Dessert · Any · Intermediate
Vegan NYC-Style Baked Cheesecake
with a Biscoff Crust, Water-Bath Set & Warm-Spiced Blueberry Sauce
A tall, dense, lactic-tangy slice over a caramel-spiced Biscoff wall, blueberries bleeding purple through the pale crumb, served cold under a glossy ginger-warmed berry syrup.
Per serving ≈ 544 cal · 4.5g protein · 31g fat · 63g carbs
The lodge kept getting the same dare from the doubters: a real New York cheesecake — tall, dense, tangy — with no eggs and no dairy. Gaz Oakley's vegan bake is the proof it can be done, and this is our take on it: two starches and a low water bath standing in for the egg custard, a Biscoff wall doing the graham-crust job with more spice built in. We run it when the blueberries are worth cooking down, and serve it cold with a spoon of that warm-spiced sauce. Credit where it's due — the method is Gaz Oakley's; the extra cinnamon in the crust and the ginger in the sauce are ours.
Cooking around dairy, gluten, wine, meat…? tap to adjust
The Tools
- Food processor or high-speed blender — Base crumb first, then the filling — rinse in between
- 23cm (9-inch) deep springform or loose-bottom cake tin — Sealed springform is safest against the water bath
- Parchment round — Lines the base; discarded after release
- Aluminum foil (optional) — Only if the tin isn't fully sealed — double-wrap the outside against the water bath
- Deep roasting tray (water bath) — Big enough to hold the tin with clear space around it
- Kettle — Hot water for the bath
- Kitchen scale — Base and starch ratios decide the set — weigh them
- Measuring spoons
- Spoon or flat-bottomed glass (press the crust)
- Rubber spatula
- Small saucepan (blueberry sauce)
- Wire cooling rack — Holds the tin, not the food
- Long thin serving knife — Dip in hot water and wipe between slices
✚ ends up in the sink · essentials unless marked optional
Biscoff Base
Why this works The crust is a fat-glued wall, not a dough. Melted vegan butter coats every biscuit particle; the 10-minute pre-bake at 170°C drives off the butter's water, toasts the already-baked Biscoff a shade further to deepen its caramel-cinnamon notes, and — the part that matters — melts the fat fully so that as the crust cools, the butter recrystallizes and locks the loose crumb into a sliceable shell. Pre-baking also waterproofs the base against the wet filling poured on top: a raw crumb crust wicks moisture and turns to paste, a baked one holds its crunch for days. Biscoff is doing the graham-cracker job with more spice for free — the whole speculoos profile of cinnamon, caramelized sugar, and a whisper of clove. The butter-to-biscuit ratio is deliberately high (185g to 400g) so the wall is firm enough to press up the sides and stand on its own once chilled.
- 400g (about 50 biscuits) Lotus Biscoff biscuits 400 g — The base's whole flavor — no plain digestive matches the built-in spice
- 185g (3/4 cup) Vegan block butter, melted 185 g — Block/stick style, soy- and nut-free (Flora Plant, Violife) — tub spreads carry too much water to set the crust
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Heat oven, prep the tin 4 min hands-on
Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease the tin and line the base with a parchment round. If the tin isn't a sealed springform, double-wrap the outside in foil now.
Take care An ungreased tin welds the crust to the metal and tears the slice. Skipping the foil on an unsealed tin invites the water bath into the base later — the one failure this cake can't recover from. -
Blitz to fine crumb 3 min hands-on
Blitz the Biscoff in the food processor to an even, fine crumb, 20-30 seconds.
Look for Uniform sandy crumb the texture of damp brown sugar — no flat biscuit shards rattling in the bowl.
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Add the melted butter 1 min hands-on
Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the crumb darkens and clumps.
Look for Squeeze a handful — it holds like wet sand and doesn't crumble apart.
-
Press base and sides 6 min hands-on
Tip into the tin. Press firmly and evenly across the base and 4-5cm up the sides with the back of a spoon or a flat-bottomed glass.
Look for A compact, even wall with no thin spots where the tin shows through; corners packed tight.
Take care Uneven pressure bakes thin spots dark and bitter while thick spots stay soft. Firm, even, edge to edge. -
Pre-bake 10 minutes 1 min hands-on · 10 min wait
Bake 10 minutes, then set aside to cool while you make the filling — it firms as it cools.
Look for Set and fragrant, a shade darker at the rim; the surface looks dry, not glossy with pooled butter.
Take care Butter pooling on top means the press was too loose — blot it and re-press while warm, or the base bakes greasy.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy base under the filling | Raw crust, or water breached the tin during the bake | Always pre-bake; seal or double-foil the tin before the water bath |
| Slice crumbles, won't hold | Too little butter or a loose press | Add 1-2 tbsp melted butter, press harder, and chill fully before cutting |
| Burnt ring at the rim | Oven runs hot or the side wall is pressed thin | Press the sides a touch thicker; drop to a lower shelf next time |
Cheesecake Filling
Why this works With no eggs, the set comes entirely from starch, and understanding that is the whole recipe. Cornstarch and plain flour both gelatinize when heated in the wet filling: above roughly 60-70°C their granules swell and burst, releasing amylose that, on cooling, re-associates into a gel network — the same mechanism that sets a starch-thickened pastry cream. That is why the cake is soft and jiggly hot and only turns sliceable cold: the gel forms as it cools, not in the oven. Cornstarch (pure starch) gives a clean, firm set; a little plain flour adds wheat protein for a softer, more custard-like bite. Almond flour is insurance, not a thickener — its fat and fiber interrupt the starch gel only enough to keep the texture creamy instead of gluey, and it soaks up free water so the cake doesn't weep. Sugar competes with the starch for water, raising the set temperature and keeping the crumb tender rather than rubbery. The coconut cream cheese carries the fat, body, and lactic tang that read as cheesecake. The water bath does two jobs even without eggs to protect: water at the tin wall can't exceed 100°C, so the filling's edges finish setting at the same pace as the center instead of racing ahead, drying, and cracking; and the tray of water humidifies the oven so the surface sets matte and smooth rather than skinning and splitting. The one hard rule: not a drop reaches the crust.
- 65g (1/2 cup) Almond flour 65 g — Blanched, fine — for creamy body, not structure
- 360g (1 1/3 cups), room temperature Coconut-based vegan cream cheese 360 g — Soy- and nut-free (e.g. Violife). This is the flavor ceiling — taste it from the tub; a bland cream cheese makes a bland cake. Soy-based (Tofutti) or cashew-based (Miyoko's) work but carry soy / nuts respectively.
- 400ml Pea milk 400 g — Sproud or similar — soy/nut/gluten-free and creamy. Oat milk works but check it's GF-certified; soy or almond milk shift the allergen profile.
- 200g (1 cup) Caster sugar 200 g — Unrefined caster if you have it
- 5 tbsp (40g) Plain flour 40 g
- 5 tbsp (40g) Cornstarch 40 g — The primary setter — weigh it, don't eyeball
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract — Pure, not imitation
- 95g (1/2 cup) Frozen blueberries 95 g — Straight from frozen — they streak the crumb purple as they bake
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Blitz smooth 3 min hands-on
In the cleaned blender, combine almond flour, cream cheese, pea milk, sugar, plain flour, cornstarch, and vanilla. Blitz 60-90 seconds until completely smooth, then taste the batter: sweet with a clean lactic tang, the salt already in the cream cheese lifting the sugar. If it reads flat, a pinch of salt sharpens it.
Look for Pourable and satiny — no cream-cheese lumps, no grit; rub a drop between finger and thumb and it feels silky, not sandy.
Take care Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that bake into pale streaks, so bring it to room temperature first. But stop once smooth — over-running the blender whips in air that souffles up in the oven and sinks into a cracked, cratered top. -
Pour and seed the berries 2 min hands-on
Pour the filling over the cooled base. Scatter the frozen blueberries evenly across the top; they sink slightly and bleed into the crumb as they bake.
Look for Berries suspended across the surface, not all dropped to the bottom.
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Set the water bath 3 min hands-on
Boil the kettle. Set the tin in the roasting tray and pour hot water into the tray to come 2-3cm (1 inch) up the outside of the tin. If the tin isn't sealed, confirm the foil wrap is tight first.
Take care Water breaching the tin is THE way this cake dies — a soggy, unsliceable base. Wrap tight, pour slowly, and never let the tray water climb near the tin's rim. -
Bake 1 hour at 170°C 1 min hands-on · 1 h wait
Carefully transfer to the middle shelf and bake 1 hour.
Look for Done means set and matte to a 5cm ring at the edge with a coin-sized wobble at the very center that moves as one mass — a set custard, not a liquid. Top is pale gold, no wet sheen.
Take care Chasing a fully firm center overbakes it — it dries, cracks, and the edges pull. Pull it with the center still jiggling; it finishes on cooling. -
Cool completely, then chill 2 min hands-on · 6 h wait
Lift the tin from the water bath, peel any foil, and cool on a rack to room temperature — about 2 hours for a cake this size; a hot tin put straight in the fridge sweats condensation onto the top. Then refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Do not cut warm.
Look for Fully chilled, the top is firm to a light touch and a knife slides out clean.
Take care Cut before it's cold-set and the starch gel hasn't formed — the slice slumps into paste. The only fix is more chilling; resist the knife.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cracked, cratered top | Overbaked, no water bath, or air whipped in from over-blitzing | Blitz only to smooth, always use the water bath, and pull with the center still jiggling |
| Wet or soggy base | Water leaked past the tin during the bath | Use a sealed springform, or double-wrap a loose-bottom tin tight in foil |
| Grainy or streaky filling | Cold or under-blitzed cream cheese | Room-temperature cream cheese, blended fully smooth before it meets the base |
Warm-Spiced Blueberry Sauce
Why this works A quick pan compote thickened by reduction, not by a set — no cornstarch needed and, honestly, no real pectin gel either. Blueberries are low in pectin and there's no added acid here, so this never firms up like jam. What thickens it is plain concentration: simmering bursts the berries and drives off water while the dissolved sugar, skins, and pulp pull the liquid into a spoon-coating syrup. It tightens further in the fridge because a concentrated sugar syrup is far more viscous cold than hot, which is why you judge the final texture chilled, never in the hot pan. Ground ginger and cinnamon are a warm-spice bridge back to the speculoos crust; the splash of water keeps the pan from scorching before the berries release their own juice. Cook it while the cheesecake bakes and it's cold and thick by the time the cake is.
- 285g (1 1/2 cups) Frozen blueberries 285 g — Straight from frozen — no thawing
- 100g (1/2 cup) Caster sugar 100 g
- 2 tbsp (30ml) Water 30 g — Only enough to start the pan before the berries release juice
- a pinch Ground ginger
- a pinch Ground cinnamon
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Simmer 10 minutes 2 min hands-on · 10 min wait
Everything into the small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat and cook 10 minutes, stirring, until the berries collapse and the liquid turns glossy and syrupy. Taste near the end: cinnamon and ginger should read as a background warmth against the fruit, not a sharp bite.
Look for The bubbles slow from watery to thick and glossy; a spoon dragged across the pan base leaves a trail that fills back slowly.
Take care High heat scorches the sugar to bitterness before it reduces — hold it at a lazy simmer, not a boil. -
Cool to a syrup 1 min hands-on · 20 min wait
Off the heat, cool completely — it thickens to a pourable syrup as it cools.
Look for Coats the back of a spoon; a spoonful holds a soft line for a second before it spreads.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too thin | Under-reduced, or judged while still hot | Simmer 2-3 minutes more, and trust that it thickens further cold |
| Jammy and stiff | Over-reduced | Loosen with 1-2 tsp water off the heat |
| Bitter | Sugar scorched on high heat | Remake at a lower simmer — the sugar should never catch on the pan |
To the Table
Release the fully chilled cake: warm the tin sides with your hands or a warm towel for a minute, run a thin knife around the rim, then lift the loose bottom or spring the latch.
Slice with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry — cut straight down, wipe between every slice, for clean faces.
One slab per plate. Spoon the cold blueberry sauce over one side so it pools onto the plate rather than drowning the slice.
A few fresh blueberries and a small sprig of mint; nothing else — the sauce is the color.
Serve cold.
For the Cook Who Wants More
The Honest Ledger
| Serves | 12 |
|---|---|
| Shopping | 30 min |
| Hands-on (new to this) | 46 min |
| Hands-on (comfortable) | 36 min |
| Hands-on (experienced) | 29 min |
| Waiting (same for everyone) | 7 h 40 min |
| True total | 8 h 39 min |
| You will dirty | 8 dishes |
A rich, sugar-forward slice — this is a genuine dessert, not a light one; the base alone is nearly half butter by weight. Per-serving numbers are gram-math from summed ingredient calories divided by 12 slices (vegan block butter assumed 80% fat, coconut cream cheese ~265 kcal/100g); the ~5 kcal gap against a 4/4/9 check is dietary fiber from the blueberries and almond flour. As written — with the soy-free cookie and soy/nut-free brand picks noted below — the cake is egg- and dairy-free, kosher-style pareve, and halal-style.
Words We Used
- Bain-marie (water bath)
- Baking a tin inside a tray of hot water so its contents heat gently and evenly, capped near 100°C at the walls. Here it keeps the edges from drying and cracking and humidifies the oven.
- Gelatinization
- When starch granules absorb water and swell above ~60-70°C, bursting and releasing amylose — the step that lets the filling thicken.
- Starch retrogradation
- The re-association of released amylose into a firm gel as a starch mixture cools. It's why the cheesecake sets sliceable only after it's cold, not in the oven.
- Springform / loose-bottom tin
- A cake tin whose base or side releases so a delicate cake can be freed without inverting it. A sealed springform best resists a water bath.
- NYC-style cheesecake
- The tall, dense, tangy style — traditionally set with eggs and heavy on cream cheese. This version reaches the same density with starch instead of egg.
- Speculoos
- The spiced caramelized biscuit (Lotus Biscoff is the best-known) — cinnamon, brown-sugar caramel, and a trace of clove. Here it replaces the graham cracker.
- The jiggle test
- Judging a baked custard by how its center moves: done is a small central wobble that shifts as one mass, not a liquid sway.