This extra creamy, rich and dense honey cheesecake is made with crunchy ginger nut biscuits base and crust, and a topping of soured cream and caramelised salted honey. Sweet, tangy and salty flavours are balanced to perfection in this bake, and you will love it from the first bite!
With only few ingredients and simple baking method, which doesn't involve a hassle of water bath, this recipe makes beautiful, smooth and crack-free cheesecake every time!
Just like my Burnt Basque Cheesecake, this cheesecake requires some baking time. If you prefer the no-bake type, be sure to check out my Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake or No Bake Baileys Cheesecake.
What I really love about this cake is its velvety texture and a perfect balance of flavours. Salted honey topping is sensational, with that beautiful, golden colour and caramel-like taste and appearance. Combine it with tangy sour cream and you will have a mouth-watering combo that is impossible to resist!
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Ingredients
We can split the ingredients for this honey cheesecake into 3 groups:
- The crust/ base - You will need gingernut biscuits and melted butter.
- Cheesecake filling - Cream cheese, runny honey, cornflour, eggs, vanilla and soured cream (see recipe notes).
- Topping - Made with honey, water, lemon juice, double/ heavy cream, sea salt flakes and soured cream.
Instructions
Watch the video in the recipe card to see how I made this cake.
Start with preparing the cheesecake base. This recipe makes the crust that will cover the base and the sides of the cheesecake. The 'wall' of biscuit is not only delicious, but it will also help to hold the soured cream and salted honey topping.
You can use the food processor or the plastic bag and rolling pin to crush the biscuits into fine crumbs. Combine them with melted butter and press firmly towards the bottom of the baking tin, as well as upwards to the edges/ sides of the tin and bake it for 10 minutes.
When the base is ready, remove it from the oven and set it aside.
Hint: Use the base of a small measuring cup or a glass to press the crushed biscuits mixture well into the tin.
To make the cheesecake filling, gradually mix all of the ingredients together. The most important thing to remember is not to overmix your batter, as this will aerate it too much, and cause it to split. So only mix each ingredient until it is incorporated. Pour the batter into the baking tin over the crust, smoothing the top with spoon or spatula.
Hint: The cream cheese we get in the UK and some parts of Europe is slightly different to the block cream cheese my US or Australia-based readers are familiar with. It is softer and a bit thinner, therefore there is no need to further thin the cheesecake batter out with soured cream. If you are using blocks of cream cheese, fold 150 ml/ g of soured cream into the batter, after you've added the eggs.
Place the cheesecake in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 1 hour. It should be set around the edges, but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake inside the oven, with its door open a little for an hour. After that, transfer the cheesecake into the fridge for at least 5 hours, or ideally an overnight chill.
Salted honey topping
If you never tried salted honey topping, you are in for a treat! It tastes and looks almost like salted caramel, but is much quicker and easier to prepare.
To make the salted honey topping, simply place the honey with 1 tablespoon of water and 4-5 drops of lemon juice in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Keep stirring this mixture until small bubbles start to form on the surface.
You want to cook it for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture turns golden brown and the honey starts to caramelise. Remove it from the heat and add the double cream and sea salt flakes.
The mixture may seem a bit thin at this stage, but it will set and thicken as it cools down. You will spoon it out or drizzle it on top of the cheesecake, along with the soured cream, before serving it.
Substitutions
- Ginger nut biscuits - I like using ginger nut, purely because I love ginger flavour, and I think it works really well with honey. But you can use any type of sweet biscuits for the crust, like Digestives, Belvita biscuits, shortbread, graham cracker biscuits, or rich tea style biscuits. Check out this The Best Pecan Graham Cracker Crust recipe as a delicious alternative.
- Vanilla bean paste - This ingredient is totally optional. I love using it as it is full of these tiny specks of vanilla bean seeds. You can just skip it and stick with vanilla extract only.
- Soured cream - You can try using 5% Greek yogurt instead of soured cream in the cheesecake batter and the topping.
Variations
Here are few suggestions on how you can upgrade or slightly change this recipe:
- Mini cheesecakes - This recipe can be easily use to make mini cheesecakes, just like my Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes. Simply use the muffin or cupcake baking tin, divide the crust between the cases and bake for about 5 minutes. Divide the cheesecake batter between the cases and bake again for 15-18 minutes.
- Gluten free honey cheesecake - To turn this recipe into a gluten free version, use the gluten free biscuits for the base/ crust. The rest of the ingredients are naturally gluten free.
- Extra add-ons - Experiment with adding some fresh fruit, berries, nuts, or chocolate chunks to the cheesecake batter or as a topping. Citrus will work really well here too, so feel free to add some lemon or lime zest to the batter for an extra flavour.
- Vegan cheesecake - Check out this Vegan Cheesecake Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie for a vegan version of cheesecake.
- Not a fan of honey flavour? Why not try making this best lemon cheesecake ever from Mommy Evolution blog!
Equipment
- Springform baking tin - I tested this recipe using 23cm (9') springform pan. The springform pan is a must here, as it makes the removal of the cheesecake much easier.
- An electric mixer or a freestanding mixer - Essential to ensure the ingredients get creamed and combined properly.
- Baking paper - To line the bottom and the sides of the baking tin. Make sure to leave plenty of overhang, as it will also help with removal of the cake from the tin.
- Couple of mixing bowls.
- Small saucepan - For making the salted honey topping.
Storage and freezing
Store any leftovers in the fridge, in the airtight container or in the baking tin (covered with some kitchen foil) for up to 5 days.
Honey cheesecake is also suitable for freezing for up to a month (without the soured cream and salted honey drizzle). To freeze, allow the cheesecake to chill overnight first, then wrap it in a double layer of clingfilm and place in the freezer-friendly bag or container. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
FAQ's
Do I have to use the water bath?
No, you don't! Water bath is not necessary when baking cheesecake, despite many recipes out there stating that it is crucial. It's hideous and unnecessary, and will make very little to no difference to the appearance or the taste of your cheesecake.
Why did my cheesecake crack?
This could be due to few different reasons:
- Be sure to line the baking tin properly with the baking paper. This includes the bottom and the sides of the tin. If the sides are not covered properly, the cake will stick to them, creating a tension during cooling down and splitting as a result.
- You overmixed the batter - Overmixing will allow more air bubbles to get into the batter, and these will expand and burst as the cheesecake bakes, causing the cracks to form.
- Drastic changes to the temperature - Allow the cheesecake to cool down in the oven first, after it baked. If you remove it straight away from the hot oven into the kitchen counter, it will cause it to cool down way too quickly, and it will split. Let it cool gradually in the oven first (make sure to switch the oven off), then leave it at room temperature to cool completely, before placing it in the fridge.
Remember, even if your cheesecake did crack, it's not a big deal! The topping will hide any cracks or imperfections, so don't stress over it. It will still taste delicious!
Why did my cheesecake curdle?
The oven temperature was more likely set too high, or you baked the cake for too long. Be sure to follow the recipe instructions and bake it at the recommended temperature. Also, make sure that all of the ingredients are at room temperature before starting this recipe.
Top tip
Always use the room temperature ingredients. This is crucial to any cheesecake recipe. Remove them from the fridge at least an hour or two before.
Do not overmix the cheesecake batter. You want to stop mixing as soon as the ingredients are incorporated, otherwise you will beat too much air into the batter. This will cause the cheesecake to puff up and rise up in the oven as it bakes, and then it will sink in the middle as it cools, causing it to split and crack.
To pin this recipe and save it for later, use the button on the recipe card, or on any of the photos above.
If you try this recipe, or any other recipe on Anna Banana, please take a moment to rate the recipe and/ or leave me a comment. I love hearing from you , but it also helps the other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Honey Cheesecake
Equipment
- 23cm (9 inch) springform cake tin
- baking paper
- 2 mixing bowls
- hand-held electric mixer or freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment
- spatula
Ingredients
For the cheesecake base:
- 280 g ginger nut biscuits* crushed into crumbs
- 90 g unsalted butter melted
For the filling:
- 900 g full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 170 ml runny honey
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste optional
- 150 ml soured cream* optional, read the recipe notes
For the topping:
- 150 ml runny honey
- 2 tablespoon double/ heavy cream
- 150 ml soured cream
- 1-2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Lightly grease the baking tin and line the bottom and the sides of it with the baking paper, leaving plenty of overhang.
To make the crust:
- Using the food processor, whizz the biscuits into fine crumbs. You can also place the biscuits into a plastic zip-lock style bag and use the rolling pin to crush them. Tranfer the biscuits crumbs into a bowl, and mix with the melted butter until the texture resembles the wet sand. Transfer to the baking tin and pressfirmly into the bottom and the sides of the baking tin. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside, while you prepare the filling.
To make the honey cheesecake filling:
- Place the room temperature cream cheese in a bowl of an electric mixer or a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachemt and beat until smooth, no longer than 30 seconds on medium-low speed. Add honey and cornflour and mix again to combine, about 10 seconds. Add the beaten eggs with vanilla, in three additions, mixing no longer than 5-10 seconds between each addition. (If using blocks of cream cheese, you will also add the soured cream at this stage, see recipe notes). Scrape the bottom and the sides of the bowl as and when needed.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the baking tin with the crust. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour. The top of the cheesecake should be very light golden brown, and it should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan. When the baking time is over, turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake inside, for an hour, with the oven door ajar/ opened a little bit.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven, and transfer it to the fridge for at least 5 hours, or overnight. When it's ready, remove it from the baking tin. Top the cheesecake with soured cream and the salted honey mixture, slice and enjoy!
To make the salted honey topping:
- Put the honey and 1 tablespoon of water and few drops of the lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir it well to combine together. Put the saucepan over a medium heat and keep stirring the mixture until small bubbles will start appearing on the surface. Stop stirring the mixture, but keep cooking it while swirling the pan until the honey turns golden brown and smells caramelised. Take the mixture off the heat and add 2 tablespoon of double cream. Stir in the salt and allow the mixture to cool.
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Katie says
What is the garnish that you used on top?
Anna says
Hi Katie, I used a decorative honeycomb silicone mould and used melted white chocolate to fill it up with. Hope this helps!
Jenny says
The juxtaposition of sweet & salt makes each bite a party. Another plus, the recipe is simple. Thanks for sharing this decadent honey cheesecake delight!
Laura Arteaga says
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! Tried a few days ago and it was an absolute hit, the whole family loved it.
Marie says
This is quite simply a spectacular dessert. I love honey and this is a delicious celebration of the ingredients! You provided super useful tips and I finally understood why my cheesecakes usually cracked (overmixing!) Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe, I'll make it again soon.
Marta says
My daughter is a fan of honey anything, so she fell in love with this luscious honey cheesecake. I'll definitely be making this for her more often.
megane says
Perfection! Simple, delicious and easy to make. Winning combo.
Anna says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe Megan! Thanks for the review.
Amy says
I'm in the US, so used Graham crackers for the crust, but otherwise made exactly as written and boy howdy it was fantastic. Perfect honey flavor. Perfect creamy and even texture. I can't see making any other cheesecake again. Thank you for the amazing recipe.
Anna says
Thanks so much for your positive feedback and review Amy! So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!