Description

This Easy Christmas Cheesecake Slab is a no-bake festive dessert featuring a crunchy biscuit crust and a smooth, creamy no-bake cheesecake filling. Topped with whipped Chantilly cream and decorated with fresh berries, cherries, orange slices, and rosemary sprigs, it’s perfect for holiday celebrations. Simple to assemble and chill overnight, this cheesecake offers a light, airy texture with balanced sweetness ideal for various palates.

Ingredients

Scale

Biscuit crust:

300g/10 oz Biscoff biscuits (about 38 pieces) or other plain biscuits/cookies (equivalent to 1 1/2 cups crumbs)
120g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt

No-bake cheesecake filling:

3 1/2 tsp (13.5 g) unflavoured gelatin powder
3 tbsp cold tap water
1 1/2 cups thickened or heavy cream, chilled
750g (24 oz) cream cheese block (3 blocks), well softened at room temperature
1 1/4 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Whipped cream (Chantilly cream):

2 cups thickened or heavy cream, chilled
3 tbsp caster sugar (or double quantity of sifted icing sugar)

Christmas decoration:

Strawberries (halved or quartered as needed)
Mixed berries (blackberries and raspberries)
Cherries
Rosemary sprigs
6 orange slices, cut into half moons
Icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) for dusting

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Line the pan: Lightly grease a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 inch) baking pan with butter or oil spray. Line it with parchment paper leaving an overhang on the long sides to easily lift out the cheesecake once set.
Prepare the biscuit crust: Break biscuits roughly and pulse them in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add melted butter, cinnamon (if using), brown sugar, and salt. Pulse until mixture resembles wet sand and sticks when pinched. Press this mixture firmly into the lined pan for a stable base. Refrigerate until needed.
Bloom gelatine: Sprinkle gelatin powder evenly over cold water in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and let it sit until it firms slightly, about 3 minutes.
Melt gelatin: Microwave gelatin for 15 seconds on high or until melted, ensuring it does not boil. Cool for 5 minutes while preparing filling, reheating briefly if it solidifies.
Whip cream: In a chilled bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups cold cream on high speed for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until firm peaks form.
Prepare cream cheese mixture: In a separate large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and caster sugar on high for 1 1/2 minutes until smooth and soft. Mix in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and melted gelatin and beat for 10 seconds to combine without incorporating air bubbles.
Fold whipped cream: Gently fold about one-quarter of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream carefully to maintain aeration.
Set cheesecake: Pour the filling over the biscuit crust in the pan and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours or overnight until fully set.
Remove cheesecake: Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan onto a serving platter. Slide the parchment paper out from beneath it.
Whip Chantilly cream: Beat the remaining 2 cups cold cream with caster sugar on high for 2 to 3 minutes until softly whipped. For longer stability, gelatin can be added during whipping (see notes).
Decorate: Spread the whipped cream in large swirls over the cheesecake. Arrange halved strawberries, berries, cherries, orange slices, and rosemary sprigs on top. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

The Biscoff biscuit base can be substituted with plain biscuits such as Marie crackers, digestives, or graham crackers. Add extra melted butter if needed to help the crumbs bind.
Gelatin must be fully dissolved and liquid when added to the filling to avoid lumps.
Use cream labeled suitable for whipping and keep it very cold for best volume and stability.
Use block cream cheese softened to room temperature for smooth mixing. If only tubs are available, increase gelatin to 4 teaspoons for firmness.
The sweetness level is moderate; increase caster sugar up to 1 3/4 cups for a sweeter American-style cheesecake.
For making the whipped cream stable for decorating in advance, add 2 teaspoons gelatin dissolved in 2 tablespoons water during whipping. This allows the cream to hold form up to 2–3 days refrigerated.
This cheesecake is not suitable for freezing as the filling may become sloppy.
Nutrition estimates exclude the amount of whipped cream added for decoration.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/18th of cheesecake slab, excluding whipped cream topping)
Calories: 280
Sugar: 20g
Sodium: 180mg
Fat: 20g
Saturated Fat: 12g
Unsaturated Fat: 7g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 0.6g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 65mg