No Bake Lime Cheesecake

This recipe for No Bake Lime Cheesecake is in my top five favourite desserts of all time and perhaps my favourite of all cheesecake recipes. It is zingy and creamy with a chocolate biscuit base that sets off the zesty lime filling so perfectly it makes me want to inhale the whole lot alone in a wardrobe.

I am particulary fond/obsessed  with any no bake cheesecake. It's something about the luxury, velvety smoothness of them I think and this one is a belter. The ying and yang lime/ dark chocolate combo adds another level worthy of a home cook michelin star, which I am more than happy to award myself here.

The bourbon biscuit base has just enough mellow chocolatey depth for the zingy lime topping AND it is so light I can eat at least two slices in one sitting. On top of all that it  feeds 10 people easily. Get out the Party Poppers immediately...........

No Bake Lime and Chocolate Cheesecake

This no bake cheesecake is absolutely super lush. Literally every time I make it I feel ssssspecial. The chocolate, lime thing is one of those combos that just rock.

I have tried it with an Oreo crust but it was too dark. The Bourbon biscuit base has just the right chocolatey depth.

I'm sure too that Delia would suggest some zest in there with the juice but I just don't like the feel of those little bits on my tongue at the end of a mouthful. It just feels wrong, I want smooth and clean.

The making of this cheesecake is just as simple as it gets.

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the complete printable recipe card*

STEP 1 -Making The Base

A thorough breaking down of the biscuits comes first and I use my food processor. You can use a rolling pin and a plastic bag if you are without a whizzer.

After adding the melted butter to the chocolatey rubble smooth the buttery biscuits into an even layer in the bottom of a loose bottomed spring release tin. This is a good system to use if you want to serve the cheesecake out of it's dish.

I put mine in the freezer for 15 mins but half an hour in the fridge is fine too. You are wanting the base to be very hard.

STEP 2 - Making The Filling

I then add the cream cheese, lime juice 175 mls and condensed milk to the mixing bowl. Again I use a free standing mixer but an electric hand held mixer will do the job too.

Whisk until it is thoroughly mixed together. About a minute.

I then add the double (heavy) cream and whisk until it considerably thickens.

Make sure your cream is fridge cold. It will whip up much better for it. 

Scoop out the mixture onto the chocolate biscuit base. I love this bit, it feels and sounds glorious. Dolloping is under rated. Smooth the top over with a spatula. Lick that spatula clean.

STEP 3 - Chilling The Cheesecake

Chill for at least four hours or overnight. If I leave it overnight I cover it with clingfilm.

When you are ready for it, grate some lime zest and dark chocolate on top. It really does improve it's kerb appeal and I love to get the little deeply dark chocolate hits here and there.

Don't skip this for the full flavour sensation.

Equipment Required

• 9"/22 cm spring form loose bottomed tin
• Free Standing Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl and Electric Whisk
• Juicer or you can just squeeze them very hard!
• Zester
• Measuring jug
• Digital Scales
• Spatula
• Food Processor if you are using to blitz your biscuits.

Expert Tips

• Make sure your double cream and cream cheese are fridge cold
• Have the limes at room temperature, warm even.
• Break up your cream cheese a little as you put it in the bowl
• If it doesn't set as much as you would like (which is rare) put it in the freezer an hour before serving.
• When grating the chocolate be careful with your fingers and try not to handle the grated chocolate as it will melt on your fingers very quickly. I use a teaspoon to scatter it on the top or put the gratings in the fridge before I need them.
• Limes can vary greatly as to how much juice they give. 175 mls here is the correct ratio. Any more and it can be difficult to set and a little too tart.
• If your filling has not thickened enough try putting it in the freezer for an hour.

Here are a couple of other of my incredible fave No Bake Cheesecakes.

Caramel Cheesecake

Lemon Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake

Nutella Cheesecake

White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

 

Please let me know how you got on in the comments below.

This recipe features in Twinkl's Fantastically Fun Family BBQ Ideas post