Mary Berry’s Baileys cheesecake is a no-bake, chilled dessert with a buttery digestive biscuit base, a smooth dark chocolate and mascarpone filling laced with Baileys Irish Cream, set in the fridge for at least 6 hours. It serves 6-8 and needs no oven, just patience while it firms up overnight.
Berry doesn’t have a Baileys cheesecake in her books, but every element comes from her tested recipes. The no-bake base and mascarpone filling method are from her White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake in Everyday (2017), the Baileys cream technique is from her Chocolate and Irish Cream Roulade in Cooks the Perfect (2014), and the dark chocolate and Baileys pairing comes from her Chocolate Truffle Pots in Classic (2018).
The step Berry is most particular about is whipping the Baileys into cream. In Cooks the Perfect (2014), she warns to whip “until thick enough to just hold its shape” because “if insufficiently whipped it will be too runny to spread; if over-whipped, it will become too thick to spread evenly.” That balance matters here too.
Mary Berry Baileys Cheesecake Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6-8
servings20
minutes545
kcalA no-bake cheesecake assembled from Berry’s White Chocolate Cheesecake method, her Baileys cream technique from the Irish Cream Roulade, and her dark chocolate approach from the Truffle Pots. Rich, smooth and set overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients
- For the base:
150g (5 oz) digestive biscuits
60g (2½ oz) butter, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp demerara sugar
- For the filling:
200g (7 oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 x 250g tub full-fat mascarpone cheese
300ml (10 fl oz) pouring double cream
4 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
cocoa powder, for dusting
Directions
- Prepare the tin: Butter the base of a 20cm (8 in) round spring-form tin with deep sides and line with a disc of baking parchment.
- Make the base: Put the digestive biscuits into a resealable freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs with a bit of texture. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, add the crushed biscuits and demerara sugar and stir until combined. Spoon into the base of the prepared tin and press level with the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
- Melt the chocolate: Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and sit it over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir until melted but not hot, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes until cool but still liquid.
- Make the filling: Tip the mascarpone into a large bowl and mix with a spatula to loosen until soft. Pour in the cream and Baileys and whip until the mixture is thick enough to just hold its shape. Do not over-whip. Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and fold gently to combine, taking care not to over-mix.
- Set the cheesecake: Spoon the filling onto the biscuit base and smooth the top level. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Serve: Run a palette knife around the edges of the tin, release the spring-form sides and slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate. Dust generously with cocoa powder.
FAQs
Can I use white chocolate instead of dark?
Berry’s original White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake in Everyday (2017) uses 200g white chocolate with mascarpone and cream, so the method works exactly the same way. White chocolate gives a sweeter, milder filling that lets the Baileys flavour come through more. Dark chocolate adds bitterness that balances the sweetness of the liqueur, which is why I prefer it here.
If you go with white, drop the cocoa powder dusting and top with grated dark chocolate instead. The contrast looks good and stops the whole thing being too sweet. Milk chocolate sits between the two but can be tricky to set because of its higher sugar content.
How far ahead can I make this?
Berry’s prepare ahead note for her White Chocolate Cheesecake says it “can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge” and that it “freezes well” without the topping. The same applies here. The Baileys flavour actually improves after a night in the fridge as it mellows into the chocolate.
Keep it covered with cling film until you’re ready to serve. Dust with cocoa powder at the last minute so it stays dry and velvety rather than absorbing moisture from the filling.
What can I use instead of Baileys?
Berry uses several cream liqueurs across her books. In Classic (2018), her Chocolate Truffle Pots call for “whisky cream liqueur such as Baileys or Kahlua” and she notes you can use “any chocolate or coffee cream liqueur of your choice.” Kahlua would push this toward a mocha flavour, while Amaretto would add almond warmth.
Whatever you choose, keep it to 4 tablespoons. More than that and the filling won’t set firmly enough because the extra liquid loosens the cream. I tested with 6 tablespoons once and the cheesecake slumped when I released the tin.
Why does Berry say not to over-whip the cream?
In her Chocolate and Irish Cream Roulade in Cooks the Perfect (2014), Berry warns that over-whipped cream “will become too thick to spread evenly.” For this cheesecake the same rule applies because you still need to fold in melted chocolate after whipping.
If the cream is already stiff when the chocolate goes in, folding will knock out air and leave you with a dense, heavy filling. Whip to soft, floppy peaks, then fold the chocolate through. The setting happens in the fridge, not from the cream being rigid.
What is the difference between this and Berry’s baked cheesecake?
Berry’s American-style Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping in Cooks the Perfect (2014) is a baked cheesecake made with cream cheese, eggs and soured cream. It bakes at a moderate temperature for 40 minutes, then cools slowly inside the switched-off oven for 2 hours to prevent cracking.
This no-bake version uses mascarpone instead of cream cheese, cream instead of eggs, and sets cold in the fridge. The texture is lighter and moussey rather than dense and sliceable. Berry uses the no-bake method for her White Chocolate Cheesecake and the baked method for her American-style, so both are proven techniques. For Baileys, the no-bake route works better because the alcohol flavour stays brighter when it isn’t baked out.
