Vanilla Cheesecake
This no-bake vanilla cheesecake has a buttery biscuit base, a vanilla cheesecake filling, and is topped with double cream and fresh fruit.
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Baking Basics
Okay, let’s go back to basics. I already have a few baking basics on my blog, like my vanilla cupcakes, Victoria sponge, and buttermilk scones. I’ve never really thought of them as basic recipes before, but I decided to create a series of simple ones. That way, if you’re looking for something easy or just starting out with baking and wondering where to begin, you can try out these recipes.
This vanilla cheesecake is a baking basic because it’s super simple to make. And to be honest, it forms the base of pretty much all of the cheesecake recipes on my blog. Once you’ve mastered the basics of this cheesecake, you can start experimenting with different flavours, biscuit bases, toppings, and so much more.
Biscuit Base
As with all cheesecake bases, I made this one using digestive biscuits. You can use any plain biscuit as the base—Hobnobs are also great if you’re in the UK. If you’re in the US, Graham crackers will work well too.
The biscuits need to be crushed to a fine crumb. I find the easiest way to do this is by using a food processor to blitz them. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the biscuits in a food-safe bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Related Recipes
You could also use a chocolate biscuit or one with a filling if you prefer. If you do, you’ll need to reduce the amount of butter—check the alternatives section below for measurements.
Once the biscuits are crushed, mix in the melted butter. You can use either unsalted butter, baking spread, or margarine. The choice is down to personal preference. I prefer unsalted butter as I find it sets more firmly in the fridge. If you prefer a softer base, I’d recommend using a baking spread.
Cake Tin
There are lots of different types of round cake tins available, but for a cheesecake, I use an 8” round springform tin.
I prefer a springform tin over a loose-based one because it makes it so much easier to remove the cheesecake. A springform tin has a clip on the side—once your cheesecake has set, you just unclip it, give it a slight shake to loosen the sides, and lift the tin away.
If you use a loose-bottomed cake tin, you need to push the base up and out, which often leads to bits of cheesecake sticking to the biscuit base.
Vanilla Cheesecake
The star of this cheesecake is, of course, the vanilla cheesecake filling. It’s super simple to make and only requires three ingredients: soft cheese, double cream, and vanilla extract.
Make sure the soft cheese is full-fat, as the fat helps it to set. If you use a low-fat version, the cheesecake won’t set properly.
You can use any brand of soft cheese—here in the UK, the most popular is probably Philadelphia. However, it can be pricey, so a supermarket own-brand will work just as well, as long as it’s full-fat.
Before using the soft cheese, drain off any excess liquid. Add the soft cheese to a mixing bowl and whisk for about a minute, just until it starts to thicken.
Next, add your double cream. There are two ways to do this, and it’s really down to personal preference. Some people add the double cream straight into the soft cheese and whisk everything together until stiff peaks form. Others find this tricky and prefer to whip the double cream separately before folding it into the soft cheese.
Both methods work perfectly well. The key is to ensure the cheesecake mixture is thick enough to hold its shape. If you scoop some up with a spoon or spatula and turn it upside down, it shouldn’t fall off.
If the mixture thickens and then turns back to liquid, it means you’ve over-whisked and split the mixture. Unfortunately, there’s no saving it at that point—but you can pop it into the freezer; it will still taste delicious.
The final and most important ingredient is the vanilla. I use vanilla bean paste, which gives lovely little flecks of vanilla throughout the cheesecake. Vanilla extract will also work perfectly.
Decoration
I wanted to keep the decoration simple, so I used fresh fruit and whipped double cream.
I whisked the double cream in a bowl until it formed stiff peaks, then piped it onto the top of the cheesecake. Of course, decoration is entirely optional, and you can decorate your cheesecake however you like.
Alternatives
This cheesecake serves as the base for many different flavours. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can experiment by adding different flavourings, melted chocolate, or even chunks of your favourite chocolate bars.
I used digestive biscuits for the base, but you can swap them for chocolate biscuits or biscuits with a filling. If you do, reduce the amount of butter by 25g.
Equipment
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Vanilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Biscuit Base
- 300 g Digestive Biscuits
- 150 g Unsalted Butter
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 800 g Soft Cheese
- 300 ml Double Cream
- 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
For the Decoration
- 300 ml Double Cream
- Fresh Fruit (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Biscuit Base
- Add your biscuits to a food processor and blitz until they are fine crumbs.
- Add the butter and pulse for 20-30 seconds until the butter is incorporated and the biscuits now resemble wet sand.
- Pour the mixture into your cake tin and press down with the back of a spoon, until the entire base is covered by the biscuit and it is nice and level. Leave it to one side.
To Make the Cheesecake Filling
- In a bowl, whisk the soft cheese until it is nice and thick.
- While whisking, slowly pour the double cream into the soft cheese. Continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and holds stiff peaks.
- Mix through the Vanilla Extract.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the biscuit base and smooth.
- Put the cheesecake into the fridge overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
To Decorate
- Once the cheesecake has set, remove it from the tin and place it onto your serving plate.
- In a bowl, whisk the double cream until thick and it forms soft peaks.
- Pipe the cream onto the top of the cheesecake and decorate with fresh fruit.
Notes
- This Vanilla Cheesecake will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I decorated with fresh fruit, but you can decorate however you fancy.
- I use this 8″ springform tin.