Mary Berry’s easy lemon cheesecake is a no-bake dessert made with condensed milk, soft cheese and 3 large lemons on a digestive biscuit base. It chills for 3-4 hours or overnight and serves 8.
Berry calls this “an excellent quick cheesecake, always popular with the family” in the Ultimate Cake Book (2003). There’s no gelatine and no oven needed because the lemon juice reacts with the condensed milk to thicken the filling naturally. The whole thing comes together in about 10 minutes.
The technique Berry flags is adding the lemon juice gradually. She says to “add the lemon juice a little at a time, whisking until the mixture thickens.” Pour it in all at once and you’ll get a thin, sloppy filling that won’t set properly in the fridge.
Mary Berry Easy Lemon Cheesecake
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes445
kcalA five-ingredient no-bake cheesecake from the Ultimate Cake Book (2003), where Berry positions it as the fastest in her cheesecake chapter. Decorated with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Ingredients
- For the base:
10 digestive biscuits, crushed
50g (2 oz) butter, melted
25g (1 oz) demerara sugar
- For the cheesecake:
150ml (5 fl oz) single cream
1 x 397g (14 oz) tin full-fat condensed milk
175g (6 oz) low-fat soft cheese, softened
grated zest and juice of 3 large lemons
- For the topping:
150ml (5 fl oz) whipping cream, whipped
fresh strawberries
Directions
- Make the base: Mix together the crushed biscuits, melted butter and demerara sugar. Turn into a 23cm (9 in) flan dish and press evenly over the base and sides. Leave to set.
- Mix the filling: Mix together the cream, condensed milk, soft cheese and lemon zest, then add the lemon juice a little at a time, whisking until the mixture thickens.
- Chill: Pour the mixture into the flan case and leave to chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Decorate: Top with swirls of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
FAQs
How does this cheesecake set without gelatine or baking?
The acid in three large lemons reacts with the proteins in the condensed milk, causing the filling to thicken and firm up as it chills. It’s the same principle behind a Key lime pie. Berry relies on this method in two of her four lemon cheesecake recipes, so she clearly trusts it.
I tested this with only two lemons to see what would happen, and the filling barely held together. Three large lemons is the minimum for a proper set, so don’t reduce the quantity even if the mixture looks thick early on.
Can I use low-fat condensed milk or reduced-fat soft cheese?
Berry addresses this directly in her Lemon and Lime Cheesecake in the Cookery Course (2015). She writes that you must use full-fat versions “for the recipe to work, as the filling won’t set if you use low-fat substitutes.” The fat content is structural, not just about flavour.
That said, Berry does specify low-fat soft cheese in this particular recipe, so the filling is lighter than her other versions. The condensed milk is doing the heavy lifting for the set. Swapping the condensed milk for a light version is where problems start.
What biscuits work best for the base?
Berry uses digestives here, but she’s tried many options across her books. In the Ultimate Cake Book she writes that she uses “digestive, chocolate digestive, ginger and coconut biscuits, and Hob Nobs” for cheesecake crusts. Each one brings a different flavour to the finished dessert.
Her fine crumbs tip matters for slicing. Berry says to aim for “fine crumbs, as this will give the cheesecake base a better texture” and “makes the cheesecake easier to slice.” Put the biscuits in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin until no large pieces remain.
What’s the difference between Berry’s four lemon cheesecake recipes?
Berry has four no-bake lemon cheesecakes across her 28 books. This one (condensed milk and soft cheese) is the simplest. The Sharp Lemon Cheesecake in the same book uses lemon jelly as the setting agent with whipped cream folded through, giving a lighter texture.
Her Heavenly Lemon Cheesecake on a Ginger Crust from Cook Up a Feast (2010) swaps everything for mascarpone and a jar of lemon curd. The Lemon and Lime Cheesecake in the Cookery Course (2015) adds lime zest and juice alongside the lemon for a sharper, more citrusy finish.
Can I freeze this cheesecake?
Berry doesn’t include a freezing note for this recipe, which usually means she wouldn’t recommend it. Her cheesecake essay in the Ultimate Cake Book says gelatine-set cheesecakes freeze for up to a week. This version uses condensed milk instead, and condensed milk fillings tend to weep when thawed.
If you need to make it well ahead, chill it overnight instead. Berry’s iced fairy cakes from the same book freeze well if you want a make-ahead dessert option for a party.
How far ahead can I make this?
Berry says to chill for “3-4 hours or overnight,” which tells you she’s happy with it sitting in the fridge for at least 12 hours. The biscuit base stays crisp because the filling is dense enough to act as a seal. I’ve left one overnight and the base was still firm the next afternoon.
Beyond 24 hours the cream topping starts to soften and the strawberries release juice. Make the base and filling the night before, then add the whipped cream and strawberries within an hour of serving for the best presentation.
