Cheesecake isn’t something I make very often, but I had my folks over for dinner recently and my dad had mentioned he wanted a lemon cheesecake so lemon cheesecake for dessert it was! It was much easier than I remembered, you just have to be prepared so you have enough time for it to cool down properly. I decided to go a little fancy and made a balsamic strawberry sauce to pour on top, but it would still be delicious with just a sprinkling of icing sugar.
As I made this for us to have with dinner (and I sent home quite a few slices with my folks so I wasn’t tempted to just eat all the leftovers!) the photos were mostly taken after we had eaten most of the cake, but I think that’s a pretty clear indicator of how delicious it was!
Ingredients List
- 375g gingernut biscuits (1 and a half packets)
- 175g butter
- 500g cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
Steps
- Preheat oven to 160C
- Process the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb
- Melt the butter and add to the food processor and process until combined
- Grease a 23cm springform pan and press the crumb into the base and up the sides. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes
- Beat together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, caster sugar and lemon zest until really smooth
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition
- Add the lemon juice and beat for another minute or two
- Pour into the pan and smooth the top then bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until just set
- Turn off the oven and cool with the door ajar for 2 hours then transfer to the fridge to cool for 4 hours
- Enjoy!
If you want to do the strawberry sauce then here’s the recipe for that!
Ingredients List
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 punnets of strawberries
- 3tbs brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2tsp lemon zest
- 2tsp cornflour
Steps
- Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, until it reduces to roughly 1/4 of the original volume
- Hull and quarter the strawberries and add to the saucepan with the sugar, salt and lemon zest, bring back to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes
- Crush the strawberries against the side of the saucepan with a wooden spoon and continue to simmer until thick and syrupy
- Sift in the cornflour and whisk to combine
- Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
- Blitz with your stick blender until smooth then pour over the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve
One trick to help your cheesecake cook more evenly and avoid cracking on top is to place a pan of water on a lower rack of your oven while you bake the cheesecake. It will stop the cheesecake from drying out and also catches any of the butter that might drip out the bottom, making cleaning your oven easier as well!
I particularly love the combination of the gingernut biscuits with the lemon cheesecake as it helps cut through the sweet, creamy cheesecake. The strawberry sauce isn’t particularly sweet either thanks to the balsamic vinegar so when all combined it’s a great mix of flavours. No wonder so much of the cake got eaten in one go!
Are you are cheesecake fan? Fancy a slice of my lemon cheesecake?
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile
April 20, 2015 at 7:48 am (10 years ago)Lemon Cheesecake is one of my favourite things in the world… I so know what you mean about sending everyone home with slices too!!!
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile recently posted…Double Chocolate Banana Fudge Loaf
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 23, 2015 at 8:25 pm (10 years ago)Lucky I did or I would have polished it all off myself!
merilyn
April 20, 2015 at 2:01 pm (10 years ago)I love cheesecakes! not that I eat them often.
and yours looks amazing thankyou for sharing liz! … I would love a slice right now!
love m:)X
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 23, 2015 at 8:26 pm (10 years ago)I don’t eat them much either, which probably is a good thing! They sure are tasty though!
leaf (the indolent cook)
April 20, 2015 at 5:17 pm (10 years ago)I’m definitely a cheesecake fan, and this looks delicious and the strawberry sauce sounds like a great accompaniment, too!
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 23, 2015 at 8:26 pm (10 years ago)The strawberry sauce was definitely a delicious addition!
Lauren @ Create Bake Make
April 23, 2015 at 8:23 pm (10 years ago)Oh my goodness, this looks gorgeous! There is nothing better than a baked cheesecake I think – I bet your Dad loved it!
Lauren @ Create Bake Make recently posted…Fabulous Foodie Fridays #48
I Spy Plum Pie (admin)
April 23, 2015 at 8:27 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Lauren! I certainly scored some brownie points, that’s for sure!
Tonia Zemek
May 30, 2015 at 6:44 pm (9 years ago)Wowsers! That looks lovely. I’m going to give it a go for my folks too. Thanks for sharing.
Tonia Zemek recently posted…Winter greens