This No Bake Caramel Cheesecake is visually stunning and melt in your mouth sensational. Made by creating a biscuit base followed by a fluffy cream cheese filling topped with caramel sauce. Layer upon layer delivers spoonfuls of caramel cheesecake perfection.
Recipes like the Baileys Cheesecake Brownies, Tim Tam Cheesecake Balls, and the Baileys Cheesecake Balls give us sweet cream cheese desserts.
The Spinach And Bacon Cob Loaf, Pepper Jelly Cheese Dip, Air Fryer Cob Loaf and French Onion Cob Loaf give us savory recipes that embrace the texture of cream cheese.
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🤍 No Bake Caramel Cheesecake
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Homemade: whilst I don't think I have ever turned my nose up at a store bought piece of cheesecake, there is something so magical about homemade cheesecake. You know all of the ingredients involved and the satisfaction of making it yourself can be tasted in every single bite!
- Taste and texture: from the crunchy biscuit crumbs to the fluffy creamy filling there is a contrast of textures. This contrast is enhanced by the creamy tang of the cheesecake filling and sweet caramel sauce.
- Easy to make: there is a few steps involved in the recipe like using a food processor to crush the biscuits and whipping together various layers for the cheesecake. However each of these are straight forward and easy. You don't need to feel intimidated if you haven't made too many cheesecakes in the past.
🥗 Ingredients
The two photos below are to show you everything you need to make the no bake caramel cheesecake recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see for the base of the cheesecake we need:
- Butter.
- Brown sugar.
- Biscuits: I use Scotch finger biscuits. Any plain sweet white/vanilla biscuits will work.
For the caramel cheesecake filling we need:
- Vanilla
- Salt: just a pinch.
- Gelatin.
- Icing sugar: also known as confectioner's sugar.
- White sugar: caster sugar is my preference as it has smaller granules than regular white sugar. However, either can be used.
- Cream.
- Caramel: I use my simple homemade caramel sauce (made the day before). This is done in the slow cooker. If you don't have time to do that a tin of caramel top and fill will be perfect. Recipe: Slow Cooker Caramel Sauce.
- Cream cheese.
😉 Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Brown sugar: you can omit the brown sugar from the cheesecake base and stick to the simple combination of crushed biscuits and melted butter if you wish to simplify the ingredients.
- Caramel: I recommend either using a can of Dulce de Leche that you cook yourself in the slow cooker or a can of caramel top and fill. Both of these ones 'set'. Other store bought caramel sauces will be hit and miss (also thin and can be watery).
- Biscuits: Scotch finger biscuits, Marie biscuits (Woolies), Maria biscuits (Aldi but 200 grams not 250), graham crackers or digestive biscuits are all good options. If you want to make a chocolate base for your cheesecake you can use the equivalent amount of plain chocolate biscuits (not chocolate covered or coated ones) in place of the vanilla ones).
- Salt: thinking about this as a no bake salted caramel cheesecake? Simply sprinkle a small amount of sea salt over the caramel layer before you get your swirl on.
👩🍳 How to Make No Bake Caramel Cheesecake
To make the cheesecake we start by preparing our cake tin and then creating the biscuit base.
🍳 Instructions
- Add biscuits to food processor (Photo 1)
- Add brown sugar (Photo 2)
- Melt the butter (Photo 3)
- Combine in a large bowl (Photo 4)
Add the biscuits and brown sugar to the food processor and give it a quick blitz till they resemble fine crumbs (8-10 seconds). Then remove the lid of the food processor and transfer the crushed biscuits to a large mixing bowl.
Next add the butter to a heatproof jug and melt using the microwave in 30 second increments with high heat (it will take about 1 minute to melt).
Once the butter has melted pour it into the bowl with the crushed biscuits and use a long handled rubber spatula to stir until consistently mixed together.
Now transfer this mixture to the prepared cake tin.
Spread it out across the base of the tin and then up the sides to form the side crust of the cheese cake.
Use a small glass with a flat base to help you do this and then go around the top rim of the biscuit base to level this out. Have a look at the 1st 2 photos in the bottom photo collage to see this what this process looks like.
- Transfer the biscuit crumb to cake tin (Photo 5)
- Spread for base and sides (Photo 6)
- Bloom the gelatin (Photo 7)
- Whip the cream (Photo 8)
Next we bloom the gelatin. to do this add the water (room temperature) to a small bowl. Then sprinkle the gelatin across the surface and whisk it till there are no lumps. Once done set this aside. It will harden during this time and have the texture of firm rubber.
Now we move on to the heavy whipping cream. To do this simply add the cream to a medium mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters till stiff peaks form.
- Add cheesecake filling ingredients (Photo 9)
- Whip to combine (Photo 10)
- Heat the gelatin (Photo 11)
- Combine (Photo 12)
In a separate bowl we make the cream cheese filling. To do this add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Whip using an electric mixer (or beaters) to combine and smooth out any lumps.
Next we heat the gelatin for 15 seconds in the microwave. Remove it and stir then pour this into the combined filling. Whisk again to ensure this is mixed in consistently.
- Fold in the whipped cream (Photo 13)
- Gently spread cream cheese mixture into base (Photo 14)
- Whip the caramel (Photo 15)
- Add the caramel layer on top (Photo 16)
Next we gently fold (no more using the beaters, switch to spatula) the whipped cream into the bowl. Then once combined, grab the base from the fridge and transfer the cheesecake layer into the base.
Gently spread it so that it fills the space.
Next add the caramel to a jug and whisk it so that it is pourable.
Then pour most of this (save some to serve) over the top of the cake. Once done swirl with a chopstick so that it is folded into the cheesecake mixture (top, not all the way down the bottom).
- Swirl to combine (Photo 17)
Once done, transfer the cheesecake into the fridge and let it set. It will need at least 6 hours but try and leave overnight if you can so that it has longer to firm up and set.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes to serving this no bake caramel cheesecake I like to keep things simple.
I have seen some cheesecakes that are absolutely loaded with decorations and I wonder how they have room left in their belly after eating all of that to get to the actual cheesecake itself!
So I do a couple of things and that is it. Firstly I dust the top of the cheesecake with a small amount of cocoa powder. This gives it that cappuccino sprinkle effect.
From there I pop some fresh raspberries around the top, then I serve it with vanilla ice-cream and drizzle the leftover caramel sauce over the top.
These simple steps decorate the cheesecake to make it a little more pretty than plain but don't take things to too crazy or hectic a level.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftovers of the cheesecake in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for 3-4 days.
Depending on your ability to resist daily cheesecake, can I tell you something...it may not last 3-4 days 😂😂.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Cake tin: the cake tin I use for the recipe is a 20 cm or 8 inch springform pan.
- Baking paper: I use butter to grease the base and sides of the cake tin and I then use a round piece of baking paper at the base of the cake and long rectangular pieces around the sides of the cake.
- Cream: we use the heavy cream (whipped) to help create the fluffy texture of the cheesecake. We don't add any sugar or vanilla to it during this process. This is slightly different to if we were whipping cream to top the cheesecake with. In which case we would add both vanilla and icing sugar to sweeten it.
- Gelatin: I use powdered gelatin for the recipe. There are detailed instructions on the side of the tub to tell you how to use it. I follow those to the t.
- Fridge: I don't put plastic wrap on the cheesecake when I put it into the fridge initially. This is because I don't want any little drops of condensation to drop down onto the cheesecake. Once it has 'no baked' and being cut you can have it in a bowl in the fridge with cling wrap if you wish.
- Love all things caramel? Then you might like to try the Caramel Cheesecake Brownies.
🤓 No Bake Caramel Cheesecake FAQ's
This is a no bake cheesecake that uses gelatin as the setting agent. If you wanted to bake it the recipe would vary significantly so you are best sticking to the no bake method.
No, I don't recommend that. We need to use a thick sweetened condensed milk based caramel as it will set. If you use a different type of sauce there is no guarantee it will thicken up. However, if that is the only type of sauce you have, I would make the cheesecake without the caramel layer on top then pour over your caramel sauce when serving. It will be more of a caramel 'topped' cheesecake.
The reason we use gelatin in the cake is for it to help 'set' the cream cheese filling. It is not recommended to omit this from the recipe.
The day that I learnt long ago that you could turn a simple can of sweetened condensed milk into caramel using your slow cooker was magical! Since then I have used that caramel to make tarts. Lately I have been doing a lot more 'baking' as opposed to 'cooking'. This has seen me use cream cheese more often than any other ingredient. The thought of a combination of caramel and cream cheese was the driving force behind this recipe.
Whilst this is an idea, you won't then have a firmly set top layer of the cheesecake. The sauce will smother the knife and things will get messy. It is best to combine the caramel into the cheesecake so that you can precisely cut your cheesecake and have neat clean pieces that don't have sauce slopping out or down the sides. Then to serve you drizzle more of the leftover sauce over the top.
Yes, you can. Here is my recipe to do that in your Slow Cooker. Dulce de Leche Slow Cooker.
Yes you can. It does, however, have to be sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk or half and half.
To serve the cheesecake - yes. But not in making the cheesecake, it won't set.
😍 More Easy Bake And No Bake Recipes
I sometimes think baking is my own personal therapy where you are taking time out from the hustle and bustle and just getting your own vibe on. If you are a bit like that too then you might like to try some of the following ideas.
- More easy desserts: Microwave Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding, Baileys Pudding.
- Blondies: Oreo Blondies, Apple Cinnamon Blondies, Butter Pecan Blondies, Birthday Cake Blondies, M And M Blondies, White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies, Raspberry And White Chocolate Blondies.
- Savory recipes: Cheese And Bacon Bread, Caramelised Onion Tarts, Brie Cranberry Tarts.
- Cheese ideas: Baked Brie With Red Pepper Jelly, No Mayo Spinach Artichoke Dip, Egg And Croissant Bake.
So now that I have (almost) gotten to the end of this no bake caramel cheesecake I have realized that gelatin is spelt without an 'e'. The WordPress spell check has repeatedly drawn this to my attention. Apologies, if you see my gelatine typos on the images. You can also find all of my dessert recipes or chocolate recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
No Bake Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
Cheesecake base
- 250 grams/ 9 oz Scotch finger biscuits Note 1
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar Note 2
- 125 grams/1/2 a stick butter unsalted
Cheesecake filling
- 300ml/10 oz heavy cream Note 3
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 teaspoons gelatin
- 500 grams/ 17 oz cream cheese
- ¾ cup caster sugar
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 397 grams/14 oz caramel Note 4
Instructions
Cheesecake Base
- Cake tin: grease the sides and base of a 20 cm (8 inch) springform cake tin with unsalted butter. Then line with a circular base piece and rectangular pieces around the sides.
- Biscuits and sugar: add the biscuits and brown sugar to a food processor and blitz for about 8-10 seconds till they resemble breadcrumbs. Then remove the lid and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Butter: add the butter to a heatproof jug and melt on the microwave for 2 x 30 second increments (high heat).
- Combine: pour the melted butter into the bowl and stir until consistently combined.
- Base: transfer the combined biscuit mixture into the prepared tin and push it across the base and up the sides of the tin. Use a small flat bottomed glass to help shape the layer so that the base and sides are even. Once done place the biscuit base into the fridge.
Cheesecake Filling
- Booming the gelatin: sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and whisk to remove any lumps. Set this aside whilst it firms up.
- Cream: pour the heavy cream into a small mixing bowl and use electric beaters to whisk until hard peaks form. Then set aside.
- Cream cheese: add the cream cheese, sugar, icing sugar, salt and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and beat to combine.
- Heat the gelatin: place the small bowl of firmed up gelatin into the microwave for 12 -15 seconds, high heat. Remove and whisk then pour into the cream cheese mixture, stir to combine.
- Cream and cream cheese mixture: gently dollop a large spoonful of the whisked cream into the cheesecake filling. Stir with a spatula to fold in, then add the rest of the cream and again gently fold in.
- Transfer: remove the biscuit base from the fridge. Use a long handled rubber spatula to transfer the cream cheese mixture into the set biscuit base and then spread this across the base of the cheesecake.
- Caramel: add the caramel to a bowl and whisk so that it is pourable. Then pour most (save some for serving) of this over the top of the cheesecake. Now take a chopstick and swirl to combine the caramel with the cream cheese filling.
- Fridge: once you have finished swirling the caramel through the cream cheese mixture, place the cheesecake into the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Biscuits: I use Scotch Finger Biscuits. You can however, use any plain vanilla (not sugar topped) biscuit. Some other choices are digestives or Marie biscuits, Maria from Aldi (but these are only 200 grams per packet, whereas Woolies Marie biscuits are 250 grams). If you want to make a chocolate base for your cheesecake you can use the equivalent amount of plain chocolate biscuits (not coated ones) in place of the vanilla ones).
- Note 2 - Brown sugar: you can omit the brown sugar from the cheesecake base and stick to the simple combination of crushed biscuits and melted butter if you wish to simplify the ingredients.
- Note 3 - Cream: this is heavy cream that we use electric beaters to whip. We don't add vanilla or icing sugar when we do this. This ingredient and the technique used is how we create the fluffy cheesecake texture.
- Note 4 - Caramel: I recommend either using a can of Dulce de Leche that you cook yourself in the slow cooker or a can of caramel top and fill. Both of these ones 'set'. Other store bought caramel sauces will be hit and miss (also thin and can be watery).
Erin says
This sounds amazing. Will look forward to giving it a go.
Adrianne Jamieson says
Thanks Erin 😊.