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Butterscotch Cheesecake!
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This no-bake butterscotch cheesecake combines a crunchy biscuit crust with a velvety vanilla cream cheese filling rippled with a deeply rich, 5-ingredient homemade butterscotch sauce. Taking just 45 minutes of combined prep, this decadent dessert sets beautifully in the fridge overnight to deliver 14 slices of pure comfort.
Caramel vs toffee vs butterscotch
When I was younger I never really understood why there were so many different names for caramel. Toffee? Butterscotch? Surely they are all the same thing?! Well, now I am older I have obviously realised that they are not. However, I know some people also don’t know the difference so here’s the little lesson on all things similar.
Caramel is made up of white granulated/caster sugar, cream, butter and vanilla whereas butterscotch is dark brown sugar. Some people wouldn’t realise that the type of sugar can make such a difference, but it does and it’s so important.
Toffee is very similar to butterscotch but is a harder candy-like substance which is cooked for a lot longer. In reality, toffee sauce, and butterscotch sauce when made at home are basically the exact same with different names. The only difference as mentioned is how long its cooked for – I just believe some places call it toffee sauce as its more appealing to younger people.
Making butterscotch sauce
While it might be tempting to grab a jar of ready-made toffee or butterscotch sauce from the supermarket shelf, making it from scratch at home is an absolute game changer.
With just five basic store-cupboard ingredients:
- Butter – unsalted block butter allows you to control the saltiness of your butterscotch later on
- Sugar – dark brown sugar is what provides that unmistakable butterscotch rich flavour
- Cream – double cream has the high fat content creating the perfect glaze
- Salt – a high-quality sea salt can be added to taste, I just add a small pinch
- Vanilla – traditional extract adds a depth of flavour to your butterscotch for that premium outcome
You can create a premium sauce in under ten minutes. Shop-bought versions are average at best and often lean heavily on artificial flavourings and corn syrups. A homemade boil allows the dark brown sugar and butter to marry perfectly, creating a rich glaze that thickens beautifully into a glossy, professional-grade sauce as it cools.
Customising the biscuit base
A standard digestive biscuit crust works beautifully here, providing a neutral, salty-sweet crunch that lets the main filling shine. However, if you want to elevate this dessert even further, swap out the digestives for crushed Lotus Biscoff biscuits. The warm, heavily spiced speculoos notes of cinnamon and nutmeg in Biscoff biscuits complement the deep molasses profile of the butterscotch sauce beautifully, turning the base into an extra layer of seasonal flavour.
Ensure you are pressing firmly into a 8″/20cm springform tin, paying particular attention to the sides of the tin as this is where most edges become crumbly as you release the spring. You can use cheesecake silicon moulds but I personally find it’s easier to work with the traditional spring form.
Achieving the ultimate creamy filling
The base of this cheesecake relies on the perfect balance of structure and silkiness. A traditional vanilla cream cheese mixture provides a beautiful, slightly tangy canvas that cuts through the rich profile of the dark brown sugar:
- Cream cheese – I use full-fat cream cheese but notes below for a 50/50 split with mascarpone
- Sugar – Icing sugar incorporates beautifully into the cheesecake mixture
- Vanilla – I use vanilla extract here
- Butterscotch sauce – the tips on this are above
- Cream – double cream has around 47% fat content in the UK, which is high
For an extra touch of luxury, you can use a 50/50 split of full-fat cream cheese and Italian Mascarpone. Mascarpone introduces an incredibly velvety, buttery texture that pairs beautifully with butterscotch. When incorporating your double cream, remember to whisk gently and stop the moment the mixture forms rigid, stable peaks. Over-working the mixture forces the dairy fats to separate, which will thin out your filling and ruin the final set.
FAQs
Can I use Butterscotch Angel Delight powder to flavour the filling instead?
Yes, absolutely! If you are short on time and want an instant shortcut, you can fold a packet of butterscotch Angel Delight powder directly into the cream cheese and icing sugar mixture before adding the cream. However, using the homemade cooked sauce yields a much deeper, authentic, and less synthetic flavour profile.
Why does the recipe card say I only need 150g of the butterscotch sauce for the filling?
The full sauce recipe yields slightly more than 150g. It is absolutely vital that you weigh out exactly 150g for the cheesecake filling. Pouring the entire warm batch in will add too much liquid and sugar, causing the cream cheese emulsion to break and preventing the cheesecake from setting firmly. Save the leftover sauce for dazzling over the top.
Can I use a low-fat cream cheese alternative?
No. No-bake cheesecakes rely entirely on the solid fat content of full-fat cream cheese and whipped double cream to hold their shape structurally. Chilled low-fat or spreadable light cheeses have a high water content and will cause the filling to puddle out into a loose, sloppy mess when you unclip the tin.
My butterscotch sauce has gone completely rock hard after cooling. What did I do wrong?
If your sauce turned into a hard candy block rather than a thick syrup, it has been boiled for slightly too long or on too high a heat, pushing it into the “toffee” stage. To fix it, place the pan back over a very low heat and gently stir in a splash of extra double cream to loosen the sugars back into a smooth syrup.
Butterscotch Cheesecake Recipe
Creamy and sweet no-bake butterscotch cheesecake with homemade butterscotch sauce!
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Servings: 14 Slices
Ingredients
Butterscotch Sauce
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark brown sugar
- 125 ml double cream
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Biscuit Base
- 300 g digestives/Biscoff biscuits
- 150 g unsalted butter (melted)
Cheesecake Filling
- 500 g full-fat cream cheese
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g butterscotch sauce (recipe above)
- 300 ml double cream
Decoration
- 150 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- Butterscotch sauce
- Sprinkles
- Toffee sweets
Instructions
For the Butterscotch Sauce
- Add the Butter to a pan, and melt on a medium heat.
- Add in the sugar, cream and salt and boil for 4-5 minutes on a medium-high heat.
- Take the pan off the heat, and add in the vanilla and stir.
- Transfer to a container to cool fully. It will thicken a bit as it cools.
For the Biscuit Base
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until they reach a fine crumb. Alternatively, bash up in a bowl with the end of a rolling pin.
- Add in the melted butter, and press down into the bottom of an 8"/20cm deep springform tin.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- In a large bowl/stand mixer, add your cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla and whisk the mixture briefly until smooth.
- Add in your butterscotch sauce and whisk again briefly to combine.
- Finally, add in your double cream and whisk until the mixture is really thick. Whisk for a small amount of time, and check the thickness by folding the mixture with a spatula so as not to overmix.
- Spread the mixture on top of the biscuit base, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours minimum, or preferably overnight for the best set.
For the Decoration
- Whip the double cream and icing sugar together until smooth, thick, and you can pipe with it.
- Drizzle over some butterscotch sauce, and then pipe on your whipped cream.
- Sprinkle over anything you fancy and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe includes the full recipe you need to make the butterscotch sauce… You only need 150g of the mixture in the cheesecake, so don’t pour it all in.
- The butterscotch sauce will last for one month in the fridge but is naturally a bit thicker after being in the fridge and cooling.
- The cheesecake will last for 3 days once made.
- The cheesecake is suitable for freezing.
- I used a mixture of Philadelphia and mascarpone in this particular one, both were full-fat. You can use either you please, it just needs to be full-fat.
- Butterscotch sauce recipe was inspired by Just a Taste.
Storage and freezing
This indulgent butterscotch cheesecake stores beautifully in the refrigerator for up to three days. To keep the fresh whipped cream decoration pristine and prevent the dairy components from absorbing any unwanted ambient fridge aromas, ensure the cake is kept securely under a cake dome or inside a deep, airtight container. The homemade butterscotch sauce layer will naturally remain beautifully glossy and soft when kept chilled.
You can easily prep ahead, as this cheesecake freezes beautifully for up to three months. It is essential to let the cheesecake set completely in the fridge for its initial six hours first.
Related recipes
My cheesecake recipes tend to be some of my most popular. This mainly because they taste sweet, are easy to make and look like they were so much more difficult to make than they were… the best way to impress your friends and family.
My Biscoff cheesecake is definitely one of those recipes although if you wanted to go more traditional there is always my vanilla cheesecake or even my salted caramel cheesecake.
Hey Jane, I’ve had a crack at the butterscotch sauce as I needed this for a totally unrelated recipe but stumbled across yours and it sounded easy, however after the sauce has cooled it has split – Just wondering if this means I didn’t boil for long enough, or too much?
Hiya! Usually this means it has been boiled for too long at too high a temperature x
Hello! If I was to substitute the butterscotch sauce for angel delight how much would you recommended, one sachet? Thank you
Hiya, yesss!x
Hi there ! Just making this with my daughter today. And I tried having a crack at the sauce. And I feel I definitely have overboiled, it. Is there a video of this one I could find ? I tried looking at youtube but couldn’t see anything , please help! Have made it anyway, but it’s pretty much solidified so it’s not viable for a drizzle ;o
Thanks in advance !!
Hey, no unfortunately I don’t have a video on this but I will add it to my list of things to do xx
Hi Jane
I’ve overboiled my butterscotch slightly – it’s pretty thick and not a drizzling consistency now it’s cooled although it’s still liquid not chewable. Is there any way to loosen it up for my drizzle? I’ve used it in the cheesecake and it seems fine, but not sure if I can bring it back slightly.
Thank you!
You could maybe add a little cream to it?! x
Hi Jane!
I’m wanting to make this as individual cheesecakes, probably in muffin cases to take to work. Would this recipe yield 12 do you think? Or maybe more? X
It depends on the sizes of the muffin cases – it would make 12, but maybe a few spare too! x
Mix isn’t getting thick; can I add something to help it set?
Gelatine!
Hi, just a tip/query can you amend your step by step guide to state how much butterscotch goes into the mixture. It wasnt until after I had poured the mixture into the cake and marbled the top I noticed the notes section. It will stop anyone else making the same mistake in future 🙂
It’s already listed in the ingredients that you add 150g of butterscotch sauce to the cheesecake mix.
I made this after using the butterscotch sauce element of your recipe. Used a Biscoff base and it was absolutely delicious, I made it for my brother’s birthday instead of a cake and it disappeared in minutes! Doesn’t look quite as good as yours but it tasted amazing, thanks
I made this & it turned out simply amazing! Not as pretty, but my family& I really liked the butterscotch flavor! It was definitely butterscotch , which is very rich, but the amount you add to cheesecake is just right! I added some chopped pecans with the rest of the sauce drizzled on top . Thank you! Looking forward to making some of your other recipies!
My cheesecake mix doesnt seem to be thickening and it now looks curdled??
That definitely sounds over mixed for sure – it can happen for a few reasons, but depending on how you whisked it (stand/hand/manual) it’s worth trying a different way. Make sure the butterscotch sauce is completely cooled as it can melt the other ingredients, try whipping the cream separately and fold through, and whisk for less time! x
Hi I made this cheesecake last night and the cheesecake mix has gone to a curdled kind of consistency. Taste good just doesn’t look great. What do you think I’ve done wrong?
Just over mixed slightly! It might not set great, but it’s perfectly edible! x
If I want to make the cheesecake in advance how many days will it keep for?
3 days as mentioned in the recipe x
Wow this looks amazing. Can you tell which specific full fat cream cheese do you recommend? How fat my cream cheese should be?
I use full-fat Philadelphia, or Mascarpone!
Thank you for your quick response.
Hi JANE
You say you can freeze the cheesecake does it go runny when it’s defrosted?
Thanks
Hiya! It shouldn’t do! As long as you set it first properly, and then freeze it should stay set once thawed.