Pudding Baking

No-bake Gingerbread Cheesecake

We've used shop-bought gingernut biscuits for the base of the cheesecake, but homemade would work wonderfully too! Add little gingerbread people and some cute sprinkles for decoration to make it a real showstopper for the Christmas table

1 hour, plus setting time prep,

Serves 12+

Ingredients

For the base:

90g unsalted butter

300g gingernut biscuits

For the filling:

750g full-fat soft cheese, at room temperature

75g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsps ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

300ml double cream

To decorate

150ml double cream

2 tbsps icing sugar

Gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread cookie crumbs

Method

Melt the butter in the microwave in short bursts or in a small pan over a medium heat. In a food processor, blitz the biscuits to a fine crumb, add the melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture is well combined. Press the mixture firmly into the base of a 20cm springform cake tin.

In a large bowl, whisk the soft cheese and icing sugar until combined. Add the vanilla extract, ginger and cinnamon and whisk again until combined. Pour in the double cream and continue to whisk the mixture until it starts to thicken to a mousse-like texture. (Alternatively, you can whip the cream separately and then fold through the cheesecake mix.) Spread the mixture over the biscuit base, smooth over evenly, cover with foil and chill in the fridge for at least 5–6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Once chilled, run a knife around the edge of the tin and remove the cheesecake to a serving plate. In a large bowl, whip the double cream and icing sugar together to form soft peaks. Transfer to a piping bag with a piping nozzle fitted and pipe the whipped cream in swirls over the cheesecake. Add a gingerbread cookie to each cream swirl and sprinkle over some crushed gingerbread cookie crumbs and sprinkles.