Easy No-Bake Millionaire's Cheesecake Recipe
Layers of crumbly all-butter Scottish shortbread topped with thick, slow-cooked caramel and a glossy blanket of Belgian chocolate.
Ingredients
- • 325g shortbread biscuits
- • 125g melted unsalted butter (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
- • 200g unsalted butter (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp)
- • 3 tbsp caster sugar
- • 4 tbsp golden syrup
- • 397g tin condensed milk
- • 550g cream cheese (2 ½ cups)
- • 100g icing sugar (3/4 cup)
- • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- • 75g caramel sauce (eg. Carnation caramel) (4 tbsp) - or use some of the caramel you make, but you'll need to let it cool fully.
- • 300ml double cream (1 ¼ cups)
- • 125ml double cream (1/2 cup)
- • 100g dark chocolate chips (2/3 cup)
- • Extra caramel sauce and shortbread crumbs
Preparation Steps
Add the shortbread biscuits to the bowl of a food processor and blitz into fine crumbs.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and pour in the melted butter. Stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into a 20cm springform cake tin and push into the base in an even layer, using the back of a spoon to compact it down. Place this in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Add the butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk to a large saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stir until dissolved.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir constantly for 6-8 minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes amber in colour. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about 5 minutes.
Once the base has finished chilling, pour the caramel on top. Return to the fridge and chill for another hour or until set.
Add the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on a medium speed using the whisk attachment until combined. You can also do this with an electric hand whisk if preferred.
Add the caramel sauce and beat again to combine.
Add the double cream and beat until thickened. The mixture should hold its shape and when scooped out with a spoon, you should need to give the spoon a firm tap against the side of the bowl to make the mixture to drop off.
Spoon about half of the cheesecake mixture on top of the chilled caramel layer and smooth out with the back of a spoon. Give the tin a few firm taps on the work surface to help remove any air bubbles. Then spoon the rest of the mixture on top. Smooth out and tap once again.
Chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove the cheesecake from the springform tin by running a sharp knife around the edge of the tin, then gently unclipping the side and lifting it away. Use a cake lifter or two spatulas to lift the cheesecake away from the base of the tin and transfer it to a plate or cake stand.
Add the chocolate chips to a mixing bowl.
Add the cream to a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until it begins to boil.
Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for about a minute.
Whisk together the cream and chocolate until you have a smooth, shiny ganache. Let this cool for about 5 minutes.
Pour the ganache on top of the cheesecake and spread it out to the edges with a knife or spatula. Pop the cheesecake back in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
If desired, decorate the cheesecake by drizzling some extra caramel sauce over the top and scattering some extra shortbread crumbs around the edge. If your caramel sauce is too thick to drizzle, pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and give it a good stir.