Lemon curd cheese cake

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Everyone loves a lemon cheesecake, writes cookbook author and cake shop owner Michelle Morfett. It’s the safest dessert to make if you’re not sure what to make. It’s light, easy – because you can make it in advance – and so delicious. This recipe serves 12.

Ingredients

Base
• 250g malt biscuits, blitzed until fine
• 100g unsalted butter, melted

Topping
• 1 batch of lemon curd, see adjacent
• 1 batch of meringue kisses, see adjacent
• Dehydrated lemon slices (optional)
• Edible flowers, I use pansies

Filling
• 40g cold water
• 2 tsp powdered gelatine
• 300g cream
• 500g cream cheese
• 100g icing sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 80ml lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Method

Make the lemon curd

1. Melt 100g butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add 100g caster sugar, 100g lemon juice and 2 eggs to the saucepan. Give it a good whisk to combine.
2. Continue to whisk the curd over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, until it thickens.
3. Remove from the heat and pour the hot curd through a sieve into a container. Cover the surface of the curd with cling film, so it doesn’t form a skin. Leave to cool for half an hour on the bench, then pop it into the fridge to cool completely. Once cold, it will be nice and thick, ready to use. Store in the fridge for up to one week.

Make the meringue kisses

1. Preheat your oven to 100°C fan bake. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 120g (about 4 large eggs) egg whites and 240g caster sugar (yes, add the sugar all at once!) Beat on medium-high speed for 15 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through, then continue beating until the time is up.
3. Place a 1A or open circle nozzle in a piping bag (no nozzle is fine if you don’t have one). Fill the piping bag with the meringue mixture and pipe 2cm kisses onto the prepared trays.
4. Bake at 100°C for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave them to cool in the oven overnight. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Make the dehydrated fruit

1. If you don’t have a dehydrator, preheat your oven to 80°C fan bake.
2. Arrange the fruit in a single layer on a baking paper-lined tray and bake for 6 hours, or until completely dry, flip halfway through.
3. Use a sharp chef’s knife. Slice the fruit of your choice, aiming to cut the slices as thin as you can (about 2mm).
4. When you get to pips, keep slicing right through them. Pop the pips out once they are sliced, as it’s easier to get them at this point without damaging the fruit shape too much.
5. Place in a single layer over your dehydrator trays. Check your machine’s settings and follow the guidelines. You want them fully crisp right the way through with no moisture left. Store in a very airtight container.

Make the cheesecake base

1. In a medium bowl, combine the malt biscuit crumbs and melted butter.
2. Tip into the tin, press down firmly with the back of a dessertspoon and place in the fridge to set while you make the filling.

Make the cheesecake filling

1. First, bloom the gelatine in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add the cold water to the bowl and sprinkle over the powdered gelatine. Set aside to absorb the water while you make the rest of the cheesecake.
2. Using a stand mixer or an electric beater, whip the cream until medium peaks form. Transfer the cream to a separate bowl and set it aside.
3. Add the cream cheese to the mixer bowl (no need to wash) and beat for 30 seconds, to smooth out any lumps. Then add the icing sugar, lemon zest and juice and salt and beat until combined.
4. Melt the bloomed gelatine in the microwave in 10-second bursts
   (should take no more than 30 seconds total) so it is runny, be careful as you don’t want to overheat it.
5. Add the gelatine to the cream cheese mixture and beat quickly until just combined. Then, using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the mixture until just combined.
6. Pour the cheesecake filling into your springform tin. Give the tin a shake to get rid of any air bubbles. Use a palette knife to spread the cheesecake filling and make the top nice and smooth. Leave in the fridge to set overnight.
7. The next day, remove the cheesecake from the fridge, take it out of the tin and peel off the baking paper. Place the cheesecake onto your serving plate.
8. Decorate with lemon curd, dehydrated lemon slices, meringue kisses and edible flowers.