No-bake lemon and white chocolate cheesecake

This no-bake lemon and white chocolate cheesecake is just perfect for Spring.

A sweet, crunchy base of biscuit supports a generous layer of smooth, cool white chocolate cheesecake filling, topped with a thick glaze of tart, homemade lemon curd.

When you hear that you'll making the lemon curd from scratch, you might think that this white chocolate cheesecake is tricky to make but no! It's a breeze! And best of all, there's no baking involved. Hurrah!

Here's how to make the best dessert you'll try this Spring. And if you love zingy lemon flavoured desserts, be sure to check out my incredible lemon drizzle cake next!

Instructions

Blitz the digestive biscuits to a fine crumb in the food processor. If you don't have one, you can pop the biscuits in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin before tipping into a bowl.

Add the melted butter and blitz again briefly until combined.

Tip the crumb into a greased 23cm (9in) springform tin.

Press down firmly to create an even base, then place in the fridge to chill.

In bowl, whisk the cream cheese, cream and vanilla until thick.

Add the sugar and whisk again.

Add the cooled melted white chocolate and beat briefly to combine.

Tip the filling into the tin.

Level off with a spatula and return the tin to the fridge.

To make the lemon curd, I've always used this method my mum taught me, which seems pretty much identical to the one you'll find on both Nigel Slater's website, and BBC Good Food, so it must be good!

Place the lemon juice, lemon rind, butter and sugar into a bowl and heat gently over a pan of simmering water until the butter has melted.

Add the room temperature eggs and whisk until fully combined.

Continue to heat over the pan, stirring occasionally until it has thickened enough to leave a trail if you run your finger over the back of the spoon.

Leave to cool completely, then pour into the tin.

Swirl the tin gently to level off and return to the fridge to firm up for a couple of hours or, ideally, overnight.

Enjoy!

We loved this cheesecake! Will you give it a go?

Some helpful hints for making the perfect no-bake lemon and white chocolate cheesecake

Why did my no-bake cheesecake not set?

If your ingredient quantities are correct and your fridge is suitably chilled the most common answer is 'because it hasn't been long enough'. Give it several more hours in the fridge, and preferably overnight, and it should set.

If you've left it overnight and it still hasn't set there's a good chance you overmixed the cream cheese. Over mixing will interfere with the delicate structure of the cream cheese, so mix by hand rather than a stand mixer and don't be too rough.

Why is my no-bake cheesecake lumpy?

Usually, if your cheesecake has lumps this is a result of not beating the cream cheese enough first to loosen it properly. You can also give the cream cheese a few minutes to rest and come up to nearer room temperature first which should help get the lumps out.

Will no-bake cheesecake set faster in the freezer?

You could indeed set your cheesecake in the freezer, but you'll run this risk of freezing the outside of the cheesecake if it's in there for several hours, which will negatively affect the texture.

If you're in a hurry, it's best to pop the cheesecake in the freezer for no more than half an hour, just to bring the temperature down quickly, and then transfer to the fridge.

My base fell apart, how can I make it stick together more?

The most common cause is the biscuit base was not packed down firmly enough, or a too big a tin was used, making the base too thin.

Another tip is to make sure your quantities of biscuit and butter are correct and that your biscuit crumbs are the right consistency. If they're too big there will be too much space between the crumbs, which will make it crumbly (hah!), and if they're too small the base will be too dense and difficult to cut without applying a lot of pressure and running the risk of cracking.

Will no-bake cheesecake set without gelatin?

Yes, absolutely, and for the best possible texture, I would recommend not using any gelatin.

Why did my no-bake cheesecake stick to the pan?

Running a little hot water around the outside of the tin will work wonders when it comes to releasing it neatly from the base. If you're worried about getting water on your cheesecake you can also run hot water over a clean tea towel and wrap it around the outside of the cake for a minute.

If you're having trouble getting it off the base of the tin a warm, dry palette knife slid underneath will help. And remember to slide the cheesecake gently onto the plate (a large spatula can help here).

If you used a fixed bottom rather than springform tin you will be in trouble though! Your best bet is to cut it into slices inside the tin and try to carefully lift it out with a spatula a slice at a time.

Can no-bake cheesecake be made in advance?

Yes, making the cheesecake the day before won't impact the flavour or texture and will give it plenty of time to set overnight.

Can no-bake cheesecake be left out of the fridge? Will cheesecake melt?

As cheesecake is made with dairy products, it should be refrigerated as soon as it has been made, and kept in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Once you have served your cheesecake, any leftovers should go back in the fridge.

It is important that you do not leave your cheesecake out of the fridge for more than two hours. Leaving it out of the fridge will may also affect the texture negatively.

Can you freeze no-bake cheesecake?

Yes, although you'll lose a little of that rich, creamy texture, it will work. Slicing the cheesecake first and carefully placing the sections a centimetre or so apart will let you only take out and defrost only what you need, and take a lot less time to defrost. Make sure to defrost in the fridge overnight and eat the next day.

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