Lemon Cheesecake

Saturday was spent baking with my mother in law. She makes the most fantastic lemon cheesecake and I wanted to know how she made it. She kindly gave me a lemon cheesecake cookery lesson and is allowing me to share this excellent dessert with you all.

Ingredients

1. 8 and a half large digestive biscuits.
2. 50g of butter (hard margarine (stork) is recommended as butter can be too hard and soft margarine too soft).
3. Juice and rind of 1 lemon.
4. 300g of soft (philadelphia) cheese (light philadelphia can be used as a healthier alternative).
5. 45g of caster sugar.
6. 125ml of whipped cream.
7. Half a packet of unflavoured gelatin.
8. 3 tablespoons of water to mix with the gelatin crystals.

Method

1. Grease the base and side of a spring loaded cake tin measuring 6 and a half inches in diameter.
2. Put the digestive biscuits into a bag and break up with fingers and then crush with a rolling pin until there are no lumps.
3. Melt the butter in a pan.
4. Add the crushed up biscuits and mix into the butter until the biscuit crumbs stick together.
5. Add the biscuit mixture to the tin, pressing the mixture down firmly with the back of a metal spoon.
6. Work the biscuit mixture away from the edge of the tin, so that it is easier to get the finished cheesecake out of the tin.
7. Also loosen the biscuit base now, to ease removal of cheesecake when it is completely made.
8. Put the biscuit base into the fridge to cool and harden.
9. Grate the skin of 1 lemon and set aside some of the rind for decoration.
10. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the halves.
11. Sieve the lemon juice through a plastic sieve.
12. In a bowl add the rind and juice of 1 lemon to the soft (philadelphia) cheese and mix thoroughly.
13. Add the caster sugar.
14. Whip the cream and add to the mixture.
15. Using a teaspoon, taste the mixture to make sure that it is neither too sweet nor too tart. If required, add in extra lemon juice or caster sugar to taste.
16. When using gelatin always follow the instructions on the packet.
17. Heat a small saucepan of water until the water is boiled and then remove the water from the heat. Or alternatively boil the kettle.
18. Put the 3 tablespoons of boiled water into a cup and add the gelatin.
19. Place the cup in a pan of hot water, mixing the water and gelatin in the cup until the gelatin crystals have dissolved and the liquid is clear.
20. Take the cup out of the hot water to cool the gelatin mixture to room temperature.
21. When the gelatin is cooled to room temperature, add the gelatin mixture to the cheesecake filling and mix in well.
22. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tin and smooth the top of the cheesecake.
23. Add the reserved lemon rind to the top of the cheesecake for decoration, or alternatively decorate with strawberries, kiwifruit or your favourite fruit.
24. Put in the fridge to set.
25. When the cheesecake is set, take out of the tin and serve on it’s own or with cream.

This recipe makes a cheesecake that serves 10-12 people.

This cheesecake is good to freeze.

I was delighted to receive a lovely email from Joyce,

“Thank you for the lemon cheesecake recipe. It was quick and easy and tasted wonderful. Joyce”