Brown butter cheesecake recipe with pillowy whipped cream - perfect for a prep ahead dessert
Cheesecakes are one of the nation’s favourite desserts, and we’re sure this brown butter and vanilla version topped with a layer of oozy caramel, is a winner. Made with Good Housekeeping Pantry Partner LittlePod Natural Vanilla Paste, it’s creamy, gooey and very indulgent.
You can prep this recipe ahead and chill in the fridge overnight, making it a brilliant dinner party dessert.
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Yields:
10
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
FOR THE BASE
175 g unsalted butter
200 g digestive biscuits
FOR THE CHEESECAKE
650 g cream cheese, room temperature
125 g golden caster sugar
4 medium eggs
4 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste* We used GH Pantry Partner, LittlePod
100 ml double cream
FOR THE CARAMEL
200 g caster sugar
50 g brown butter
150 ml double cream
TO SERVE
300 ml double cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste* We used GH Pantry Partner, LittlePod
Directions
Step 1Put the butter in a pan (ideally a light coloured one) and heat over a low to medium heat, until melted. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter smells nutty and the milk solids have caramelised to a lovely golden brown. Remove from the heat.
Step 2Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C) mark 4 and line a 20cm springform tin. Put the digestives in a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl. Set aside 50g of the brown butter for the caramel, then add the remaining butter to the biscuit crumbs. Stir well until the crumbs are well coated in the butter. Transfer the biscuit crumb to the base of the tin and press into an even layer with the back of a spoon. Pop in the freezer while you make the filling.
Step 3Put the cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the eggs and whisk again to combine, then add the maple syrup, double cream and vanilla bean paste and whisk again until smooth. Remove the tin from the freezer and pour the cheesecake mix over the base, levelling the top with a spoon. Bake for 45-50min, or until the cheesecake has set with a slight wobble in the middle. Turn off the oven but leave the cheesecake inside until it has cooled completely. Transfer to the fridge and chill for around 4hrs, or overnight.
Step 4To make the caramel, put the caster sugar in a small frying pan and heat gently until the sugar has melted, swirling the pan ever now and then to encourage the sugar to melt evenly without stirring. Continue to cook the sugar until it’s a rich golden brown, then stir in the reserved brown butter and double cream, taking care as the caramel will bubble up. Stir continuously until you have a smooth caramel. Season with a touch of salt and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 5Remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Cover the top with the cooled caramel. Whip the double cream with the vanilla bean paste to soft peaks, then mound this on top of the caramel.
GH TIP
Try not to swap out the sugars here; golden caster sugar give the cheesecake a golden, buttery flavour whilst keeping the smooth texture you need.
Sarah is Good Housekeeping's Kitchen and Homes Director, looking after all things food and homes for the brand. Sarah started her career in journalism, then retrained as a chef 15 years ago following a lifelong dream to work in food. Since retraining, she has worked as a private chef, assisted on tv commercials, created recipes for some of the country's leading brands and became the go-to birthday and wedding cake baker in her friends and family network. In 2025, she was shortlisted for Cookery Writer of the Year by the Guild of Food Writers
