No-Bake Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake
Noor blends Lotus and digestive biscuits and binds them with qishta instead of butter for a base that holds without going hard, then whips cream with stabiliser powder and folds in soft cheese and Biscoff spread. It sets overnight in the fridge before a swirl of melted Biscoff and a scatter of crushed biscuit.
Lotus cheesecake became the go-to celebration dessert for a simple reason: no oven, no gelatine, and nothing to crack. Noor uses qishta rather than butter in the base, so it stays firm but tender and slices cleanly instead of setting rock hard in the cold. The filling is nothing more than whipped cream folded with soft cheese and Biscoff spread — all the caramel and cinnamon comes from the biscuit itself. You do the work at night and wake up to a finished dessert.
How to Prepare
Blitz the Lotus and digestive biscuits together in a food processor until they look like fine sand with no large pieces.
Tip the crumbs into a 26 cm springform tin and add the tin of qishta on top.
Rub the qishta through the crumbs with your fingertips, then press the mixture flat across the base with the back of a cup until even and compact. Chill for 20 minutes.
Whip the cold cream with both sachets of stabiliser powder, starting on medium then moving to high, until it holds firm peaks on the beater — cold cream whips faster and holds better.
Add the cheese triangles, the second tin of qishta and 3 tablespoons of Biscoff spread to the whipped cream.
Fold with a silicone spatula, lifting from the bottom upwards — not with the electric beater — until smooth but still light and airy.
Take the tin from the fridge and pour the filling over the chilled biscuit base in one go.
Level the top with a wide knife or offset spatula until completely smooth — a flat surface gives cleaner decorating lines later.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, so the filling sets firm enough to slice with clean edges.
Melt the Biscoff spread for a few seconds until pourable and pipe it in a spiral over the top, then scatter crushed Lotus biscuits around the edge.
Release the springform ring and slice with a hot knife, wiping it between cuts. Serve straight from the fridge.
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Chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer for ten minutes first. Cream sets from cold, not from longer whipping — carry on past firm peaks and it splits into butter. Stop the moment it holds on the beater.
Ingredient Swaps
No qishta? Use 150 g melted butter in the base and an extra 200 g cream cheese in the filling.
Swap the digestives for plain tea biscuits or oat biscuits — half Lotus, half neutral biscuit keeps the sweetness balanced.
No stabiliser powder? Whip the cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp cornflour instead.
Cheese triangles can be replaced with Philadelphia or mascarpone at roughly the same weight (about 160 g).
For a firmer slice that stands up: dissolve 1 tsp gelatine in 60 ml warm water and add it while folding the filling.
Add a small pinch of salt to the filling — it lifts the caramel notes in the Biscoff and cuts the sweetness.
To decorate, melted Biscoff can be swapped for salted caramel sauce or melted white chocolate.
Common Questions
Why did the filling not set?
Usually the cream was under-whipped or too warm. It must hold on the beater before the cheese goes in, and it needs to be 35% fat or higher — low-fat cream never sets.
How long does it really need to chill?
Six hours is the minimum for slicing, but a full night gives cleaner edges and a better texture. Do not use the freezer to rush it — ice crystals make the filling grainy.
How do I get clean slices?
Dip a sharp knife in boiling water, dry it, then cut. Wipe and re-dip every couple of slices.
Can I make it two days ahead?
Yes, it keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, but add the crushed biscuit and Biscoff drizzle only an hour before serving so the biscuit stays crisp.
The base crumbles when I cut it — why?
It was not pressed firmly enough, or not chilled before the filling went on. Press hard with the back of a cup rather than fingers alone, and chill it 20 minutes first.
Can it be frozen?
Yes, up to a month, well wrapped and undecorated. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then decorate before serving.
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