This incredibly decadent Baked Biscoff Cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make for a special occasion – or when you just want to treat yourself! With Biscoff used in every layer of this Cheesecake, you will get both the delicious caramelised spiced flavour of traditional Speculoos Cookies and the dense creaminess from a classic Baked Cheesecake.

Why we love this recipe

This Speculoos Cheesecake is very close to my heart as it is one of the few classic dessert from my home country, Belgium, where Speculoos Cookies originate from. But more than a nostalgic dessert, this recipe is all about the incredibly comforting spiced, caramelised flavours and typical crunch of Speculoos / Biscoff Cookies!

With a crunchy Biscoff Cookie Crust, a Cheesecake batter made with Biscoff Spread and a thick layer of Biscoff Spread and Crushed Cookies to finish it, this cheesecake is seriously decadent and a must try if you are a Speculoos lover like me.

This baked cheesecake is just as light and creamy as my Baked Ricotta Cheesecake but with Spiced flavours that are great for a Fall or Winter dessert.

And the crushed Speculoos Cookies also used for the crust of my Passion Fruit and Raspberry Cheesecake bring so much flavour and texture to this dessert… It is fair to say it is my favourite type of cookie crust ever!

What are Speculoos

You may have only heard of Lotus Biscoff Cookies, but the original name for these biscuits are Speculoos (or Speculaas). They are are classic Belgian and Dutch Spiced Shortbread Cookies that are traditionally eaten around Christmas Time (or St Nicholas Day in Belgium and the Netherlands).

These Cookies have a delicious caramelised brown sugar (or beet sugar) and spiced flavour that can be compared to gingerbread. They are often given original shapes or patterns like a windmill or the figure of St Nicholas with special rolling pins or cookie stamps.

Different Spices are used to make these traditional cookies depending on the brand and country of origin (Belgium or Netherlands), but they usually are a mix of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger and/or Cardamom.

You can read more about the origin of Speculoos here.

Ingredients

This cheesecake is made out of 7 ingredients only, a few of them used multiple times in different layers of the cake:

• Speculoos / Biscoff Cookies: different brands will have different size of cookies so I recommend using the measurement in weight here, but otherwise I used about 25 Speculoos Cookies.

• Butter: unsalted and melted

• Cream Cheese: your regular Cheesecake Cream Cheese that comes in a block – not a cream cheese spread. Only use full fat cream cheese, a light cream cheese will not give you good results. Also make sure it is at room temperature.

• Greek Yogurt: many cheesecakes use Sour Cream in addition to Cream Cheese, but I personally prefer to use Yogurt instead. I find it gives the cake a much lighter texture! Sour Cream or Natural Yogurt can be used instead if needed.

• Sugar: I used a simple Caster Sugar (Fine White Sugar). The Biscoff Spread is quite sweet on its own, so you don’t need to add much sugar here.

• Eggs: medium size, at room temperature

• Speculoos Spread: also sometimes called Biscoff Spread or Cookie Butter Spread. I used it both inside the cheesecake batter and as a topping.

How to make Baked Biscoff Cheesecake

There are three steps in this recipe: make the cheesecake crust with Biscoff Cookies, prepare the Speculoos Spread Cheesecake Batter and finish it with a thick layer of Biscoff Spread and Crushed Speculoos Cookies!

Cheesecake Crust

The crust is very simply made out of two ingredients, like many other cheesecakes: crushed cookies and melted butter. You can crush the cookies in a food processor like I did, or simply by hands. You will get a more even crumb with a food processor though.

• First, crush your Biscoff / Speculoos Cookies into a very fine crumb. You can keep larger crumb for more texture if you want, but it will hold together better when crushed finely. – photo 1

• Add the Melted Butter and pulse until it gets a thick wet sand consistency. – photo 2

• Transfer the crumbs inside a 24 cm / 9 inch Springform Pan that has been lined with baking paper both on the bottom and the sides (or very well greased). – photo 3

• Using the back of a spoon or a cup, very firmly pack the crumbs to create the crust. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. – photo 4

If making the crust by hands, you can crush the cookies by placing them in a plastic ziplock or freezing bag and using a rolling pin to smash the cookies. Transfer into a mixing bowl, add the melted butter and use a spatula to mix it together until you get the desired consistency.

Speculoos Cheesecake Batter

While the crust is chilling, start preparing the Cookie Butter Cheesecake.

• Preheat your oven on 150’C / 300’F.

• Place the Cream Cheese, Greek Yogurt and Speculoos/Biscoff/Cookie Butter Spread in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your mixer). It is very important for all of those ingredients to be at room temperature to avoid lumps (*) – photo 5

• Using a hand mixer (or in your stand mixer), whisk together the ingredients on medium speed until completely smooth, fluffy and no lumps remain. Try to over-mix it as you don’t want to add too much air into the batter. – photo 6

• Add the Caster Sugar and mix until combined. – photo 7 & 8

(*) The spread can be melted for a few seconds in the microwave to be more fluid if needed.

• Add the Eggs, one at the time, mixing well between each eggs. The cheesecake batter should be smooth and fluid. – photo 9 & 10

• Pour the cheesecake batter over the chilled crust, then use the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to spread it out and smooth out the top. – photo 11 & 12

• Tap the Springform Pan against a hard surface a few times. This is to pop any large air bubbles that might be trapped into the batter that could make the cheesecake crack or collapse in the oven.

• Place on the lowest rack of your oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set. To check if it is set, gently move the pan back and forth in the oven; the cheesecake shouldn’t jiggle in the centre.

• Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside the oven to cool down naturally for about an hour. Then take out of the oven and leave to fully cool down at room temperature. When cool, transfer the cheesecake to the fridge. This is to avoid cracking or collapsing that can be caused by a sudden change of temperature.

• If you want to finish the cheesecake like mine, leave it to chill in the fridge for about an hour. Then melt more Biscoff Spread in the microwave (it needs to be very liquid/fluid) and pour it over the cheesecake. Use a small offset spatula to push the spread towards the edges and create a drip effect. Finish with some crushed Speculoos Cookies.

Tips to make the perfect baked cheesecake

• Weight all of your ingredients instead of using the measurements in cups/spoon. Unfortunately, there is no better way to be accurate and get the best results when it comes to baking!

• All the ingredients need to be at room temperature – especially the Cream Cheese, Spread and Eggs. This is the best way to insure all the ingredients get mixed evenly without any lumps.

• Line your springform pan with baking paper, both at the bottom and on the edges so that the cheesecake doesn’t stick to the pan. First, lightly grease the bottom and edges of the pan, then place one sheet of baking paper over the bottom plate and long strips of paper over the edges. The grease should make the baking paper stick to the pan.

• Don’t over-whisk the cheesecake batter. As opposed to a no-bake cheesecake that needs to be airy, you don’t want to add too much air into a baked cheesecake as it could make it collapse or crack in the oven – or get large holes inside the cake.

• Tap your cheesecake over a hard surface to pop any large air bubbles before baking it. Again, this is to help get a perfect crack-free and smooth cheesecake. You can also use a small skewer to pop any air bubbles that could come out to the surface after tapping it.

• Bake it low and slow. This is simply the best way to get a great cheesecake texture and avoid any cracks. Always bake your cheesecake on the lowest rack of your oven and at low temperature.

• Leave the cheesecake to cool down in the turned off oven for about an hour instead of at room temperature. Any sudden change of temperature will make your cheesecake potentially collapse. Once the cheesecake temperature has dropped, take it out of the oven to finish cooling down at room temperature then transfer into the fridge.

Recipe FAQs

More Fall & Winter Cake Recipes

• Almond and Pear Cake
• Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake
• Easy French Apple Cake
• Spiced Honey Cake
• Apple Loaf Cake with Applesauce
• Chocolate Beetroot Cake
• Orange Semolina Cake
• Upside Down Apple Caramel Cake

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