White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake; buttery biscuit base, light and creamy cheesecake flavoured with sweet white chocolate and warming Amaretto liqueur, and as many toppings as your heart desires!
[this recipe was originally posted on December 1 2018, but has been revisited for 2021]
It’s not Christmas without a cheesecake.
Plum puddings and Christmas cakes have their place, but are rarely what you want to weigh yourself down with after a feast of turkey and trimmings. Cheesecakes on the other hand, however tacky and 1970s they can be, are often the light and cooling thing your palate desires after a hot roast dinner. It isn’t traditional, it isn’t particularly seasonal, but a cheesecake is a Christmas dessert staple in my family and cheesecake recipes tend to dominate on Maverick Baking page views over the Winter period.
If you haven’t already tried my Milky Bar Cheesecake, do so immediately. If you have, (or if you’re like me and have a problem with being told what to do) keep scrolling.
Today we are talking more specifically about this White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake. Rich and fancy enough to grace the centre of your Christmas table, but light and creamy enough to prevent the need for unbuttoning those trousers quite so quickly. But hey, no judgment if you do.
The cheesecake you see before you has a custard cream biscuit base (genius tbh), though would be equally delicious with an amaretti or humble digestive biscuit base too. It has gorgeously smooth cheesecake component sweetened with white chocolate, warmed with Amaretto liqueur, and lightened with the airiness of fresh whipped cream. On top, you can enjoy the melting creaminess of white chocolate chunks, the crunch of toasted flaked almonds and the delight of Ferrero Raffaello truffles in all their coconut-almond-chocolate glory.
You can make this White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake as boozy or mild as you like, using anywhere between 4 and 8 tablespoons of the sticky sweet almond liqueur. I opted for 8 because I’m classless, greedy, and Scottish.
Obviously this dessert is not restricted to the Christmas period, however, its snowy-white abundance casts my mind to frosted trees and baubles.
If you want to make this lovely dessert, scroll down to find the full recipe for the White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake!
White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake
White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake; buttery biscuit base, light and creamy cheesecake flavoured with sweet white chocolate and warming Amaretto liqueur, and as many toppings as your heart desires!
Notes
BE A MAVERICK: why not try this with milk chocolate instead of the white chocolate?
MAKE IT ALCOHOL FREE: swap the Amaretto for a teaspoon or two of almond flavouring/essence instead!
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake:
- 200g digestive, amaretti or custard cream biscuits
- 90g butter (if using custard cream biscuits, reduce butter to 70g)
- 600g full fat cream cheese
- 4-8 tbsp Amaretto liqueur, depending on how strong you would like it
- 200g white chocolate
- 300ml double cream
- White chocolate, flaked almonds, whipped cream, Raffaello truffles etc to decorate (optional)
Instructions
For the White Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake:
- Look out a 20-25cm springform tin, line its base with greaseproof paper.
- Using either a food processor, a blender, or a freezer bag and rolling pin, pulverise the biscuits into a crumbs. Some chunky bits are fine!
- Melt the butter and stir it through your biscuit crumbs until they are all coated.
- Tip the biscuit mixture into your prepared tin and use a spoon, spatula or just your hands to press it into a flat disc covering the base of the tin.
- Chill the cheesecake base in the fridge for at least 15 minutes while you make the cheesecake itself.
- Using the microwave in 30 second intervals, or a bowl set over pan of simmering water, melt your white chocolate until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and Amaretto until combined.
- Whisk in the white chocolate until fully incorporated.
- Whip your double cream until just stiff and fluffy, before stirring it gently through the cheesecake mixture until just combined. You don’t want to mix all the lovely air out of it!
- Tip the cheesecake mixture on top of your chilled base and smooth it out evenly.
- Chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. By this point the chocolate should have set and the cream cheese stiffened, helping to firm up the cheesecake.
- Gently remove your cheesecake from the tin and place on your serving plate.
- Decorate with extra whipped cream, flaked almonds, white chocolate, Raffaello truffles or whatever you like.
- Slice up and enjoy!
Could this wonderful sounding cheesecake be made with mascarpone cheese?
Hi Carolyn, yes I’m sure it could! I’ve never tried it but I imagine it would provide a richer taste without affecting the texture too much. Let me know how it goes if you try!