If you have searched for a London cheesecake and ended up staring at photos of tall, creamy American desserts, you are not alone. That is not what we mean, and it is not what most people are actually after. The London cheesecake is something else entirely, and if you grew up with one, you will know exactly why people go hunting for it.
So what actually is a London cheesecake?
Despite the name, there is no cream cheese in sight. A London cheesecake is a traditional English bakery treat: layers of flaky puff pastry, finished with sweet fondant icing and a generous scattering of desiccated coconut. Recipes vary a little from bakery to bakery, but that pastry, icing and coconut combination is the heart of it. It is simple, old fashioned, and completely moreish with a cup of tea.
You will sometimes hear it called by other names depending on where in the country you are. Around here, the version people ask for is the pastry, icing and coconut one, and that is the one we bake.
Why is it so hard to find now?
As the big chains took over and a lot of traditional bakeries closed, many of these old favourites quietly slipped off the shelves. The London cheesecake is one of them. It is not fashionable, it does not photograph like a fancy dessert, and it has no marketing budget behind it. It just gets baked, sold, and loved by the people who remember it. When a bakery does still make them, word tends to get around, which is probably how you ended up here.
Our London cheesecake, freshly baked
We have kept the London cheesecake on our bakery shelves because our customers love it, and honestly so do we. Ours is a proper version: flaky puff pastry topped with sweet fondant icing and desiccated coconut, baked fresh and sold as a twin pack so you get two in every pack. It is an easy little treat to pop in with the rest of your shop. You will find it alongside our other fresh bakes in the cakes and bakery range, which we restock through the week.
How to enjoy one
There is no wrong way to eat a London cheesecake, but it is at its best kept simple. Have it as an afternoon treat with a strong cup of tea or a coffee. It travels well in a lunchbox, it is a nice thing to put out when someone pops round, and children tend to make very short work of the icing and coconut. Because it comes as a twin pack, there is usually one to share and one to keep back for yourself, though we will not tell anyone if both disappear the same afternoon.
Where to buy a London cheesecake near Billericay
If you are local, the easiest thing is to pop into the farm shop on Southend Road in Billericay and pick some up in person, along with whatever else catches your eye. We are a family run farm shop and have been since 2001, so there is always fresh bakery, produce and butcher counter goods to fill a basket.
If you would rather order from home, you can buy our London cheesecake online. One honest heads up: our home delivery covers Essex postcodes, so it is aimed at customers near us rather than the whole country. You can check whether we reach you on our delivery areas page. And if you are ever passing through Essex, it is worth knowing we bake them fresh and you are always welcome to call in.
A nostalgic bake worth seeking out
The London cheesecake is not trying to be clever. It is a nostalgic, no nonsense bakery classic that a lot of people have fond memories of and struggle to find these days. If that is you, we are glad you tracked one down. Grab a twin pack, put the kettle on, and enjoy a proper one again.