Lemon curd cheesecake

Lemon curd cheesecake is one of those cheesecakes you’ll want to come back to. Delicately lemony, intensely creamy and full of rich cheesecake flavour, it’s finished with a delicious, velvety layer of lemon curd. If you make it with Polish curd cheese, it will have that distinctive, deep cheesecakey flavour that you so often look for in a cheesecake. It isn’t overly sweet, and the lemon adds a lovely freshness. It also looks beautiful on the table – sunny and full of colour, even on an autumn day. Hmm… definitely one of the most delicious cheesecakes on Moje Wypieki. Highly recommended!

Ingredients for the base:

• 250 g digestive biscuits
• 70 g butter, melted

Place the biscuits and butter in a food processor and blitz until the biscuits are finely crushed and the mixture resembles wet sand. If you don’t have a food processor, place the biscuits in a sturdy bag (such as a resealable bag) and crush them thoroughly with a rolling pin. Finally, mix with the melted butter.

Line the base of a 20 cm springform tin with baking paper. Tip the biscuit mixture into the tin, then level it and press firmly into the base and halfway up the sides of the tin. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Wrap the outside of the tin twice with aluminium foil – the cheesecake will be baked in a bain-marie*.

Ingredients for the cheesecake filling:

• 750 g semi-fat or full-fat curd cheese, ground three times (or full-fat cream cheese such as Philadelphia)
• 250 ml double cream
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 3 eggs

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Beat the curd cheese thoroughly with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, then pour in the double cream and mix or briefly beat until combined. Do not overmix, as this will unnecessarily aerate the cheesecake mixture – an aerated cheesecake will rise considerably during baking and then sink. We don’t want that; the cheesecake should remain perfectly level after baking. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the chilled biscuit base.

Bake at 160°C for about 60–70 minutes in a bain-marie*. The finished cheesecake should be set and springy on top. Remove from the oven, remove the bain-marie and leave to cool. Chill in the fridge, preferably overnight.

Ingredients for the lemon curd:

• 45 g butter
• 110 g caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly. Add the sugar, egg, lemon zest and juice, then mix thoroughly or briefly beat until combined. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place it over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat in a bain-marie, stirring, until the lemon curd has thickened noticeably. Leave to cool, transfer to a jar and chill.

The following day, just before serving, spread the chilled lemon curd over the cheesecake. Cut into portions and serve.

*The cheesecake is baked in a bain-marie: place the cheesecake tin inside a larger tin or ovenproof dish and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the tin containing the cheesecake. The cheesecake is baked surrounded by steam, creating a very humid environment. This allows it to bake evenly throughout, including in the centre, prevents it from cracking and helps it retain a perfectly creamy texture.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Australian Women’s Weekly.