Two of my favourite flavours, stacked into one showstopper: a mellow, grassy matcha layer sitting under a cloud of vanilla, all on a buttery digestive base. There’s no oven involved — just a bit of whisking, folding and patience while the fridge does the work. It looks impressive sliced, but it’s really a case of making the same creamy filling twice and flavouring each half differently.
No-Bake Matcha & Vanilla Layered Cheesecake
A no-bake, two-tone cheesecake — an earthy matcha layer beneath a smooth vanilla one, set on a buttery digestive base. No oven required, just a little patience in the fridge.
Ingredients
For the biscuit base
- 175 g digestive biscuits
- 75 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 pinch sea salt
For the filling (makes both layers)
- 500 g full-fat cream cheese
- 250 g mascarpone
- 250 ml double cream for whipping
- 60 ml double cream extra, for dissolving the gelatine
- 100 g icing sugar
- 4 leaves gelatine
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the matcha layer
- 3 tbsp culinary matcha
- 3 tbsp hot water hot but not boiling
For the vanilla layer
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep
- Soak all 4 gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften for 10–15 minutes.
- Crush the digestive biscuits to a fine crumb — if using a food processor, pulse rather than overdo it. Mix thoroughly with the melted butter and a pinch of salt, then press firmly and evenly into the base of an 18cm springform tin. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Matcha layer (bottom)
- Whisk the matcha with the 3 tbsp hot (not boiling) water until smooth and glossy, with no lumps.
- Beat 250g cream cheese with 125g mascarpone (half the filling) until completely smooth. Beat in 50g icing sugar and ¼ tsp salt, then stir through the matcha paste.
- Warm 30ml of the double cream until steaming but not boiling. Squeeze out 2 soaked gelatine leaves and stir into the hot cream until fully dissolved. Temper by stirring a spoonful of the matcha mixture into the gelatine, then whisk it all back into the rest of the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whip 125ml double cream to very soft peaks — stop early, as over-whipping will split it. Gently fold into the matcha mixture.
- Spoon onto the chilled base and level the top. Tap the tin firmly on the worktop a few times to knock out air bubbles. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, until set enough to hold the next layer.
Vanilla layer (top)
- Beat the remaining 250g cream cheese with 125g mascarpone until creamy. Beat in 50g icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ tsp salt.
- Warm 30ml of the double cream until steaming but not boiling. Squeeze out the last 2 gelatine leaves and stir in to dissolve. Temper with a spoonful of the vanilla mixture, then whisk back into the rest.
- Whip 125ml double cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the vanilla mixture.
- Spoon over the set matcha layer and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight to set fully before releasing from the tin and serving.
Notes
The matcha layer sits on the bottom and the vanilla on top. Both layers use the same base mixture, so the filling ingredients are listed as a combined total — you simply use half for each layer as you work down the method. Plan ahead: the cake needs about 1 hour of chilling between the layers, plus an overnight set before serving. Use good culinary-grade matcha for the best colour and flavour.
