double cream: Pour the double cream into a separate bowl and whisk it until it just reaches soft peaks. You want it to hold its shape but still look glossy, as over-whipping it here will make the cheesecake taste greasy. This is one of the most important parts of the whole process. If you go too far and the cream looks stiff or chunky, the finished cheesecake will feel heavy instead of light and airy.
9. Fold the cream: Use a large metal spoon to gently mix the whipped cream into the chocolate cheese base. Use a slow figure-of-eight motion to keep as much air in the mixture as possible until no white streaks remain. Do not use an electric mixer for this step or you’ll knock out all the volume you just created. A slow, manual hand is what gives the dessert its characteristic mousse-like texture.
10. Assemble the cheesecake: Spoon the filling onto the chilled biscuit base and smooth the top with a spatula. Give the tin a gentle tap on the counter to get rid of any large air bubbles trapped inside the filling.
11. Chill and set: Leave the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours, though overnight is much safer if you want clean slices. The fat in the cream and chocolate needs that time to firm up properly so the sides don’t slump when you remove the tin.
12. Garnish and serve: Run a thin knife around the edge of the tin before releasing the springform clip. Dust the top with a little cocoa powder or some chocolate shavings before bringing it to the table.

Recipe Tips

• Use full-fat cheese. Don’t try to use light or low-fat cream cheese for this because it won’t set. The water content is too high, and you’ll end up with a bowl of chocolate soup rather than a firm cake.
• Watch the cream peaks. Stop whisking the double cream the second it can hold a soft shape. If you whisk it until it’s stiff, it becomes very hard to fold in without losing the air that makes the cheesecake light.
• Cool the chocolate. Let the melted chocolate sit for five minutes before adding it to the cheese. If it’s too hot, it can melt the fats in the cheese and cream, which ruins the texture of the set.
• Line the tin properly. Always use greaseproof paper on the bottom of your springform tin. It makes sliding the cheesecake onto a serving plate much easier and prevents the biscuit base from sticking to the metal.
• Make it ahead. This dessert actually tastes better after 24 hours in the fridge because the flavours have time to settle. It’s a great choice for a dinner party since all the work is done the day before.
• Warm the knife. Dip your knife in a jug of hot water and wipe it dry before cutting each slice. This gives you those sharp, professional-looking edges that show off the layers perfectly.

What To Serve With Chocolate Cheesecake

A handful of fresh raspberries or tart strawberries provides a great contrast to the rich chocolate. A drizzle of double cream or a small dollop of crème fraîche also helps to lighten the heavy cocoa flavours.

If you want something more indulgent, a few honeycomb pieces or toasted hazelnuts add a nice crunch. A strong cup of coffee or a glass of dessert wine makes a fine finish to the meal.

How To Store Chocolate Cheesecake

Fridge: Keep the cheesecake in the fridge at all times when you aren’t serving it. It needs to stay cold to maintain its structure, so use an airtight container to stop it from picking up other fridge smells. It’ll stay fresh for about three days.

Reheat: You don’t reheat this dish as it’s meant to be eaten cold. If it’s been in a very cold part of the fridge, let it sit on the side for ten minutes before eating so the chocolate softens just enough to melt on your tongue.

Freeze: This freezes well if you wrap it tightly in clingfilm and then a layer of foil. Defrost it slowly in the fridge overnight before you plan to serve it, but don’t try to speed it up on the counter or it might weep.

Mary Berry No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 8):

• Calories: 580 kcal
• Protein: 6g
• Fat: 48g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Sugar: 24g
• Sodium: 310mg

Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.

FAQs

Can I use milk chocolate for Mary Berry No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake?

No, it’s best to stick with dark chocolate because the higher cocoa butter content is what helps the cheesecake set firmly without gelatin. Milk chocolate has more sugar and less fat, so the filling might stay too soft to slice cleanly.

Why didn’t my cheesecake set properly?

The most common reason is using low-fat cream cheese or not whipping the double cream enough before folding it in. Make sure you give it the full six hours in the fridge, as trying to cut it too early will result in a messy collapse.

Can I use a different type of biscuit for the base?

Yes, you can use chocolate digestives or even bourbon biscuits if you want an extra hit of cocoa. Just keep the butter measurements the same so the base doesn’t become too greasy or crumbly when you press it into the tin.

Can I make this in a smaller tin?

Yes, you can use a 15cm (6-inch) tin, but the cheesecake will be much taller and might take longer to set through to the middle. You could also make individual servings in small glass ramekins for a dinner party.

Can I use margarine instead of butter for the base?

No, because margarine doesn’t set as hard as butter when it’s cold. Your biscuit base will likely fall apart when you try to serve it if you don’t use real butter.

Try More Recipes:

• Mary Berry Baileys Cheesecake​ Recipe
• Mary Berry No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
• Mary Berry Lemon Cheesecake​ Recipe