No Bake Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

Our no bake chocolate orange cheesecake is super simple to make and packed full of flavour. This is a deliciously decadent dessert and a recipe that you will come back to again and again.

When is comes to simplicity you can’t beat our no bake chocolate orange cheesecake. Anyone who enjoys a chocolate and orange cheesecake will love this straight forward recipe.

I like to keep things simple with desserts. That’s not to say that I don’t want to eat something super tasty, I do. I just don’t like too much faff and our no bake chocolate orange cheesecake is no exception.

Anyone who know me knows I love Terry’s Chocolate Orange and that was the inspiration behind this Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake. With a few simple ingredients you have the perfect decadent dessert in no time.

When it comes to the Ultimate Chocolate Orange Cheesecake it has to be bitter dark chocolate for me, paired with orange zest and just a warming hint of orange liqueur. Serving to kids? No problem leave out the liqueur and add a little more orange juice instead.

What’s the difference between baked cheesecake and no bake cheesecake?

The difference between baked cheesecake and no bake cheesecake is the texture of the filling. A baked cheesecake has a very smooth texture like our Vanilla Baked Cheesecake and contains eggs and a lot more cream cheese. Whereas a no bake cheesecake does not contain any eggs and the filling is simply beaten together then left to set in the fridge.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• The perfect balance of flavours with bitter dark chocolate, balanced with sweet orange.
• A great make ahead dessert make earlier in the day, or the day before and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
• Feed a crowd as this chocolate cheese will feed 12 people for dinner.
• Hands on preparation time is less than 30 minutes.
• Gluten free? No problem. Replace the biscuit base with a gluten free biscuit and ensure the chocolate you are using is gluten free too.

How to make chocolate orange cheesecake?

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• Take the Philidelphia cream cheese out of the fridge one hour before you plan to make the cheesecake and set it aside to come to room temperature. This will make it a lot easier to beat to a smooth consistency later.
• Line the base of a 20cm loose bottomed flan tin with baking parchment.
• Take the Orea biscuits, split them in half and remove the filling.
• Place the biscuits into a food processor and blitz into fine breadcrumbs.
• Alternatively, place the cookies into a large plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

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• Meanwhile melt the butter and add to the Oreo crumbs.
• Mix to combine and place in a 20cm loose bottomed flan tin.
• Press the mixture firmly onto the base of the tin using the back of a spoon to form the cheesecake base.
• Place the tin in the fridge to set and get on with making the filling.

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• Place the cream cheese into a large bowl, add the icing sugar, orange liqueur, orange zest and the juice of 1 orange and mix to combine.
• Now add 250 ml of the double cream and beat it into the cheese mixture until everything is well combined and the mixture is smooth.

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• Meanwhile add the chocolate to a bowl, along with the remaining 50ml of cream and place over a pan of boiling water.
• Taking care not to get any water into the bowl and melt the chocolate in the bowl, stirring from time to time.

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• Fold the chocolate mixture through the cheese mixture until smooth.
• Check the taste and add more orange juice or orange liqueur to get the balance of orange to chocolate to your own taste.
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the biscuit base and place the tin back into the fridge for at least 2 hours until the cheesecake has set.
• When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin and place it onto a plate, cut into slices and serve.

Recipe substitutions and variations:

• Biscuit – I have used Oreo cookies for the biscuit base and removed the sugary filling (otherwise the base would be too sweet). Oreo’s have a really dark chocolaty flavour which is ideal for a chocolate biscuit base. You could also use Bourbon biscuits (again remove the filling), Digestive biscuits (Grahams Crackers if you are in the US) or Hobnob biscuits.
• Dark Chocolate – for an intense chocolate flavour use 60-85% dark chocolate to make the filling. The bitter chocolate will balance out the creaminess of the cream cheese and double cream. You can use milk chocolate if you prefer. However, I would I suggest cutting right back on the icing sugar as milk chocolate is far sweeter than dark.
• Cream Cheese – I use Philadelphia full fat cream cheese as it gives the cheesecake filling a great texture. You could substitute with low fat cream cheese if you prefer but it will affect the set of the filling.
• Double Cream (Heavy Cream) – is beat into the cream cheese to form the filling. Do not use single cream or whipping cream as they don’t have the right consistency for the filling.
• Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar) – is ideal as it melts quickly into the cream cheese filling.
• Orange Liqueur – adds that warming rich flavour of orange. My favourite is Grand Marnier or Cointreau but you can use any other orange flavoured liqueur. If serving to children leave the alcohol out. Instead add a little more orange juice or orange extract if you have any.
• Orange Zest and Juice – adds real depth of orange flavour to this Ultimate Chocolate Orange Cheesecake. Once you’ve beaten the filling together, taste it and add more orange zest and juice if you think it needs it.

Additional flavours that also work with chocolate:

The orange liqueur, zest and juice work great with chocolate. However, you can always swap orange for other flavours which work equally well with chocolate. Using this recipe as a base, here are some other ideas:

• Dark chocolate with cherry or apricot brandy and vanilla extract
• Dark chocolate with mint extract
• White chocolate with coconut liqueur and lime zest and juice
• Chocolate with a shot of espresso coffee and almond extract

Suggestions for decorating your cheesecake:

When it comes to decorating your no bake cheesecake the options are endless. I often leave it as it is if I just want to enjoy the simplicity of the cheesecake. However here are some suggestions if you wish to pretty it us and make it

• Melted chocolate drizzled over the top of the cheesecake
• Grated or shaved chocolate
• Crushed hazelnuts or almonds
• Candied orange peel – I recommend using the recipe of my friend Jacqui at Only Crumbs Remain, her recipe for Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Peel is the one I always use as it’s so simple and the results are spot on
• As this bears the flavours of a Terrys Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, then why not decorate with wedges of Terry’s chocolate orange.

No bake cheese cheesecake serving suggestions:

This is a rich flavoured dessert so I recommend keeping things simple. I would serve a slice with a spoon of creme fraiche, some double cream poured over, or a scoop of ice cream.

If you wanted to ramp up the orange flavour you could poach some orange slices (remove the skin and pith first) in a little orange juice flavoured with orange liqueur.

Why is my no-bake cheesecake not firm?

Over-mixing is the reason that most cheesecake don’t set firm. Only mix the ingredients enough to bring the filling together to a smooth consistency. As well as adding flavour to the filling, the acid in the orange juice and also the alcohol do help keep this cheesecake mix firm.

If your cheesecake isn’t firming up then I suggest leaving it a little longer in the fridge. If after XX hours the cheesecake still hasn’t set firm then you can pop it into the freezer to help it set.

Can I make ahead chocolate and orange cheesecake?

This no bake chocolate orange cheesecake is a great make ahead dessert. To enjoy this Philadelphia no bake cheesecake at its best, and to give the cheesecake time to set, I prefer to make it the day before. It can then be stored in the fridge until I am ready to serve.

I love make ahead desserts, particular if I have family or friends around for dinner. I can relax and enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner, knowing the dessert is ready and all I need to do is plate up.

• Fridge: once made this no bake chocolate orange cheesecake can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
• Freezer: once made the cheesecake can either be frozen in the tin or decanted into an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. This cheesecake will store in the freezer for 1-2 months.

How to defrost cheesecake?

When ready to eat defrost the cheesecake by placing it overnight in the fridge. There is a lot of dairy in this dessert so don’t be tempted to leave it overnight on the counter top as you risk it spoiling.

Useful hints and tips:

1. Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, as this makes it a lot easier to beat to a smooth consistency.
2. Do not over-mix your cheesecake as this will result in a super soft cheesecake. Mix it just enough to bring everything together.
3. If your cheesecake isn’t setting then pop it in the freezer to help it set.
4. For an alcohol free dessert remove the orange liqueur and replace with a little extra orange juice or some orange extract if you have any.
5. Taste the filling once it’s whipped together and adjust the flavours. If you want to add more orange flavour this is the time to add it in before you pour over the chocolate biscuit base.
6. To adapt for a gluten free diet replace the biscuit base with a gluten free biscuit and ensure the chocolate you are using is gluten free too.
7. Allergy advice: egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions:

If you like this recipe then try some of our other no bake dessert recipes:

• No Bake Lime & Ginger Cheesecake
• Salted Caramel & Chocolate Mousse
• Nutella Mousse
• Easy Lemon Tiramisu with Limoncello
• Lemon Posset
• Individual Sherry Trifles
• Eton Mess
• Traditional Scottish Cranachan

If you are a fan of simple no bake dessert recipes then have a read of our Easy No Bake Dessert Recipes post, which is packed full of recipe, ideas and suggestions for keeping desserts simple.

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