Biscoff Cheesecake

Christmas 2024 was the first one for my daughter and son in law after their wedding.  So it was a special one, and she wanted me to make a Biscoff Cheesecake for the ocassion. I looked at a bunch of recipes and pictures on the internet and this recipe by Nagi was the one I got attracted to.  It was supposedly easy, it looked absolutely marvellous and it was something I could make the previous day and put in the fridge.

So, even though I didn't know much about Biscoff biscuits and cheese cakes, I decided to make this. The last week before Christmas is always hectic in our home with last minute grocery shopping and getting ingredients sorted for the main items.

I had my list ready - and when I walked into the biscuit aisle and spotted Biscoff biscuits, I immediately picked them up with an extra pack for the "just in case" errors and didn't think much of it.

When I started on the cake that night, I realised immediately that I had made a mistake. Nagi says in her blog DO NOT use sandwich cookies that have cream in them, as the cake may not set - and this is exactly what I had. It was too late to go back to the shops and I kept my fingers and toes crossed for two days until the actual unmoulding on Christmas day.

Ingredients:

300 grams of Biscoff biscuits - just plain ones, no cream biscuits.

120 grams of unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

pinch of salt

Filling:

3 Philadelphia full fat cream cheese blocks -soft, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups thickend cream

31/2 teaspoons gelatin powder

3 tablespoons cold water

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cream for serving:

2 cups thickened cream

3 tablespoons caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings:

 A selection of berries, cherries, red currants, rosemary sprigs, holly leaves and orange slices

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Step 1:

Lightly grease with oil (not butter because paper will get stuck to pan) and line a baking tray or dish 33x23 cms with baking paper.  Both lengthwise and crosswise, leaving loads of overhang on either side.

Step 2:

In a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons cold water.  Then, sprinkle gelatine evenly across the surface of the water. Mix with a fork and you will notice the texture change to lumpy. Leave it to bloom.

Step 3:

Blitz the biscuits into crumbs and add butter, salt, cinnamon and sugar till it becomes like wet sand. The mixture should press together well and hold so that your base is strong.

Pat the mixture down into your prepared tray and smooth it down. Press down firmly and refrigerate till needed.  I used the overhang to cover the base at this point.

Step 4:

Whip the cream for the filling and set aside. The cream should be whipped till stiff peaks form.

Warm the gelatine in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time and keep whisking till it is lump free. You might have to do this twice. Keep it aside to cool.

In another bowl, whip the cream cheese and sugar together. Mix it will till it is smooth.  Then add vanilla, lemon juice salt and mix well. 

Make sure there is no skin on your gelatine and add it slwly to the cream cheese filling and whisk. If there is skin formation, microwave for 5 seconds and whisk.  Let it cool for a few seconds before adding to the cream cheese.

Lastly, using a spatula, fold the cream into the filling.  Then put the filling on top of your crust.  I didn't smooth it down, because I wanted the filling to remain fluffy. But the original recipe asks you to smooth it down.  Cover the filling with the overhang paper and put back in the fridge till you need it.

Step 5: The moment of truth.

Using the overhang, gently remove the cake from the pan and place it on the serving dish. Then gently prise out the sheets of baking paper.  I was so relieved that the base was firm for me! The base was thinner that what Nagi has on her blog. I am assuming that is because I used the cream biscuits and so they flattened out.  I wont know till I make this again the next time, I guess!

Once the cake is out on the plate, add freshly whipped cream on top and decorate with berries and orange slices.

Dust with some icing sugar for the frosty look and your Christmas dessert is ready!