Baked Lemon Cheesecake

I always wanted to make a baked cheesecake, so when we invited some guests the last time the time was right. As the dinner was quite heavy, I wanted something light and delicate. Well it isn't the lightest dessert, but it tasted divine (also it is quite easy to make). I found a recipe on the BBC Goodfood website, but I slightly had to modify it to my taste.

 

Baked Lemon Cheesecake

 

Ingredients

260g digestive biscuit

120g melted butter

 

600g light soft cheese/cream cheese

250g mascarpone

2eggs

2egg yolks

zest of 4 lemons

juice of 2.5 lemons

4 tbsp flour

150g caster sugar

 

few spoonful of cream fresh/soured cream

few spoonful of lemon curd

handful of blueberries

 

 

Heat the oven to 180C and line the bottom of a 23cm spring form tin with baking paper. Crush the biscuits to crumbs and work it together with the melted butter. Press the biscuit paste into the bottom of the pan and place it to the fridge while you prepare the filling.



 

 

Whisk all the other ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined, pour into the tin, then bake for 35-40 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cake inside until cool.

 

 

 When it is completely cooled remove from the tin and top with cream fresh, lemon curd and blueberries if you like. You can keep the cake in the fridge if you want a cold dessert summer time.

Lemon Curd filled sponge cubes

It is my boss's wedding is in two weeks time and I volunteered to bake a cake for him. Well two cakes as the the team is quite big. I made the Ultimate Chocolate Cake and a Lemon Curd cake. I decided to try my new cake mould: the cube one. I made 25 cubes (well only 23 on the picture as my husband couldn't resist it any more) which were all the same size and consistency and more importantly: delicious. For the sponge I used the one published on the Zila Cake Mould's website and the lemon curd is still the Kabi's Kitchen version.

Lemon Curd filled Sponge Cubes

For the sponge

6 eggs

140 g sugar

210g plain flour

45g melted butter

1/2 lemon zest

1 vanilla pod

For the lemon curd

2 eggs

2 egg yolk

80g sugar

3 lemons
70g butter

1 tsp honey

To decorate

100 ml double cream

1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 160C. 

Whip the egg whites to medium peaks and add the sugar. Mix in the melted (but room temperature) butter, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and the egg yolks. Fold in carefully the plain flour and pour the mixture to the cake mould (that you previously prayed with a vegetable fat based releasing agent).

Tap the mould on a tray to the kitchen surface so the liquid can spread equally in the mould and you will have nice smooth sponge without holes in it.

Bake it for 20-30 minutes or until it is golden brown. 

While it is still warm sprinkle some sugar on top and turn it up side down to another sheet. Remove the silicon top and the square inox frame and leave it to cool.

For the lemon custard whisk the eggs and yolks in a heatproof bowl with sugar, lemon zest and juice. Set the bowl over simmering water and add the butter and honey. Stir continuously. It takes roughly 12-15 minutes to thicken. It should reach the consistency of custard. Turn of the heat and leave it to cool.

Fill each cavities with lemon curd and decorate with a small portion of whipped cream and a small slice of lemon.

Mini Lemon Curd Sponge Cake

Again a recipe with a twist: cake with real vanilla and a cream which is not butter cream.

Not that the butter cream isn’t nice..but all that butter and sugar....now you have a healthier option!

Mini Lemon Curd Sponge Cake

for the Sponge
175 gr unsalted butter, at room temperature
175 gr caster sugar
175 gr eggs (roughly 3 large eggs), beaten
1 vanilla pod*more on this topic in the Tricks and Recommendations
175 gr self-raising flour

For the cream
 200 ml double cream
 300 gr quark or “curd cheese” (I buy them in polish shops, write it down and ask  for: Twarog Tlusty)*more on this topic in the Tricks and Recommendations 
    1 vanilla pod

  For the filling
  12 tsp lemon curd (recipe from www.kabiskitchen.com)
4 eggs
4 egg yolk
160gr caster sugar
5 big lemons
140gr unsalted butter
2tsp honey

 optional
 some icing sugar for dusting


Cakes


1.    Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
2.    Cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and light. 
3.    Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Add the vanilla and mix again.
4.    Sift the flour into the bowl and fold in using a rubber spatula until the mixture is glossy and smooth
5.    Divide the mixture between the 12 holes of the Lakeland Mini Sandwich Pan and level with a teaspoon.
6.    Bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven for about 15 minutes until golden, well risen and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
7.    Leave the cakes to rest in the tin for 2 minutes and then carefully ease out onto a wire cooling rack until cold.


Cream


Whip the double cream to stiff peaks, then add the vanilla and the quark and mix it together until it is well incorporated


Lemon Curd


“Whisk the eggs and yolks in a heatproof bowl with sugar, lemon zest and juice. Set the bowl over simmering water, and add the butter and honey. Stir it continuously. It takes roughly 12-15 minute to thicken. It should reach the consistency of custard. Turn off the heat, and pour the custard into sterilised jars. It will thicken further in the jar. Do not close it until it’s cooled down.
Keep it in the fridge. It will last for weeks.”
This amount will make 2-3 jars, but believe me the excess won’t last long.
Assemble


Cut each of the cakes in half and spread the bottom layer with the cream. Top with a teaspoon of lemon curd and sandwich with the top cake layer. Lightly dust with icing sugar to serve.


Hints and Tips
-I don't add any sugar to the cream as the cake itself quite sweet and the lemon curd as well. I would suggest to try half spoon of cream and half spoon of lemon curd together and if it is sweet enough, than no need to sweeten it. If you still need a little bit of sweetness, add some icing sugar.
-Although I used the Lakeland's tin to make mini individual cakes(which has straight sides, unlike muffin tins), you can use two separate sandwich tin to make one big cake. I would suggest to bake it in two separate tin, as baking as one big one tend to be a problem with this batter mix