Lemon ricotta cheesecake

It was my choice for the birthday cake this year. No regrets! The cheesecake is fluffy inside and the lemon curd gives it a nice fresh sweet and sour kick. Will it become your next favourite cheesecake? Go find it out!

Springform pan 22 cm
Preparation time: 30 min + 125 min baking + chill 4h
Servings: 12

Tips:

Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before use. It will prevent cracks in the cheesecake. Take the ingredients out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking.

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

16 digestive biscuits
3 tablespoons melted butter

For the cheesecake:

500 g ricotta
250 g mascarpone
2 tablespoons almond flour
4 eggs
120 g sugar
4 lemons
1.5 tablespoon vanilla extract
65 ml heavy cream

For the glaze:

1 portion lemon curd - see recipe below

Lemon curd:

2 lemons
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
100g powdered sugar
100g butter

Zest the lemons and squeeze the lemon juice.
Use the double boiler method. Place a heatproof bowl over a pot with simmering water. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Use medium heat.
Place the eggs, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in the bowl. Stir with a whisk until the ingredients are combined. Then stir the mixture regularly, until it becomes more dense. This will take around 10 minutes.
After the mixture becomes dense take it out of the heat.
Add the butter. Whisk until combined.
Set aside to chill.
For a smoother consistency, pour the curd through a sieve to filter out the zest.
You can store it in a fridge up to about a week.

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160˚C.

2. Prepare the crust. Crush the biscuits. You can put them in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or use a food processor.

3. In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with melted butter using a whisk.

4. Prepare the form. Grease it with butter and then put the biscuits crumbs into it. Press the cumbs mixture into the bottom using hand or a glass.

5. Bake the bottom for ten minutes. Then take the bottom out of the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 150˚C.

6. Prepare the zest of 4 lemons and squeeze the juice of 1.5 lemon.

7. Prepare the cheesecake. Put the following ingredients into a big bowl: ricotta, mascarpone, almond flour and heavy cream. Mix about 4 minutes.

8. Add the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and mix until combined.

9. Add the eggs to the mixture one by one until well combined.

10. Pour the cheesecake filling into the form. Bake for 75 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the cake inside with oven door closed for another 40 minutes.

11. In the meantime, prepare the lemon curd.

12. When the cake is ready, leave the oven door ajar and let the cake cool inside for another 15 minutes. Then take the cake out. Let it cool completely before decorating.

13. Decorate the cake with lemon curd. Sprinkle some biscuit crumbs on top.

14. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.