Sticky Toffee Cheesecake (no-bake)
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This easy no-bake Sticky Toffee Cheesecake is lusciously light yet indulgent with a gluten-free spiced speculoos style buttery biscuit crust and indulgently soft and creamy filling, topped with a silky sticky toffee topping.
I will choose to make and eat a no-bake cheesecake over a baked cheesecake every single time. You could put it down to retro nostalgia as we didn’t really have baked cheesecakes growing up (they were considered American-style). But even more so you can attribute it to the crisp biscuity base and the soft, creamy filling with a whisper of tang from the sour cream (which I always add). So much lighter with whipped freshness contrasted to a denser baked cheesecake. It’s an unrivalled make-ahead dessert in my opinion.
I have a number of no-bake cheesecakes on the website (including White Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake and Lemon Curd Cheesecake) because they are such easy make-ahead assembly desserts which seem to cause a storm of appreciation whenever presented to friends and family. Plus they are such an easy dessert to make gluten-free. I bore people senseless with my constant perplexity as to why more restaurants don’t make their cheesecakes with gluten-free biscuits so we can all enjoy them. It’s a simple switch and no one is any the wiser as you can now buy in superb gluten-free biscuits.
Particularly for this recipe when we are using speculoos style (aka gluten-free Biscoffs). They taste of gorgeous spice and caramel which is a perfect accompaniment to our sticky toffee sauce. So much so that you’ll not regret sprinkling more over the top of your whipped cream clouds to finish.
We’ll go through the quick and easy step-by-step process with images and a video, the best biscuits to buy (or make if you are super keen) and how to make ahead and store for the best results.
Why You’ll Love This Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
- Speculoos style biscuits which adds a spicy caramelised flavour to our buttery crust.
- Tangy fresh whipped and airy filling. This is a creamy not cloying dessert with delicious texture.
- Not too much sweetness so we can accompany it perfectly with our sumptuously smooth sticky toffee topping.
- No gelatine needed. The filling is stablised through using whipped double cream and cream cheese which is thoroughly chilled overnight.
- Gluten-free. This is an easy gluten-free dessert when you use gluten-free speculoos style biscuits which are easy to buy from most larger UK supermarkets (brands recommended below).
- Make ahead. This is a really simple assembly dessert which you can make ahead and stash away in the refrigerator for easy entertaining.
Watch the Video
Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your Sticky Toffee Cheesecake.
Ingredients Needed
Speculoos style biscuits. I used gluten-free biscuits for the biscuit crust and I particularly recommend Nairn’s Caramelised Biscuit Moments which are very delicious (but do contain oats if you need to be careful of that). Otherwise you can use Schar Spekulatius Spiced Biscuits or regular Biscoff Biscuits (if gluten-free ingredients are not necessary for you).
Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here to help make the crust so you can control the salt content. You need it melted but then make sure it’s cooled before you add it to your biscuit crumbs. If you can’t get hold of unsalted butter then you can use salted but then omit the salt.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
Cream cheese. I do like a branded cream cheese in my cheesecake, cheaper supermarket versions can be a little watery. And do choose a full fat cream cheese this is not really the occasion for low-fat as it does affect the flavour and texture.
Sour cream. It may seem overkill to add in another cream – as you are also using double cream but it adds more creaminess so the filling is extra luxurious and sour cream adds a lovely tang to contrast with the rich toffee flavour.
Icing sugar (powdered sugar / confectioners' sugar). You just need a little to sweeten the cheesecake.
Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nielsen Massey.
Double cream. You need double cream for both the cheesecake filling and the sticky toffee sauce. By whipping the double cream into the filling it helps set the cheesecake without the need for any setting agents. You can substitute heavy cream.
Dark brown sugar. We use this for making the sticky toffee sauce. You can substitute for light brown sugar but then add a little more black treacle to compensate.
Black treacle. You need this to add a deep molasses flavour to the sticky toffee sauce. If you don’t have it then you can substitute for dark molasses (although the flavour isn’t quite as deep or nuanced).
How To Make Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Sticky Toffee Sauce
Melt the butter in a small/medium saucepan. Whisk in the brown sugar and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth. Pour in the double cream slowly and whisk in to combine. Stir in the black treacle until melted. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool before allowing to cool or chill.
Cheesecake
Drop the biscuits into a food processor and process until they reach fine crumbs.
With the mixer still running add the cooled melted butter and salt and mix until the mixture resembles wet sand. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a springform tin.
Use a silicone spatula or the base of a glass to press the crumbs into an even layer at the base of the cake tin and up the sides. The pie crust should be about 3cm (1 inch) deep. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set (or in the fridge for 1 hour).
Meanwhile, to make the cheesecake filling, place the cream cheese, sour cream, icing sugar and vanilla into a large bowl. Beat the mixture until smooth and creamy.
In a separate bowl, whip 200g of the double cream (the rest is needed for the topping) until it is thick and just beginning the soft peak stage.
Gently fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
Remove the set biscuit base from the freezer (or fridge). Pour in the cheesecake filling, smoothing the top to a nice finish.
Pour the cooled sticky toffee sauce over the top of the set cheesecake. Whip the remaining 300g double cream to the soft peak stage. Spoon at the edges of the cheesecake.
Smash the extra 30g biscuits to create fine crumbs then sprinkle over the top of the whipped cream edge.
Tips and Troubleshooting
For a full breakdown on how to make the Sticky Toffee Sauce you can go directly to this Sticky Toffee Sauce recipe.
Use a springform tin for your cheesecake as then it’s easy to remove after it’s set. A trick is to make sure to set the bottom of it so it doesn’t have a lip inside (you might need to turn it upside down depending on the brand) as that way after you have removed the sides you can slide your cake lifter easily between the base of the cheesecake and the tin to unattach them.
You don’t need to butter your tin.
Biscuit base. You might wonder if the biscuit base is going to set as it seems quite crumbly when you are trying to shape it into the baking tin but believe me it will work just fine.
Use a glass with a 90 degree straight base and sides to flatten and even out the crumbs. Push the crumbs up the sides of the tin. It can take a good 10 minutes to make sure the crust is of even thickness at the base and up the sides of the tin. Pinch the top of the sides together to make sure the crumbs are tight and won’t crumble.
Fridge or freezer. You can chill your cheesecake in the fridge to set the base which takes at least an hour. Or you can set it in the freezer for just 30 minutes.
Whip the double cream to very soft peaks. The double cream will stiffen more when you fold it into the other ingredients, so make sure it’s not overwhipped or it could split when added to the filling.
In a similar way when you are whipping the double cream for the top of the cheesecake make sure not to overwhip. If you have very soft peaks you can even pipe onto the cheesecake. I chose to use a teaspoon here to apply the cream on top to create a rustic look which is very easy to achieve.
Thickened but pourable toffee sauce. When you are adding the toffee sauce to the top of the cheesecake make sure the sauce is completely cool but still pourable. I recommend making the sauce ahead of time and chilling in the fridge for a couple of hours (or overnight). When it’s time to use it then loosen the sauce in a saucepan over a warm heat. You don’t want to warm the sauce – just whisk until it’s of a smooth pourable consistency.
I suggest once you have added the toffee sauce then to chill your cheesecake overnight before finishing with the double cream topping and biscuit crumbs. This way you can get really smooth and clean slices when you are serving as the cheesecake will have fully set.
Use a clean warm knife to help achieve really smooth slices. Clean the knife in between cuts.
Making Ahead
I recommend making it up until the whipped cream topping up to 2 days ahead of time. On the day of serving you can finish it off with the cream and biscuit crumbs to ensure freshness.
Storing
The cheesecake can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store in the baking tin to retain the shape and protect it and then wrap in cling film (plastic wrap) or if you can fit the whole lot (and you have space for it in the fridge) into an airtight container then that’s optimum.
Freezing
Cheesecake freezes wonderfully. If you are freezing the whole cheesecake then I recommend keeping it in the baking tin to retain the shape and protect it. Double wrap with cling film (plastic wrap) and aluminium foil to prevent freezer burn. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
If you are freezing leftover slices then tuck the slices into stackable airtight containers, make sure to label and date. They will thaw very quickly at room temperature (about 1-2 hours).
Either way you can freeze successfully for up to 3 months.
FAQs
If you don’t have a food processor you could make the biscuits crumbs by hand. Place the biscuits in a large food storage bag to keep them all together. Take a rolling bin and start bashing the biscuits up. Once they are rubbling down then you can achieve good results by rolling the crumbs down even further until they become very fine. Pour the melted butter into the bag and mix.
If your biscuit base is crumbling then you need to spend more time tightening it together pre-chill. It does take more time than you think it would to get a really neatly packed crust. It should look clean and smooth before you chill it.
There is no need to bake the biscuit base, you can achieve a very good set crust just by chilling in the refrigerator (or freezer) as there is enough butter to hold it together.
Use a springform tin. This is where the sides can be locked or unlocked apart which is how you can remove the whole cheesecake at once from the tin. This recipe uses a 20cm (8 inch) round x 7cm (2.5 inches) deep springform cake tin.
Your filling can look a little grainy if you have overwhipped your double cream. Always aim for whipping your cream until it is thick and just starting to hold its shape as it always thickens more when you fold it into the other filling ingredients.
More Sticky Toffee Recipes You’ll Love
Sticky Toffee Pavlova combines two incredible desserts – rich Sticky Toffee Pudding and a light and fluffy Pavlova. A crisp and marshmallowy meringue base is piled high with clouds of mascarpone cream, drizzled liberally with a sticky toffee sauce and generously topped with a soft date cake crumble.
This festive Sticky Toffee Christmas Pudding has all the flavour of your traditional Christmas Pudding but with inspiration borrowed from your favourite classic pub dessert. The final touch is the luxurious pouring of rich toffee sauce which can be done showmanship style at the table in front of your guests for extra wow factor.
Baileys Sticky Toffee Pudding is the best way to reinvent this classic pub dessert. Baileys is baked into the sponge and poured liberally into the toffee sauce for heavenly reasons.
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Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
Ingredients
Sticky Toffee Sauce
- 100 g butter
- 70 g dark brown sugar
- 120 g double cream
- 1 teaspoon black treacle
Cheesecake
- 300 g gluten-free speculoos style biscuits - Biscoff biscuits + 30g extra for decoration
- 120 g unsalted butter - melted and cooled
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 300 g cream cheese
- 90 g sour cream
- 60 g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 500 g double cream
Instructions
Sticky Toffee Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small/medium saucepan over a low/medium heat.
- Whisk in the brown sugar and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth. It should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in the double cream slowly and whisk in to combine.
- Once hot (not boiling), stir in the black treacle until melted. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool before chilling in the fridge until needed.
Cheesecake
- Drop the biscuits into a food processor and process until they reach fine crumbs.
- With the mixer still running add the cooled melted butter and salt and mix until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Tip the biscuit crumbs into an 20cm (8 inch) round x 7cm (2.5 inches) deep springform cake tin.
- Use the base of a glass to press the crumbs into an even layer at the base of the cake tin and up the sides. The pie crust should be about 3cm (1 inch) deep. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set (or in the fridge for 1 hour).
- Meanwhile, to make the cheesecake filling, place the cream cheese, sour cream, icing sugar and vanilla into a large bowl. Beat the mixture until smooth and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, whip 200g of the double cream (the rest is needed for the topping) until it is thick and at the soft peak stage, then gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
- Remove the set biscuit base from the freezer (or fridge).
- Ensure that the base is firm, and the sides are well-formed and then pour in the cheesecake filling, smoothing the top to a nice finish.
- If your Sticky Toffee Sauce has been chilled it will be very thick. Pour into a warm saucepan and whisk to smooth to a pourable consistency (but don’t heat it) Pour the sticky toffee sauce over the top of the cheesecake filling. Smooth and swirl it over the top, being careful not to disturb the filling underneath. Then cover and chill the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set.
- Pour the remaining 300g double cream into a large mixing bowl and whip to the soft peak stage. Spoon at the edges of the cheesecake.
- Smash the extra 30g biscuits to create fine crumbs then sprinkle over the top of the whipped cream edge.
Video
Notes
- The melted butter needs to have cooled before adding to the biscuit crumbs to avoid a greasy biscuit base.
- You can make the biscuit base by hand by crushing the biscuits in a food storage bag using a rolling pin.
- Make sure not to overwhip the double cream otherwise the filling can become grainy when you are folding it in.
- Use a clean warm knife to help achieve really smooth slices. Clean the knife in between cuts.
- Store the cheesecake for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store in the springform tin and cover with cling film.
- The cheesecake freezes really well and can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
