Mary Berry’s lemon and lime cheesecake is a no-bake dessert made with double cream, condensed milk and cream cheese, sharpened with 2 lemons and 1½ limes. It sets on a digestive base in a 20cm (8 in) tart tin and serves 4-6.
Berry published this in her Cookery Course (2015), her most detailed teaching book. She photographs each stage of crushing biscuits and whipping cream to show the technique. The lime is what sets it apart from her earlier lemon-only cheesecakes, adding a citrus sharpness that straight lemon can’t match.
Berry flags one rule that applies to every no-bake cheesecake she makes. She writes “you must use full-fat condensed milk and cream cheese for the recipe to work, as the filling won’t set if you use low-fat substitutes.” That single sentence answers the question I get asked most about this style of dessert.
Mary Berry Lemon and Lime Cheesecake
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings20
minutes560
kcalFrom the Cookery Course (2015), Berry’s teaching version of a no-bake citrus cheesecake with step-by-step photography. The only version where she states the full-fat rule explicitly.
Ingredients
- For the base:
10 digestive biscuits, crushed
50g (1¾ oz) butter, melted
25g (scant 1 oz) demerara sugar
- For the filling:
150ml (5 fl oz) double cream
397g tin full-fat condensed milk
175g (6 oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
grated zest and juice of 2 large lemons
grated zest and juice of 1½ limes
- To decorate:
150ml (5 fl oz) double or whipping cream
½ lime, thinly sliced
Directions
- Make the base: Place the crushed biscuits together with the butter and sugar in a medium bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Turn the mixture out into the tart tin and press firmly and evenly over the bottom and up the sides using the back of a metal spoon. Chill for 30 minutes until set.
- Mix the filling: Place the double cream, condensed milk and cream cheese in a bowl with the lemon and lime zests. Mix thoroughly. Using a balloon whisk, gradually whisk in the lemon and lime juices and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.
- Chill overnight: Pour the filling into the crumb crust and spread it evenly. Cover and chill overnight.
- Decorate and serve: Up to 6 hours before serving, whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with swirls of whipped cream and slices of lime, then return to the fridge.
FAQs
Why does this version use double cream instead of single?
Berry’s earlier Easy Lemon Cheesecake in the Ultimate Cake Book (2003) uses single cream, but this Cookery Course version switches to double. Double cream has roughly twice the fat content, which helps the filling set firmer and hold its shape when sliced. The lime juice adds extra acid too, so the filling is thicker overall.
The swap also makes the cheesecake richer. Berry serves this one in smaller portions (4-6 rather than 8) because each slice is denser. If you find it too heavy, Berry’s Easy version with single cream and low-fat soft cheese is the lighter alternative.
How do I know when the filling has thickened enough?
Berry says to “continue whisking until the mixture thickens.” You’ll feel the resistance change through the whisk as the acid reacts with the condensed milk. The filling should hold a soft trail on the surface for 3 seconds before sinking back.
Don’t worry if the filling looks loose when you first add the juice. Berry notes in the Cookery Course that “the mixture will seem to thicken on standing, then loosen again as soon as it is stirred.” This loosening is normal, so keep whisking steadily and it will come together.
Can I use just lemons without the lime?
That’s Berry’s Easy Lemon Cheesecake from the Ultimate Cake Book, which uses 3 large lemons and no lime. The lime brings a floral, slightly bitter note that straight lemon doesn’t have. It also makes the filling a touch sharper, which Berry balances with the switch to double cream and full-fat cream cheese.
If you drop the lime, increase to 3 large lemons and switch to single cream and low-fat soft cheese to match Berry’s original. Without the lime’s sharpness, the double cream version tastes too rich.
Why does Berry insist on full-fat cream cheese here?
The fat in cream cheese helps the filling emulsify with the condensed milk and citrus juice. Low-fat cream cheese has added stabilisers and water that interfere with this reaction, so the filling stays runny instead of setting. Berry is unusually direct about this: “the filling won’t set if you use low-fat substitutes.”
She specifies “at room temperature” too, which matters. Cold cream cheese forms lumps when you mix it with liquid. Berry gives the same advice for her baked American-style Cheesecake: “take the cream cheese out of the fridge at least 2 hours before making.”
How long does the overnight chill take?
Berry says “cover and chill overnight” without giving a minimum number of hours. In practice, 8 hours is enough for a solid set. I’ve tried pulling it at 6 hours and the centre was still slightly soft, though it held its shape on the plate.
The decoration step adds more time. Berry says to add the cream and lime slices “up to 6 hours before serving.” That means the cheesecake needs a full overnight set before you start decorating. Factor in both stages when planning ahead.
What’s the best way to get this out of the tart tin?
Place the tin on a tall tin or jar so the outer ring drops away. Berry uses a loose-bottomed tart tin for exactly this reason. If the base is firm (30 minutes of chilling before filling helps), slide it off the metal base onto a plate with a palette knife.
Berry’s method for her iced fairy cakes doesn’t translate here since those are individual portions. For whole cheesecakes, the hot-knife trick helps too: run a knife under hot water and wipe dry before slicing, and each piece will come away cleanly.
