Irresistible Honey Cheesecake with Salted Honey Caramel

An incredibly creamy baked honey cheesecake studded with pieces of stem ginger and topped with salted honey caramel is all you will crave once you've had a taste of it! This Salted Honey Cheesecake with gingernut biscuit base is perfect for holidays or to serve at the end of your summer dinner party!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost for you! Thank you!

The Inspiration

Before I start singing its praises, I must mention that this is Janine Ratcliff's recipe, that we've adjusted to make it smaller and jazzed up with some optional stem ginger! Although we made it smaller, it still, just like the original recipe stated, served eight (or the two of us for dessert after 4 meals!). Here's the link to the original recipe, that we highly recommend, if you are not a fan of ginger or catering to a bigger crowd!

The Best Cheesecake In The World?

I don't even know how to start describing this ever-so-dreamy baked honey cheesecake! I want to say this is my favourite cheesecake in the world, but I could probably say this about at least five other cheesecakes that we make (specifically our Biscoff Cheesecake, Cherry Cheesecake, San Sebastian Cheesecake and many others).

It is, however, the creamiest most delightful cheesecake you will ever make, that has it all - sweet and slightly floral with honey, exciting with a touch of savoury in the salted honey caramel, with a tang from creme fraiche and a bit of heat of stem ginger! Trust me, this honey cheesecake recipe HAS IT ALL!

Why You Will Love This Baked Cheesecake?

The cheesecake itself is a very creamy and light-baked mousse-like texture. Whilst there's a slight hint of honey sweetness, the main flavour is definitely ginger, which comes from gingernuts in the base and also from little jewels of stem ginger in the cheesecake filling as well.

What makes this cheesecake really very very special is the salted honey caramel. It is sweet and sticky, and it has the most delicious honey flavour. It was the first time I made caramel using honey, and I was amazed at how much I liked it. Whilst it is sweeter than the traditional caramel and you only need a couple of drops of it on top of your cheesecake, the intense honey flavour brings the dessert alive and makes it extremely memorable.

The creme fraiche layer topping the cheesecake is optional, of course, but I found that the tang of it really cuts through the sweetness of honey caramel and makes the dessert fresher tasting.

This is almost a refined sugar-free dessert. If you can get sugar-free biscuits and stem ginger, or better yet, make them yourself, then you have yourself a very decadent creamy and sweet cheesecake that is entirely refined sugar-free!

Tips and Tricks for The Best Baked Honey Cheesecake

To make sure you get the creamiest cheesecake, baked to perfection, we have put together a list of tips and tricks on How To Prevent Your Cheesecake From Cracking. In summary:

• Use full-fat cream cheese and full-fat creme fraiche.
• Make sure all the ingredients for the filling are at room temperature.
• Once you add the eggs, be gentle and don't beat the mixture to avoid adding air bubbles.
• Cook your cheesecake in a water bath to create a steamy humid environment.
• Don't overcook: turn the oven off when the middle of the cheesecake is still wobbly.
• Cool your cheesecake slowly - no drastic temperature changes.

Method

STEP 1: Make The Gingernut Biscuit Base

Preheat the oven to 150°C Fan. Wrap the bottom of the tin with foil (see photos below).

Using a rolling pin crush the gingernut biscuits into crumbs or, alternatively, process them in a food processor (we love Kenwood). Melt the butter in a small saucepan and mix it in with the biscuit crumbs. Press the mixture into the base of an 18 springform cake tin. Place in the oven for 5 minutes and then leave to cool down.

STEP 2: Make Honey Cheesecake Filling

Place full-fat cream cheese, flour, honey, vanilla paste and creme fraiche in a large bowl and beat until smooth (take your time here - it normally takes about 2-3 minutes using an electric hand-held mixer). Add the eggs, egg yolk and stem ginger (if using) and mix those in with a spatula or a balloon whisk. Don't use the electric mixer once the eggs are added, as you may introduce too much air into the mixture and your cheesecake will likely crack when baking. For more tips on how to prevent the cheesecake from cracking, have a look at our post here.

Pour the filling on top of the gingernut biscuit base. Then place the tin in a baking tray with high rims and pour approx. 2cm of boiling water in the baking tray to surround the cheesecake (the foil will protect the cheesecake from water seeping in).

Place your honey cheesecake in the centre of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Your cheesecake should be set around the edges, but still, have a good wobble in the middle. Leave the cheesecake to cool in the switched-off oven for an hour, then open the door and leave it for another hour. Continue cooling at room temperature.

STEP 3: Creme Fraiche Topping

When your cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, spread the creme fraiche on top and transfer to a fridge for at least 3 hours to firm up.

STEP 4: Make Salted Honey Caramel

In the meantime, make the salted honey caramel. Place the honey, 1 tablespoon of water and lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat on low-medium heat stirring continuously until the mixture is starting to boil. Then stop stirring, but instead swirl the pan until the mixture turns a slightly darker golden colour. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the double cream. Finally, stir in the salt and leave to cool down. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cools.

STEP 5: Serve

Take the cheesecake out of the fridge half an hour before serving. Run the knife around the inner edge of the tin to help release it from the tin. Serve with the salted honey caramel spooned over the top!

---

Other Cheesecake Recipes

For other creamy dessert ideas, have a look at the recipes below:

• The Creamiest Baked Cheery Swirl Cheesecake
• Creamy Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake (Baked Cheesecake Recipe)
• Easy Toblerone Cheesecake (No-Bake Recipe)
• 5-Ingredients Lemon Slices

Recipe Card