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Gluten-free Black Forest Cheesecake Recipe (No-Bake)

Gluten-free black forest cheesecake recipe - a no-bake dessert that couldn't be easier to whip up. Nobody would know it's Coeliac-friendly and wheat-free!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 -15 slices
Author Becky Excell

Ingredients

For the base:

  • 320 g gluten-free digestive biscuits
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 150 g butter

For the cheesecake layer:

  • 500 g full fat cream cheese I used Mascarpone for this one but Philadelphia is great too
  • 100 g icing sugar
  • 300 ml double cream
  • 225 g chocolate dark or milk
  • 2-3 tsp Kirsch syrup taken from a jar of cherries soaked in Kirsch - linked in FAQ section

For the cherry layer

  • 7-8 tbsp cherry jam
  • 3 tbsp Kirsch syrup or cherry liqueur
  • 15 cherries soaked in Kirsch taken from a jar of cherries soaked in Kirsch - linked in FAQ section

For the topping

  • 200 ml double cream
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp Kirsch syrup
  • 6 fresh cherries destoned
  • 50 g chocolate dark or milk, grated

Instructions

For the base:

  • Firstly, make your base. Crush your gluten free biscuits - either place them in a sandwich bag and hit them with a rolling pin or you can place them in a food processor and blitz, but don't over blitz them into a fine dust!
  • Add in your 2 tbsp of cocoa powder and mix in thoroughly (I give mine a quick blitz to ensure it's evenly dispersed)
  • Melt your butter - I do this in the microwave on a medium power (600W) for around 30 seconds to 1 minute. But if it melts before this time, stop - it's done!
  • Pour your melted butter into your cocoa crushed biscuits and mix together in a bowl.
  • Press your biscuit mixture into the tin you are going to be making your cheesecake in. Press it down nice and firmly. I use a 20cm loose bottom tin (linked above and below).
  • Place it in the fridge to chill whilst you make your cheesecake top. (I leave mine in the fridge for at least 30 minutes)

For the cheesecake filling:

  • Melt your milk or dark chocolate, either in the microwave or over a bain marie. Leave to cool but not to solidify.
  • Mix together your mascarpone (cream cheese) and icing sugar. I use my electric hand mixer to do this on a low/medium setting for only about 10-20 seconds. You could use a stand mixer too.
  • Add in the double cream and keep mixing until it firms up a little. (I had my mixer on for just under 2 minutes for this - try not to over mix though... don't let it split!)
  • Pour in your melted milk or dark chocolate and mix in briefly to combine. I tend to do this by hand so I can be really careful not to split the mixture.
  • Then carefully fold in your Kirsch syrup - this is simply the liquid from the jar of cherries soaked in Kirsch (linked in FAQ section).
  • Spoon your chocolate filling on top of the chilled base, then use a palette knife to smooth over the top. Place in the fridge to chill, ideally overnight but no less than 5 hours.

To assemble:

  • Remove your cheesecake from the fridge and push it out of the tin and place on your serving plate.
  • Mix your jam, Kirsch syrup and 15 soaked cherries together (add the liquid gradually so it doesn't become too runny) and then spoon over the top of cheesecake. Spread it and allow to drip slightly down the sides too.
  • Pour your cream into a bowl and add your icing sugar. Whisk until just past soft peaks and then gently fold in your Kirsch syrup. Pop into a piping bag with a closed star nozzle - see the FAQ section for which specific nozzle I used to pipe.
  • Once ready to serve, pipe the cream around the edge of the cheesecake and then place a fresh cherry on top of each.
  • Sprinkle your grated chocolate all over the centre of your cheesecake.
  • Keep any extras in the fridge.