Why Did My White Chocolate Cheesecake Not Set?

Our answer

Nigella's White Chocolate Cheesecake (from AT MY TABLE) is an unbaked cheesecake with a mousse-like texture. It is not as firm as a baked cheesecake, though the filling should be set and not runny.

The consistency of the filling depends on two ingredients. The first is the white chocolate, which needs to be a good quality white chocolate and sometimes may be sold as "white chocolate for cooking". We would suggest looking for a white chocolate that has a cocoa fat content of around 30% (it may be listed as "cocoa" on the packaging). White chocolates that have high quantities of sugar, milk solids and vegetable fats will not set as well, even when chilled. The second ingredient is the cream, which should have a fat content of at least 30%. If the fat content is lower than this then the cream will not whip well and the texture of the cheesecake will be different. If you are in France then it would be a good idea to use creme fleurette from the chiller cabinet and not a UHT cream, as UHT cream does not whip as well. If you can find it in your local store then we suggest using la creme a fouetter et mascarpone. This has a fat content of 36% and whips very well.