This gingerbread cheesecake brings together a classic gingerbread spice mix with the tangy notes of no-bake cheesecake. The bottom is made with speculoos cookies – this no-bake gingerbread cheesecake has a Lotus Biscoff base! The result is an incredibly refreshing combination of flavours. The gingerbread spice mix first hits your nostrils, while the mouth gets this incredible marriage of fresh cream cheese and buttery Biscoff cookies.

Gingerbread is something that gets often associated with winter. The spices used all have warming properties and they have been culturally associated to the colder season. The no-bake method might not be the first cheesecake method to come to mind when you’re going for a gingerbread flavour. But it works. You have to trust me on this.

Lotus Biscoff cheesecake

Speculoos are a popular type of spiced and buttery cookies from Belgium and the Netherlands. Something between a shortbread and a gingerbread, if I had to place them somewhere in the cookie universe. And they’re delightfully crispy. The most famous commercial speculoos cookies are Lotus Biscoff. Lotus Biscoff cookies have been high in popularity for quite some time, especially since they released their Biscoff spread which is a cookie butter that tastes like, you guessed it, speculoos.

There are a lot of Biscoff cheesecake recipes that use the spread, which is a very convenient way to incorporate the sweet and spiced flavours of the cookies. But if the spread is not available where you live – as it is the case for me – here’s an alternative. The gingerbread cheesecake in this recipe is made with Lotus Biscoff cookies in the base, so the original flavour of the cookies comes anyway at every bite. But the cheesecake gets its spicy flavour from a spice mix, which is the same we’re using in the Swedish ginger thins pepparkakor.

Gingerbread Cheesecake recipe

To make this gingerbread cheesecake inspired by gingerbread biscuits we need to first make the Speculoos cookie base. This is a classic cheesecake biscuit base, which is a pretty simple procedure:

1. crush the cookies
2. melt the butter
3. combine.

To crush the cookies I like to use a food processor because I’m a lazy lady. Then while it’s still rotating I pour in the melted butter so it all combines nicely while nearly zero effort on my side.

The alternative if you don’t have a food processor is to place the cookies in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a larger bowl, then add the crushed biscuits to the melted butter and stir. Either way works just fine.

Spread the cookie and butter mixture over the bottom of a springform pan lined with baking paper and place in the freezer for the time being. The fridge is fine, too, if you don’t have space in the freezer. The ultimate goal is to make the butter harden. Please notice that this cheesecake works best in a 15-cm (6 inches) springform pan.

Spiced no-bake cheesecake filling

The filling for this spiced gingerbread cheesecake is made of two sets of ingredients. The base is a classic no-bake cheesecake filling:

• 300 g cream cheese
• 400 ml heavy cream
• 2 gelatin sheets

I did not forget the sugar, but I’ll be including it in the second set of ingredients, those that make this cheesecake special. While a normal cheesecake calls for white granulated sugar, here we go with brown:

• 70 g brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 40 g golden syrup

Brown sugar (I like to use light muscovado) gives the cheesecake a lovely molasses tone that complements the golden syrup that we are also using. Then it’s all about the powdered spices: cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Brown sugar, syrup and these three spices are exactly what we are using – together with butter and flour – to make the Swedish gingerbread biscuits. I wanted to use the same proportions.

How to make it

While the biscuit base hardens in the freezer, it’s time to prepare the filling. Just like most no-bake cheesecakes the procedure is quite simple:

1. soak the gelatin in cold water
2. whip part of the cream to soft peaks
3. cream the cream cheese with the sugar
4. warm the rest of the cream to melt the soaked gelatin in
5. combine.

We have one extra step here, aimed at incorporating the spices. Adding the spices to a cold mixture will not properly release their full flavour. So we need to add them to step 3: when warming the cream.

How to extract the flavour from the spices

The best way to extract the maximum flavour from spices is by tempering, which means adding some heat. We want to make sure the heat is enugh to just warm them and lightly toast. If the heat is too high the finely ground spices might burn, so we need to be careful with that.

Add the spices to a small saucepan and set on medium heat. Toast the spices for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure they do not burn. Add the whipping cream to the pot and stir to mix the spices. Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches boiling temperature.

The spiced cream will be then used to melt the soaked gelatin in. Then you incorporate it to the rest of the cheesecake filling. For a smooth finish, you can pour the spiced cream through a fine mesh sieve to retain spice bits, as the flavour has been extracted into the cream. But I don’t mind the tiny dots, they still release the flavour as the days pass.

Many people associate Lotus Biscoff cookies with air travel, as they have long been served in small packets on airplanes. I associate them mostly with coffee. Served on the side of espresso, on the same small plate as the little mug. In fact, they are a great companion to coffee indeed. Also in the form of this cheesecake. Serve this no-bake gingerbread cheesecake with a cup of coffee. The bitter notes of coffee are the best counterpart to the sweet and spicy tones of this cheesecake with a speculoos base!

So get a nice slice of gingerbread cheesecake and a cup of black coffee. Wrap yourself in a blanket, light a candle and enjoy the cosiness – the hygge – of the colder season. If there’s a no-bake cheesecake that is perfect for the winter it’s this one!

This recipe was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated in December 2020.

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No-bake gingerbread cheesecake

A no-bake cheesecake that combines the fresh and tangy flavour of cream cheese with the warming tones of gingerbread spice mix. On a speculoos Lotus Biscoff base!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword christmas cake, gingerbread spices, no-bake cheesecake, spiced cheesecake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Resting Time 5 hours

Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 458kcal

Author Eva | Electric Blue Food

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Hand mixer
• 15 cm springform pan (6 inches)
• Baking paper
• Spatula
• Rolling pin

Ingredients

• 100 g speculoos cookies Lotus Biscoff
• 60 g butter unsalted
• 300 g cream cheese
• 400 ml whipping cream
• 2 gelatin sheets
• 70 g dark muscovado sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon ground
• 3/4 tsp ginger ground
• 1/4 tsp cloves ground
• 40 g golden syrup or equivalent

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Melt the butter either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
• Place the Biscoff cookies in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Alternatively you can blitz them in a food processor. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of crushed biscuits for the top decoration if you wish.
• Mix the crushed biscuits and butter and spread all over the bottom of a springform pan lined with baking paper. Set in the freezer for the time being.
• Place the gelatin sheets to soak in cold water in a small bowl.
• Pour 300 ml of heavy cream in a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer to soft peaks. Set aside.
• In another bowl cream the cream cheese with the muscovado sugar at medium speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture feels smooth when rubbed between two fingers.
• Add the spices to a small saucepan and set on medium heat. Toast the spices for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure they do not burn. Add the remaining whipping cream to the pot and Stir to mix the spices. Remove from the heat as soon as it reaches boiling temperature.
• Drain the gelatin and squeeze out any excess water. Add gelatin to hot cream and stir to dissolve. Let cool for a couple of minutes.
• Pour both the syrup and gelatin mix into the cream cheese mix and mix at low speed for 1 minute. Set the mixer aside.
• Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture, gently folding it in with a spatula.
• Take the biscuit base out of the freezer and pour the cheesecake mixture over the base, making sure it evenly reaches out to the edges of the pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Place in the fridge to set for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight.
• When the cake has set, run a spatula along the sides of the pan and gently remove it. Sprinkle crushed Lotus Biscoff on top of the cake before serving.

Nutrition Facts

No-bake gingerbread cheesecake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 458 Calories from Fat 351

% Daily Value*

Fat 39g60%

Saturated Fat 23g144%

Cholesterol 126mg42%

Sodium 259mg11%

Potassium 144mg4%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 1426IU29%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 90mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.