Delia Smith Baked Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe

Delia Smith’s baked vanilla cheesecake is the one she calls her current favourite. Cream cheese, crème fraîche, eggs, vanilla, and a tablespoon of flour baked slowly until the centre still wobbles, then left to firm up in the fridge. She serves it with fresh raspberries and redcurrants piled on top, dusted with icing sugar.

This Delia Smith baked cheesecake made me nervous the first time because everyone warns you about cracking, but Delia’s method is forgiving. The wobble when it comes out of the oven looks wrong, and every instinct says put it back, but that wobble is what gives you the soft, almost mousse-like centre that sets perfectly overnight.

More Cheesecake Recipes:

• Philadelphia Cheesecake
• No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
• Baileys Cheesecake

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake Ingredients

For the base:

• 175g (6 oz) digestive biscuits, crushed
• 50g (2 oz) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 600g (1 lb 5 oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 150g (5 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 1 tablespoon plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 200ml (7 fl oz) crème fraîche
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 225g (8 oz) fresh raspberries
• 110g (4 oz) redcurrants
• Icing sugar for dusting

How To Make Delia Smith Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

1. Make the base: Crush the digestives, mix with melted butter, and press into the base of a greased and lined 20cm (8 inch) loose-bottomed tin. Bake at 200°C (400°F/Gas 6) for 10 minutes, then remove and reduce the oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2).
2. Mix the filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together until smooth, then stir in the crème fraîche, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or low-speed mixer and do not whisk air into it, because air bubbles expand during baking and crack the surface.
3. Bake: Pour the filling over the base, place on a baking tray on the lowest shelf, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The edges should be set but the centre should still wobble when you nudge the tin.
4. Cool slowly: Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside with the door slightly open until it reaches room temperature. This slow cooling prevents cracking.
5. Chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, though overnight is better.
6. Top and serve: Arrange the raspberries and redcurrants over the surface and dust with icing sugar.

Why Raspberries and Not Something Else?

Delia’s baked vanilla cheesecake with raspberries works because the filling is rich and sweet and the berries are sharp and cold. The contrast is the whole point. I have tried it with strawberries and they were too soft, and the Philadelphia cheesecake with its soured cream topping is a better match if you want something without fruit, there was nothing to cut through the cream cheese.

If you cannot get redcurrants, use all raspberries or swap in fresh blueberries. Delia also has a version with caramel sauce instead of fruit, which turns this into a completely different dessert. The raspberry cheesecake version is better in summer, the caramel one in winter.

The Wobble Is Supposed to Happen

When I pulled my first baked cheesecake out of the oven and saw the centre moving, I panicked and almost put it back in. That would have been a mistake. The wobble firms up completely during the chill, and overbaking is what turns a baked cheesecake dry and chalky instead of soft and creamy.

Delia is clear about this: set at the edges, wobbly in the middle, then cool it slowly in the switched-off oven. If it cracks despite all of this, pile the raspberries over the top and nobody will ever know.

Keeping It Fresh

This baked cheesecake recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and the flavour deepens on day two as the vanilla settles into the filling. Add the raspberries on the day you serve because they go soft and leak juice after a few hours.

It freezes well for up to 3 months without the fruit. Open freeze until solid, wrap tightly, and defrost overnight in the fridge. Add fresh berries before serving.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 440 kcal
• Fat: 32g
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fibre: 1g
• Protein: 8g

Nutrition is estimated per serving based on 8 servings.

FAQs

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