No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

A no bake chocolate cheesecake made with an oreo cookie crust, dark chocolate, mascarpone cheese, marshmallows and a hint of coffee. It's rich, velvety and completely indulgent. This easy no bake cheesecake requires little effort and is completely foolproof!

Because we all love a little chocolate from time to time, right?

We are a HUGE fan of no bake desserts. We love the creamy texture, the little effort that's usually involved and the big flavours. No bake in our opinion means a recipe that does not require an oven and is relatively easy to make. If it means melting some chocolate and butter over a stove then that is totally fine with us.

We're calling this a no bake chocolate cheesecake but there isn't any cream cheese involved. However there is mascarpone cheese that's folded in at the end and a special ingredient that we LOVE. Marshmallows!

The marshmallows melt into the chocolate and create a vanilla scented, thick and indulgent chocolate filling. It's SO damn good, and because we love all things Italian, we added espresso into the mix which gives it a nice kick.

Tip: If you don't like coffee or would rather not add it then replace it with water. This will give you a good, intense chocolate flavoured cheesecake. We've tried it both ways and they are both as equally good.

How To Make A No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake – Step By Step

First, melt half of the butter in a saucepan and add oreo cookies to a food processor (whole cookies including the white filling). Blitz the cookies to a fine crumb whilst adding the melted butter (photos 1 & 2).

Add the cubed butter, marshmallows, chocolate, water and espresso to a large saucepan on a low/medium heat. Stir the mixture until everything has completely melted. When there are only a few lumps of marshmallows left, turn the heat off and add the mascarpone. Stir the marscarpone into the chocolate mixture until combined (photos 4-6).

Tip: If there are still a few lumps of marshmallows left then turn the heat back on for a few seconds and stir until melted.

Tip: Adding a pinch of sea salt flakes brings out the chocolate flavour and makes it extra good.

Remove the chocolate cheesecake base from the fridge and pour the chocolate filling into the tin. Place it back in the fridge to set (photos 7-9).

More Chocolate Dessert Recipes To Try

• Chocolate panna cotta
• Homemade Nutella chocolate spread
• Italian hot chocolate
• Chocolate hazelnut ice cream
• Tiramisu ice cream

P.S The uneven spaces of frosting around the cheesecake were driving us crazy (top photo) but we KNOW if we tried to correct it we would've been left with a big brown, sticky mess (yeah, nice) and we probably would've cried.

Hope you enjoy and frosting tips are always welcome!

Ingredients

Makes 16 servings

• 24 oreo cookies ((264g))
• 4.9 oz (140g) butter
• 10.5 oz (300g) dark chocolate (good quality)
• 6.1 oz (175g) marshmallows (, cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup (110g) mascarpone cheese
• 2 tbsp strong espresso
• 1/3 cup (80ml) 1/3 cup water
• 1 very small pinch smoked sea salt flakes ((or regular))
• unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting ((optional))

Topping (opional)

• 4 heaped tbsp ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp fine granulated sugar

Method

1. First, melt half of the butter in a saucepan. Add the oreo cookies to a food processor (whole cookies including the white filling). Blitz the cookies to a fine crumb whilst adding the melted butter.

2. Add the crumbs to a lined cake tin (8.5 inch/22cm) and press it firmly with the back of a metal spoon to create a smooth, even layer. Place it in the fridge while you make the filling.

3. Cut the marshamallows into small pieces and brake up the chocolate into small chunks. Add them both to a large saucepan with the espresso, water and remaining half of the butter (cut into cubes).

4. Melt the mixture over a low/medium heat and stir the mixture until everything has completely melted. When there are only a few lumps of marshmallows left, turn the heat off and add the mascarpone.

5. Stir the marscarpone into the chocolate mixture until combined and add a tiny pinch of sea salt.

6. If there are still a few lumps of marshmallows left then turn the heat back on for a few seconds and stir until melted.

7. Remove the chocolate cheesecake base from the fridge and pour the chocolate filling into the tin. Place it back in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour (preferably 2-3). Dust with unsweetened cocoa powder before serving (optional).

For topping (optional)

1. Add the ricotta to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and sieve in the cocoa powder. Mix everything together, taste and add more sugar if necessary.

2. Add the mixture to a piping bag with a large star shaped nozzle. Pipe the frosting around the edge of the cheesecake and serve.

Kitchen notes

Tips

• Try adding orange zest, mint, vanilla or your favourite flavourings into the chocolate mixture.
• Replace the espresso with water if you don't want a coffee flavour.
• Overall time excludes chilling time.
• Can be frozen. Cut into individual portions before freezing, wrap in baking parchment and place in a sealed container. Let it thaw completely before serving.

Equipment Used

• An 8.5inch/22cm cake tin (these come in a set of 3. They are great non-stick pans that we've used for a long time).
• Our favourite pink spatula (we use this for everything from making making sauces, stews, baking and scraping every last drop of pesto out the food processor!)

[wprm-nutrition-label]