Mary Berry’s chocolate, brandy and ginger cheesecake is a no-bake, gelatine-set dessert on a ginger biscuit base with demerara sugar. Dark chocolate, brandy, and fresh ginger run through a cream cheese and soured cream filling, set in a 20cm (8 in) tin. It serves 8.
Berry calls it “a sophisticated cheesecake” in Baking Bible (2010). She invites you to add “a little more brandy” or increase the ginger if it’s “a favourite flavour.” Both amounts are left to your taste.
The gelatine must sponge before dissolving. Berry sprinkles powdered gelatine over cold water and leaves it for 10 minutes, then stands the bowl in simmering water until completely clear. Adding unsponged gelatine to a warm mixture creates lumps that won’t dissolve.
Mary Berry Chocolate, Brandy and Ginger Cheesecake
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes410
kcalFrom Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (2010), this gelatine-set cheesecake layers three bold flavours: dark chocolate (39% cocoa), brandy, and fresh ginger on a ginger biscuit base. Decorated with whipped cream, chocolate curls, and stem ginger.
Ingredients
- For the base:
100g (4 oz) ginger biscuits
50g (2 oz) butter
25g (1 oz) demerara sugar
- For the cheesecake:
100g (4 oz) plain chocolate (39% cocoa solids)
15g (½ oz) sachet powdered gelatine
3 tbsp cold water
2 large eggs, separated
50g (2 oz) caster sugar
100g (4 oz) full-fat soft cheese
150ml (¼ pint) soured cream
4 tbsp brandy
About 25g (1 oz) fresh ginger, finely chopped
- To decorate:
150ml (¼ pint) whipping or double cream, whipped (optional)
Chocolate curls
A few slices of stem ginger
Directions
- Make the base: Lightly grease a 20cm (8 in) loose-bottomed cake tin or springform tin. Put the biscuits into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs and sugar. Press into the prepared tin and leave to set.
- Melt the chocolate: Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly.
- Prepare the gelatine: Sprinkle the gelatine over the measured water in a small bowl and leave for 10 minutes to “sponge.” Stand the bowl in a pan of gently simmering water until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Leave to cool slightly.
Serve: When set, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Decorate with whipped cream if you like, chocolate curls, and slices of stem ginger. - Make the filling: Beat together the egg yolks, sugar and cheese in a large bowl. Add the soured cream and cooled chocolate. Stir in the dissolved gelatine. Whisk the egg whites until frothy and fold into the cheese mixture along with the brandy and chopped ginger. Pour onto the biscuit base and chill in the fridge to set.
- Serve: When set, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Decorate with whipped cream if you like, chocolate curls, and slices of stem ginger.
FAQs
Why does Berry use fresh ginger instead of ground?
Fresh ginger gives bursts of heat in individual bites rather than a uniform background warmth. Berry finely chops about 25g (1 oz), which distributes through the filling as small pieces you can see and taste. Ground ginger would blend invisibly into the chocolate and lose its punch.
The pairing with ginger biscuits in the base doubles the ginger presence. The biscuit base has a cooked, mellow ginger flavour, while the fresh ginger in the filling is sharper. Together they create two distinct ginger notes in every slice.
Can I adjust the brandy and ginger amounts?
Berry explicitly invites this. Her headnote reads: “If you like, you can add a little more brandy to the cheesecake filling. If ginger is a favourite flavour, the quantity used can be increased as well.” This is unusual for Berry, who normally gives precise quantities without wiggle room.
I’d suggest tasting the filling before folding in the egg whites. At 4 tablespoons, the brandy is noticeable but not overpowering. Adding a fifth tablespoon pushes it into boozy territory. For the ginger, 25g gives a gentle warmth, while 40g makes it properly fiery.
Why does Berry fold the egg whites in “frothy” rather than stiff?
Berry says to whisk egg whites “until frothy,” not until stiff peaks. This is deliberate. Frothy whites add lightness without creating a mousse-like texture. The filling should be smooth and creamy with a slight lift, not airy and foamy. Over-whisked whites would also be harder to fold evenly into the thick chocolate mixture.
The brandy, ginger, and dissolved gelatine all go in at the same stage as the egg whites, so you’re folding several ingredients at once. Frothy whites incorporate more easily at this point than stiff ones, reducing the risk of deflating or leaving white streaks.
How does this compare to Berry’s chocolate chip cheesecake?
Both are no-bake and gelatine-set, but the flavour profiles are different. Berry’s chocolate chip cheesecake uses a muesli base and adds texture with chopped chocolate chips. This recipe uses a ginger biscuit base and gets its complexity from brandy and fresh ginger instead.
The filling proportions also differ. This recipe uses just 100g cream cheese to 150ml soured cream, making it lighter. The chip version uses 250g cream cheese and less soured cream, giving a denser set. This cheesecake feels more like a French chocolate mousse on a biscuit base.
What cocoa percentage should I use?
Berry specifies “plain chocolate (39 per cent cocoa solids),” the same as her chocolate ripple cheesecake. At 39%, the chocolate is mild enough not to compete with the brandy and ginger, which are the lead flavours. Higher percentages would push the chocolate forward and mask the ginger.
Standard supermarket cooking chocolate (Bournville at 36% or own-brand at around 40%) falls in Berry’s intended range. Avoid anything marketed as “dark” or “intense” (usually 50%+) because it’ll dominate the other flavours.
What’s stem ginger and where do I find it?
Stem ginger is young ginger preserved in sugar syrup, sold in jars in the baking aisle of most UK supermarkets. Berry uses slices of it to decorate the top. It’s softer and sweeter than fresh ginger, with a translucent, amber appearance that looks elegant alongside the chocolate curls.
The syrup from the jar can be drizzled over individual slices when serving for extra ginger flavour. Berry doesn’t mention this, but it’s a trick I picked up: a teaspoon of stem ginger syrup on each plate adds another layer without extra effort.
