Biscuit-base bakers
If your cake or cheesecake needs a measured quantity of crushed shortbread, start with the recipe weight and choose biscuits whose flavour suits the base.
Who is choosing shortbread for cake baking?
Bakers serving a group
If you also want biscuits to serve or use as decoration, consider how many will remain after you have set aside the amount needed for baking.
Bakers managing allergies
When baking for someone with a food allergy, assess the actual biscuit pack and the other ingredients in the finished cake.
What should you check before choosing a pack?
Check your recipe’s biscuit quantity first, then decide whether the remaining biscuits need to be plain, served separately or kept for later.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe quantity | Compare the pack’s net weight with your recipe. Good Food recipes cited here use 200g and 250g of shortbread respectively; one 125g mini bag cannot supply either amount. | I need enough biscuits for the base without assuming that a bag labelled for sharing matches my recipe. |
| Biscuit types | Check whether the pack contains plain, flavoured or chocolate pieces. Tesco and Sainsbury’s 400g assortments include chocolate-chunk rounds. | For a plain crumb base, I would set aside suitable pieces rather than crush a mixed assortment without checking it. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredients and precautionary warnings. Walker’s 250g fingers list wheat and milk and say they may contain nuts; warnings differ between products. | Someone eating the cake has an allergy, so I need to assess the biscuits alongside every other ingredient. |
| Biscuits left over | Separate the recipe quantity from biscuits intended for serving or decoration. Follow the chosen pack’s storage directions for any remainder. | If I buy a larger assortment, I want a plan for the pieces that will not go into the cake. |
What can go wrong when choosing a pack?
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Assuming one mini bag will make a full biscuit base
Walker’s 125g mini bag contains less shortbread than the 200g and 250g quantities in the cited Good Food recipes.
Check your recipe before buying; more than one bag would be needed for either of those quantities.
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Treating every biscuit in an assortment as plain
Mixed packs can contain chocolate pieces, while Dean’s 360g assortment lists vegetable margarine as well as butter. Those differences matter if you intend to use the whole pack for a plain crumb base.
Read the exact pack description and ingredients, and separate the pieces you intend to crush.
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Relying only on an online ingredient list for an allergy
The products cited here carry different ingredient and precautionary information, so another shortbread pack’s warning is not a substitute for checking the one you use.
Read the current physical pack and assess every other ingredient in the finished cake.
Which shortbread ranges are relevant?
Walker’s Shortbread
Walker’s lists plain fingers in a 250g pack and mini fingers in a 125g bag.
- The 250g fingers match the shortbread quantity in Good Food’s millionaire’s cheesecake recipe.
- The 125g bag is short of that quantity on its own. Walker’s 250g fingers list wheat and milk and say they may contain nuts.
Dean’s
Dean’s describes its 360g Shortbread Assortment as a pack for sharing.
- The assortment offers biscuits to set aside for serving as well as baking.
- Its ingredients list includes salted butter and vegetable margarine; check the recipe of this assortment rather than assuming it matches a plain butter pack.
M&S
M&S lists plain shortbread fingers and a separate 500g Collection selection.
- The formats allow you to choose between plain fingers and a selection with pieces for serving.
- The 500g selection includes flavoured and chocolate-covered biscuits. M&S says its cited plain fingers are unsuitable for people with a nut allergy.
Waitrose
Waitrose lists a 200g pack of plain shortbread fingers.
- The pack weight matches the shortbread quantity in Good Food’s berry shortbread cheesecake slice.
- Matching the recipe weight does not establish allergy suitability; the listing says the fingers may contain nuts.
Tesco
Tesco lists a 400g Finest Scottish Shortbread Assortment with fingers, petticoat tails and dark chocolate-chunk rounds.
- The mixed shapes can be separated between baking and serving.
- Set the chocolate-chunk rounds aside if your recipe calls for plain shortbread crumbs.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists a 400g Taste the Difference shortbread assortment containing plain shapes and dark chocolate-chunk rounds.
- The assortment offers different pieces for a cake and for serving separately.
- Check which pieces you are using before crushing them for a plain base, and read the current pack’s allergy information.
Joybuy biscuit options for baking
These smaller packs offer a butter cookie and a shortbread option for baking. Neither single pack supplies the 200g or 250g of shortbread used in the Good Food recipes cited above, so compare the pack weight with your own recipe.
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Imperial Patisserie Butter Crispy Cookies Gift Box 120g
These are butter cookies rather than a pack labelled shortbread, so check that the biscuit suits your cake recipe. The 120g pack is smaller than either cited 200g or 250g recipe quantity.
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Island Bakery Organic Shortbread 25g
This 25g shortbread pack is a smaller-format option, not a sharing pack. Check how many packs your recipe would require before choosing it for a biscuit base.
Questions about baking with shortbread
Do I need a sharing bag if the shortbread will be crushed?
No. Start with the biscuit weight in your recipe rather than the pack description. The Good Food recipes cited here call for 200g and 250g of shortbread respectively.
Can I use a shortbread assortment for a cake base?
You can select pieces whose flavour suits your recipe, but check the contents before crushing the whole pack. The cited Tesco and Sainsbury’s assortments include chocolate-chunk rounds alongside other shortbread.
How do I make a base from ready-made shortbread?
Follow your cake recipe’s quantities and method. Good Food’s berry shortbread cheesecake slice uses 200g shortbread with 50g melted butter in a lined loaf tin; its millionaire’s cheesecake uses 250g shortbread with 75g melted butter in a 20cm springform tin. These are separate recipes, not a universal ratio.
How should I keep biscuits left after baking?
Follow the chosen pack’s storage instructions. For its cited shortbread fingers, M&S specifies a cool, dry place and an airtight container once opened; check the date on your actual pack too.
What should I check if a guest has a food allergy?
Read the current shortbread pack and assess every other cake ingredient. The cited Walker’s fingers contain wheat and milk and say they may contain nuts; another product may carry different ingredients or warnings.