Why Does My Chocolate Lime Cheesecake Not Set?

Our answer

Nigella's Chocolate Lime Cheesecake (from NIGELLA BITES) is a baked cheesecake. Nigella bakes the cheesecake in a water bath, which is a very gentle form of cooking and helps to set the cheesecake so that it has a smooth texture. When the cheesecake is ready to come out of the oven it should be set around the edges with just a hint of a quiver in the centre. When you check the cheesecake, give the springfom pan a little jiggle (without splashing too much water). If it looks like there is a lot of movement underneath the set surface, cook for 10 more minutes and check again and keep checking every 10 minutes until just the very centre trembles.

The cheesecake also needs to be thoroughly chilled before serving and ideally overnight. If it is too runny it could be that it has not chilled for long enough for the cheesecake to set properly, so we suggest making the cheesecake the day before. Removing the cheesecake from the fridge 20 minutes before serving just takes the chill off, which helps the flavour, but if you prefer you could serve it straight from the fridge. Finally, it is the eggs that help the cheesecake batter to set and they need to be UK large eggs, so be sure to use the right size of eggs.