Cheddar Cheesecake

Why you’ll love this Cheddar Cheesecake

• All the flavours you adore from your favourite cheddar are present.
• It’s a sweet dessert but the cheddar gives it a savoury tang that will keep you coming back for more.
• The sweet cheddar filling sits within a crisp buttery biscuit crust for an ideal texture contrast.
• It’s easy to make, perfect if you need to make a dessert in advance and is guaranteed to become the centre of conversation when you serve it.

The golden rules of making a perfect cheesecake

Cheesecakes are so easy to make provided you follow a few necessary rules:

• You must use a springform tin. Otherwise there’s just no way of getting that cheesecake out.
• Pre-bake your crust so it doesn’t go soggy.
• Bake your cheesecake in a waterbath for no-cracking and a lovely texture.
• Cool your cheesecake slowly and thoroughly.

What ingredients do we need?

• Cheddar cheese – for a cheesecake with full on cheddar flavour use a really good quality cheese. Dry, nutty and of medium – strong maturity.
• Cream cheese – it adds creaminess to the filling. For the best cheesecake you must use full-fat.
• Sour cream – that dairy tang is a perfect match for the rich cheese flavour.
• Caster sugar – we use just enough for sweetness but not too much that it tempers the cheddar.
• Cornflour (cornstarch) – it makes the cheesecake a little lighter and creamier. Essential since otherwise the filling could be a bit dense.
• Vanilla extract – use good quality extract for pure vanilla taste. I like Neilsen Massey
• Eggs – medium, free range.

And for the biscuit base

• Biscuits – this recipe uses gluten-free oat biscuits for the cheesecake crust. However you could use digestives, graham crackers or hobnobs. Although if I really want to push the boat out I’ll use these Homemade Digestive Biscuits.
• Unsalted butter – for a gorgeous buttery flavour. You can use salted but then leave out the salt.
• Salt – to balance out the flavours.

How do you make Cheddar Cheesecake?

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Make the biscuit crust. Whizz up the biscuits and salt in a food processor then pour in melted butter until it combines with the biscuit to become a thick sandy texture. Press into a springform tin and bake.
• Make the filling. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into the crust.
• Bake in a waterbath. Double wrap the baking tin so the water doesn’t seep into the cheesecake then place in a larger tin and fill the outside tin with water until the water level goes halfway up the cheesecake.
• Cool the cheesecake. Cool in the oven for the first hour then finish cooling on the kitchen counter before transferring to the fridge to chill overnight before serving.

Tips for a perfect biscuit crust

• Pulse the biscuit crumbs in the food processor for more even crumbling. Another method is to place the biscuits in a clear plastic food bag and bash with a rolling pin. This is a surprisingly effective method.
• Let the butter cool slightly before mixing with the biscuit crumbs, this will prevent the biscuit base from becoming greasy.
• No need to grease the springform tin.
• Pack the crust into the tin with a straight sided glass tumbler, then it’s easy to move the crust up the sides of the tin.
• The crust is pre-baked for 10 minutes so it sets firm giving a solid base for the cheesecake filling which won’t crumble when you cut it.

Tips for making the filling

• Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature so they blend together evenly.
• Try not to over mix the filling once the eggs are added.
• Pour the filling into the cheesecake crust once the tin has been double wrapped and placed in the waterbath. That way the filling won’t spill around as you’re sorting out the tin.

How to bake a cheesecake in a waterbath

Baking the cheesecake in a waterbath helps prevent cracking and is very important to allow the cheesecake to bake evenly. Springform tins are not watertight so you need to make sure to wrap a double layer of foil around the tin so the water doesn’t get in.

BEST LEAKPROOF TIP! However, to ensure absolutely no water has a chance of getting near your cheesecake then the best tip is use a slow cooker liner. Place the tin (wrapped in foil) inside a slow cooker liner. You can tie the excess liner up at the side or fold down it that’s easier. These liners are absolutely watertight and oven proof. Plus you can re-use them again and again.

Place the double wrapped tin in either a larger cake tin or roasting tray with high sides.

Pour just boiled water into the outside tin so that the water level is halfway up the sides of the cheesecake. Place in the oven and bake for the directed amount of time.

How to serve Cheddar Cheesecake

Serve your Cheddar Cheesecake with freshly whipped double cream (slightly sweetened with a whisper of icing sugar) and some fresh fruit.

Or you could drizzle a fresh fruit compote over the cheesecake when serving. I like apricot compote, as the combination of nutty cheddar and fragrant apricot is divine.

Strawberry, blueberry or even cherry compote also work well

Can you freeze it?

Cheesecake freezes really well for up to 2 months. If you are freezing a whole cheesecake then place it in the freezer still in its springform tin. Freeze it overnight then remove from the tin and wrap well in clingfilm and foil and place back into the freezer to store.

You can also freeze leftover slices layered in airtight containers with baking parchment between the layers.

To defrost the whole cheesecake, unwrap from the cling film and foil then place in the fridge overnight before serving.

Individual slices take about 1-2 hours to defrost on the kitchen counter. However, if you can’t wait that long, a slightly frozen cheesecake is an absolutely sublime treat.

More cheesecakes you’ll love!

• Goats Cheese Honey and Thyme Cheesecake
• Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Cheesecake
• White Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake
• Blackberry Cheesecake Hazelnut Oat Bars