Double-Baked London Cheesecake (Nigella Lawson)

Have you tasted a slice of DOUBLE-baked cheesecake? Yes and glad that I did! I first heard of it about seven years ago when I baked a classic cheesecake for my husband's birthday celebration. One of our friends in the celebration mentioned that I should try baking a double-baked cheesecake and gave me his recipe. Since then, the thought of double-baked cheesecake has been lingering in my mind for years and sad that I can't find my friend's recipe now when I need it.

What is a Double-baked cheesecake? The name is right that you have to bake this cheesecake twice. The cake is first baked with a cream cheese layer and then baked again with a thin sour cream layer.

Why the sour cream layer? It gives the cake a smooth finishing look and also extra smooth creamy tangy taste.

Is the extra sour cream layer necessary? In my opinion, it does make the cake taste and look better. What say you?

With the help of Google and internet, I have found two fantastic double-baked cheesecake recipes. One is from the book, How to be a domestic goddess by Nigella Lawson or here which requires water bath to bake. at Nigella.com. Another is from That's Life magazine which requires NO water bath to bake and has thinner cream cheese layer. Reading Nigella's description in this recipe makes me curious to witness the effect of water bath in cheesecake baking. Interestingly, both recipes didn't use any flour at all and can be gluten-free if the cakes are baked with gluten-free biscuits base.

Glad that I baked the Nigella's recipe because Nigella is totally right! Baking the cheesecake in the water bath is simply brilliant! ... resulting this cheesecake so smooth, light and heavenly... I reckon that the velvety smoothness of this cheesecake is beyond any words that I can described.

Loss of words after the first bite? I was but my chatterbox son didn't. With his mouth full, he insisted that this is not a cheesecake but a smooth creamy custard cake. Then, he insisted too that he wouldn't stop at one. My husband and I just enjoyed the cake with lots of satisfaction, without saying anything much.

Double-Baked London Cheesecake (Nigella Lawson)

I used Granita which is sort of the Aussie version of McVitie's

My son, the kung fu master of bashing food - LOL!

Instead of pressing the biscuits on the base, I like to have them on the sides as well.

I was singing the song, Smooth Operator by Sade while mixing the cake batter - LOL!

Mix in these and the cream cheese layer is ready :D

Baking the first cream cheese layer

While baking, mix in sugar and vanilla paste into sour cream

Baking the second sour cream layer

Allow the cake to cool on the rack completely. Place it in the fridge to firm up further after cooling.

Cheesecake with a nice custard-y texture

Its velvety and smoothness makes me speechless!

Here's the recipe from the book, How to be a domestic goddess by Nigella Lawson or here at Nigella.com (with my modification and notes in blue)

for the base:
150 g digestive biscuits
75 g unsalted butter (melted or very soft)

for the cream cheese layer:
600g cream cheese
150g caster sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(I used vanilla paste)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

for the sour cream layer:
145 ml sour cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(I used vanilla paste)


Process (or crush by hand) the biscuits until they are like crumbs, then add the butter and pulse again (or combine). Line the bottom of a 20 cm / 8 inch springform tin (I used a 14 cm round loose bottom tin to bake half amount of the recipe), pressing the biscuits in with your hands or the back of a spoon. Put the tin in the fridge to set, and preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4/350ºF (or 160ºC fan forced).

Beat the cream cheese gently until it's smooth, then add the sugar. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, then finally the vanilla and lemon juice. Put the kettle on.

Line the outside of the chilled tin with strong foil so that it covers the bottom and sides in one large piece, and then do the same again and put it into a roasting dish. This will protect the cheesecake from the water as it is cooked in its water bath.

Pour the cream-cheese filling into the chilled biscuit base, and then pour hot water from the recently boiled kettle into the roasting tin around the cheesecake. It should come about halfway up; don't overfill as it will be difficult to lift up the tin. Put it into the oven and cook for 50 mins (I baked my 14cm cake for 40 mins). It should feel set, but not rigidly so: you just need to feel confident that when you pour the sour cream over, it will sit on the surface and not sink in. Whisk together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla for the topping and pour over the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven for a further 10 mins.

Take the roasting tin out of the oven, then gently remove the Springform, unwrap it and stand it on a rack to cool. When it's cooled down completely, put it in the fridge, removing it 20 mins before eating to take the chill off. Unmould and when you cut into it, plunge a knife in hot water first.

Note: Using full amount of the base recipe, I have pressed the crushed biscuits on the base and the sides of a 14 cm round loose bottom tin. Using half amount of cream cheese layer and sour cream layer recipe, I have baked a 14 cm round cheesecake at 160ºC fan forced for 40 mins to bake the cheesecake layer and another 10 mins to bake the sour cream layer.

Happy Baking
Please support me and like me at Facebook...