Are you looking for a deliciously sweet dessert to try? This is a salted caramel cheesecake with a buttery biscuit base, a layer of sweet and salty caramel!
This amazing no-bake cheesecake has a creamy rich vanilla and white chocolate filling. Topped with an extra drizzle of salted caramel, the added caramel popcorn brings the crunch.
Here’s how to make this incredibly decadent salted caramel cheesecake that’s perfect for Christmas.
Ingredients
For the caramel
- 225 ml (7.6 floz) double cream plus a couple of tablespoons set aside
- 140 g (4.9 oz) salted butter
- 140 g (4.9 oz) demerara sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For the biscuit base
- 100 g (3.5 oz) salted butter plus a little to grease
- 250 g (8.8 oz) digestive biscuits
For the cheesecake filling
- 600 g (1.3 lb) full fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 100 g (3.5 oz) icing sugar
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) double cream
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white chocolate
To finish:
- 30 g (1.1 oz) caramel popcorn
Equipment
Instructions
To prepare the caramel:
- Put all of the caramel ingredients in a pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly.
- After a few minutes, it will look frothy. Dip your spoon in, then rest it out of the pan so it cools for a minute until safe to touch. Draw your finger through it and if it leaves a line, it’s ready.
- Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
Prepare the biscuit base:
- Put the biscuits in a food processor and pulse briefly until you have a coarse crumb.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then mix it through the biscuit.
- Grease a 23cm springform tin well and then tip the biscuit crumb into it, pressing gently until you have a flat surface.
- Place in the freezer for 10 minutes, then remove, top with the cooled caramel (keeping a couple of tablespoons back), shake gently on the countertop to level off, then return the tin to the freezer while you make the filling (this just ensures the caramel layer firms up enough to hold its during assembly shape).
Prepare the filling:
- Beat the cream cheese to loosen, then beat in the vanilla and icing sugar.
- Either finely grate the white chocolate, or put it in a food processor and blitz it to a crumb – it should feel soft rather than gritty if you press it between your fingers.
- Tip the chocolate into the cream cheese and fold through.
- In another bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks (the cream will hold its shape if you make a peak, without it collapsing or curling over), then tip the cream cheese mixture into it and fold through gently until fully combined.
To finish:
- Remove the tin from the freezer, the caramel should feel firm if you press gently with your finger in the centre.
- Spoon the filling on top and use a silicon spatula to gently work the filling to the edges and level off.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours, or ideally over night.
- To serve, run a little hot water around the outside edges of the tin, then release – it should come away easily. Neaten the edges if necessary by running a warm, dry knife around the outside.
- Mix the cream and last bit of caramel you saved from earlier together to form a looser caramel and drizzle it over your cake.
- Scatter the popcorn generously over the top and serve. Popcorn softens in the fridge, so if preferred, keep it in its packet and just add it to the individual portions before you serve them.
What’s your favourite flavour of popcorn?
Some helpful hints for making the perfect no-bake 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 over mixed 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 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?
Possibly, 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.
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.
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 fix 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 it’s a dairy product it should be refrigerated as soon as it’s been made and eaten as soon as it’s out of the fridge. It will not be safe to eat if left out of the fridge for more than two hours. Leaving it out of the fridge will 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.
Enjoy! And don’t forget to pin for later.
Print this recipe
Here’s that salted caramel cheesecake recipe again in a printable format:
Salted caramel cheesecake
Ingredients
For the caramel
- 225 ml (7.6 floz) double cream plus a couple of tablespoons set aside
- 140 g (4.9 oz) salted butter
- 140 g (4.9 oz) demerara sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For the biscuit base
- 100 g (3.5 oz) salted butter plus a little to grease
- 250 g (8.8 oz) digestive biscuits
For the cheesecake filling
- 600 g (1.3 lb) full fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 100 g (3.5 oz) icing sugar
- 300 ml (10.1 floz) double cream
- 100 g (3.5 oz) white chocolate
To finish:
- 30 g (1.1 oz) caramel popcorn
Instructions
Prepare the caramel:
- Put all of the caramel ingredients in a pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly.
- After a few minutes, it will look frothy. Dip your spoon in, then rest it out of the pan so it cools for a minute until safe to touch. Draw your finger through it and if it leaves a line, it’s ready.
- Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
Prepare the biscuit base:
- Put the biscuits in a food processor and pulse briefly until you have a coarse crumb.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then mix it through the biscuit.
- Grease a 23cm springform tin well and then tip the biscuit crumb into it, pressing gently until you have a flat surface.
- Place in the freezer for 10 minutes, then remove, top with the cooled caramel (keeping a couple of tablespoons back), shake gently on the counter top to level off, then return the tin to the freezer while you make the filling (this just ensures the caramel layer firms up enough to hold its during assembly shape).
Prepare the filling:
- Beat the cream cheese to loosen, then beat in the vanilla and icing sugar.
- Either finely grate the white chocolate, or put it in a food processor and blitz it to a crumb – it should feel soft rather than gritty if you press it between your fingers.
- Tip the chocolate into the cream cheese and fold through.
- In another bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks (the cream will hold its shape if you make a peak, without it collapsing or curling over), then tip the cream cheese mixture into it and fold through gently until fully combined.
To finish:
- Remove the tin from the freezer, the caramel should feel firm if you press gently with your finger in the centre.
- Spoon the filling on top and use a silicon spatula to gently work the filling to the edges and level off.
- Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours, or ideally over night.
- To serve, run a little hot water around the outside edges of the tin, then release – it should come away easily. Neaten the edges if necessary by running a warm, dry knife around the outside.
- Mix the cream and last bit of caramel you saved from earlier together to form a looser caramel and drizzle it over your cake.
- Scatter the popcorn generously over the top and serve. Popcorn softens in the fridge, so if preferred, keep it in its packet and just add it to the individual portions before you serve them.
Notes
Nutrition
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lindsay says
Made the caramel salted cheesecake and have to say not being the best cook was so easy and to top it was the most delicious one i ever tried a thumbs up from kids too!!
Emily Leary says
That is SO lovely to hear – thank you!
Louisa says
I made this cheesecake for a dinner party, without the popcorn, didnt feel we needed it, and it was DEVINE. Looked amazing, and that caramel sauce? We licked the bowl. Thank you!
Emily Leary says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know. Made my day :)
Hannah says
Hi I want to try this recipe using a doughnut silicone mould. Do you think if I freeze the base and filling seperately in the two halves of the mould, it will be easy to remove and I can fit together?
Thanks, Hannah
Honest Mum says
Oh wow, drooling here, simply stunning-salted caramel must be one of my all-time favourite flavour combinations!