Why Is My White Chocolate Cheesecake Slightly Soft?

Our answer

Nigella's White Chocolate Cheesecake (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is a no-bake cheesecake that is impressive but easy to make. The texture is softer than a more traditional baked cheesecake and is light and slightly mousse-like. However it should be possible to cut clean slices. Using a sharp knife that has been dipped in very hot water and then carefully wiped dry will help to give neater slices when you cut the cheesecake.

There are two things that will affect the setting of the cheesecake. One is the quality of the white chocolate and we suggest trying to use a white chocolate with a fairly high proportion of cocoa butter, as the cocoa butter will help the set of the cheesecake filling (it turns solid at around 30c). We would suggest looking for one with a cocoa butter content (usually listed as cocoa solids) of around 30%, the bar may be labelled as "white cooking chocolate". Many white chocolates are made with low levels of cocoa butter and higher levels of vegetable fat and these will not set as well. The second factor is the fat content in the cream and a low fat level will also tend to give a softer filling. Double cream has a fat content of 48% so will give a firmer set filling, though is difficult to find outside of the UK. Whipping and heavy cream will have a fat content of 30-40% and will give a slightly softer set filling. So try to use a cream with the highest fat content you can find, though avoid UHT cream, as this does not whip well.