Banoffee is such a classic flavour. The mixture of banana and caramel makes this no-bake cheesecake absolutely delicious. An easy banoffee cheesecake recipe that will always impress!
Easy no-bake cheesecake recipes are always amazing! I love a nice thick, crunchy biscuit base topped with creamy cheesecake topping.
They are easy to make but always taste delicious, and the combination of soft and crunchy textures is so satisfying.
A cheesecake is a dessert that’s got it all!
It’s even better when you add banana and caramel for a classic no-bake banoffee cheesecake recipe.
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Is this Cheesecake Like Banoffee Pie?
Banoffee pie is one of my favourite puddings ever. So simple but absolutely gorgeous!
This recipe is actually very similar, but instead of a whipped cream top, it’s got a cream cheese filling. It’s a banoffee pie cheesecake!
Ingredients for Banoffee Cheesecake
When I make this recipe for banoffee cheesecake, I use:
Digestive Biscuits – I believe these are Graham Crackers if you are in the US.
Butter
Bananas
Caramel – I use thick carnation caramel. Dulce de Leche is fine too, but I find carnation caramel easier to find.
Soft Cheese – We don’t have blocks of hard cream cheese in the UK, so a soft cheese like Philadelphia or a supermarket’s own brand version. I do recommend using full-fat.
Double Cream
Icing Sugar – Icing sugar, or powdered sugar, is very fine, making it ideal for a cheesecake mix.
Can You Make Your Own Caramel?
Yes, you can. I wouldn’t, though, a tin is fine.
I do recommend taking it out of the tin and giving it a quick stir before pouring it onto your cheesecake base.
This just gets rid of any lumps and makes it easier to spread. If you do make your own, you want it quite thick so that it’s spreadable rather than pourable.
Can You Caramelise the Bananas?
You can, it certainly wouldn’t hurt (who doesn’t love a caramelised banana?), but you don’t need to.
If you do want to add this step, I recommend simply frying the slices of banana in a little butter for a few minutes until the outsides have started to brown.
Remove them from the pan and leave to cool before adding to the caramel layer.
Can You Use Margarine for Banoffee Cheesecake?
Yes, margarine is fine in a cheesecake biscuit base.
Can You Make Cheesecake with Different Biscuits?
I like digestives. They are sweet, coarse, and just the right amount crunchy.
I’ve made cheesecakes with ginger biscuits and even hobnobs, but personally, I think digestives are the best option.
How to Make No-Bake Banoffee Cheesecake – Step-by-Step
It’s important to note before you start that because I layer my banana, caramel, and cheesecake topping, instead of mixing the caramel into the topping, my caramel stays quite runny and seeps out a bit when you slice.
Keeping a thin layer and giving it plenty of time to set minimises this, but it’s still not a nice, neat dessert once you start slicing.
If you do want a neater banoffee cheesecake, I recommend mixing the caramel in with the icing sugar and soft cheese before adding the whipped cream.
Personally, I prefer layers, and I really quite like the mess!
Step One
Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs. You can do this in a food processor, but I quite like beating them with the end of a rolling pin in a big mixing bowl!
However, when you do it, the crumbs want to end up in a mixing bowl.
Step Two
Melt the butter carefully in a small pan or microwave.
Step Three
Pour the butter into the bowl with the crumbs and mix well. You want all of the crumbs to look wet, so dig right down to the bottom as you mix.
Step Four
Tip into a loose-bottomed tin. Mine is a 9-inch Springform tin, so it’s easy to loosen the outside and remove later.
Step Five
Use the back of a spoon to press out evenly until you have a flat, compact layer that fills the tin. Give it a good press down the spoon. This helps it to set in a solid block and stops it from being too crumbly.
If you want a side which can help to contain the caramel, press some of the biscuit up the sides of the tin. I always wish I’d done this when it comes to slicing the cheesecake!
Step Six
Scoop the caramel out of the tin into a bowl and give it a quick stir to get rid of any lumps.
Step Seven
Spoon the caramel over the biscuit and spread it out. You only want a thin layer. It stays runny, so too much, and it will just run out as soon as you try to slice it.
As I said above, if you prefer a neater cheesecake, you can skip this step and mix the caramel with the cheesecake topping a step further on.
Step Eight
Place in the fridge until needed.
Step Nine
In a bowl, whisk the double cream to peaks. You can do this with an electric whisk or by hand if you’ve got a nice strong arm!
Step Ten
In another bowl, mix the soft cheese and icing sugar until smooth.
You don’t want to overmix and end up with a sloppy top, so just fold carefully and sift in the icing sugar.
If you are going for the neater (less fun!) version, add your caramel now too.
Step Eleven
Add the whipped cream and carefully fold together. Again, take care not to overmix.
Step Twelve
Peel and slice the bananas and remove the base from the fridge.
I don’t peel my bananas until I’m ready to use them, as they start to soften and brown very quickly.
Step Thirteen
Add a layer of bananas, slicing more if needed. You can overlap here are there, but aim for a single fairly even layer.
Step Fourteen
Spoon on the cheesecake topping and spread with a spoon or palate knife.
I dot scoops of topping around instead of just one big dollop. This makes it easier to spread and means that you are handling it less, giving it the best chance to set firmly.
Step Fifteen
Return to the fridge and leave to set, preferably overnight but for at least 4 hours.
Step Sixteen
Remove from the fridge, and carefully remove from the tin.
I place the tin on a small cake stand. Then I release the tin and lower it down. This is less messy than trying to lift the tin over the cake.
I leave it on the cake base but then place that on a larger plate to catch and caramel that leaks out of the sides.
Step Seventeen
Drizzle over a last tablespoon of caramel if desired.
Store your cheesecake with Banoffee in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Can You Mix the Caramel into the Cheesecake Topping?
Yes. As I’ve said above, the caramel layer doesn’t really set, it stays quite runny.
A thin layer helps it to stick to the biscuit, but it still moves about and leaks as you slice. Bananas slide off. It’s messy.
But I like that there are distinct layers of caramel and cheesecake with different tastes and textures. Instead of one layer of caramel cheesecake topping.
I think it’s worth the mess.
But you can either add the caramel to the cheesecake or look for another recipe that includes mixing it all up if that’s what you are looking for.
How to Decorate Banoffee Cheesecake
A lot of no-bake cheesecake recipes add swirls of whipped cream and, in the case of cheesecake with bananas, slices of banana to the top.
This can look great, but I’m not neat enough to pull it off, so I just drizzle on a bit of caramel roughly with a piping bag. It looks fine!
Alternatively, a drizzle of any kind of caramel sauce or toffee sauce is fine. You could even add a bit of salted caramel if you wanted to.
Another option is grating some chocolate onto the top roughly.
Why Does Cheesecake Need to Cool in the Fridge?
A banoffee cheesecake no-bake is super simple with no cooking time, but it still needs some time in the fridge.
Cheesecake essential needs to be set. It’s not hard. It’s a soft set, but if you tried to take it out of the tin straight away, the mixture wouldn’t be stiff enough, and it would fall apart.
Setting it in the fridge just helps it all stay together.
How Long Does Cheesecake Take to Set?
I’d try to leave this one for at least four hours, but preferably overnight if you can.
More Easy No-Bake Cheesecake Recipes
I love easy no-bake cheesecakes. Some of my favourites include:
- Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
- Lemon Cheesecake
- Daim Bar Cheesecake
- Rocky Road Cheesecake
You should also try my banoffee ice cream, which is incredible!
Banoffee Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Biscuit Base:
- 400 g Digestive Biscuits (Crushed into fine crumbs)
- 200 g Butter (Carefully melted. Plus a little extra to grease the tin)
For the Topping:
- 2 Large Bananas
- 150 g Carnation Caramel
- 400 g Full-Fat Soft Cheese
- 200 g Double Cream
- 80 g Icing Sugar
To Decorate:
- 1 Tablespoon Caramel (optional)
Instructions
- Grease a 9-inch loose-bottomed tin.
- Place the biscuit crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour in the melted butter and mix well, until all of the biscuit looks wet.
- Tip into a loose-bottomed tin.
- Use the back of a spoon to press out evenly, until you have a flat, compact layer that fills the tin.
- Add the caramel and spread evenly. The caramel stays quite runny, so don’t be tempted to add too thick a layer.
- Place in the fridge until needed.
- In a bowl, whisk the double cream to peaks.
- In another bowl, mix the soft cheese and icing sugar until smooth.
- Add the whipped cream and carefully fold together.
- Peel and slice the bananas and remove the base from the fridge.
- Add a layer of bananas, slicing more if needed.
- Spoon on the cheesecake topping and spread with a spoon or palate knife.
- Return to the fridge and leave to set, preferably overnight but for at least 4 hours.
- Remove from the fridge, and carefully remove from the tin.
- Drizzle over a last tablespoon of caramel if desired.
Notes
- The caramel stays quite runny, so slice carefully.
- If you want a neater cheesecake, you might want to mix the caramel in with the soft cheese and icing sugar before you add the cream. But personally, I prefer layers and a bit of mess!
- For a side, which can help to keep the caramel in, press the biscuit up the side of the tin a little too, before adding the caramel.
- It’s better to undermix the topping, than to overmix, so if unsure stop.
- You might find that sifting in the icing sugar means it requires less mixing.
- To remove it from a loose-bottomed tin, I place it on a small cake stand, or something like a wide mug, so that you can lower the tin, instead of lifting it over the cheesecake. It’s less messy.
- Read the post above for more tips and advice.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
