Setting Time For White Chocolate Cheesecake

Our answer

Nigella's White Chocolate Cheesecake (from AT MY TABLE) is a no-bake cheesecake where the filling sets as it chills. The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature so that it mixes easily with the melted chocolate. If the cream cheese is cold then the chocolate will turn into small lumps and the filling will not have a smooth texture. The filling then needs to be completely cold to set enough to cut into slices. The length of time needed to chill the cheesecake can vary, according to the temperature of the fridge. A fridge that has the door constantly opening and closing during the day will have a warmer temperature than one where the door is kept tightly shut. The absolute minimum time would be 4 hours and there is still a risk that the cheesecake may still be slightly soft. Also in our experience the cheesecake can take longer to set if it is made with whipping (or heavy) cream rather than double cream, due to the lower fat content of whipping cream, and needs overnight chilling to set properly.

If you don't have time to set a large cheesecake then you could make individual ones in glasses or individual serving dishes. Divide the gingersnap crumb mixture between 8 glasses and tamp down slightly, then top with the cheesecake filling. These will chill and set more quickly in the fridge and as people will eat them direct from the glasses it doesn't matter quite as much if the filling isn't fully set.