Best Crustless Chocolate & Orange Cheesecake

This is the British no-bake cheesecake at its retro best. A buttery chocolate digestive biscuit base, a cream-cheese-and-melted-chocolate filling spiked with orange juice, and a topping of whipped cream, mandarin segments, and drizzled chocolate. No oven, no water bath, no cracking dramas.

Chocolate digestive biscuits do the work of a graham cracker base, with the bonus of a chocolate layer baked into the biscuit itself. Crush them coarsely, not to dust; you want texture in the bite, not a homogeneous slab.

Gelatine is what holds the cheesecake together since there’s no eggs and no baking. Bloom it properly: sprinkle over the cold orange juice, let it sit until rubbery, then dissolve over a pan of hot water (a bain-marie). Direct heat scorches gelatine into ineffective glue.

Melted chocolate goes into the filling warm but not hot. Hot chocolate seizes the cream cheese into lumps. Aim for body-temperature melted chocolate.

Chill at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. The gelatine needs full time to set, and the chocolate flavor deepens in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Bring cream cheese to room temperature before beating. Cold cheese stays lumpy no matter how hard you beat it.
• Run a hot knife around the edge before releasing the springform clip for clean sides.
• Decorate just before serving. Mandarin segments weep juice over time and stain the cream.
• Use a wide flat knife dipped in hot water to slice cleanly through the chocolate filling.

Variations

• Swap mandarin for fresh raspberries or strawberries for a fruitier finish.
• Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier or Cointreau to the filling for an adult version.
• Use plain digestive biscuits and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the base for a deeper chocolate hit.