Triple Decker No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

This recipe is a combination of other recipes I have used over the years, a Nice biscuit cheesecake base followed by a no bake lemon cheesecake layer, a sweet and very lemony lemon curd jelly middle, topped off with a recipe I normally use as cake icing, but acts as a creamier cheesecake here, with some lemon zest added in, just to remind you that it’s still a lemon cheesecake.

Since this recipe has layers with cream and jelly, it does require quite a bit of time to set in the fridge each time you add a layer. If you start it in the morning, the whole thing can be made before the end of the day, but I would recommend letting it set completely overnight so that it is not too soft when you come to slice it.

Ingredients

Base

·        250g Nice biscuits (you could use digestive biscuits instead)

·        100g unsalted butter, melted

Bottom layer (lemon cheesecake)

·        300g full fat cream cheese

·        50g icing sugar

·        150ml double cream

·        40ml lemon juice (approximately 1 and a half lemons)

Middle layer (lemon curd jelly)

·        125ml lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)

·        150g caster sugar

·        2 egg yolks

·        2 large eggs

·        115g unsalted butter

·        1 teaspoon gelatine* bloomed in 50ml of water

Top layer (creamy, zesty layer)

·        200g cream cheese

·        70g icing sugar

·        200ml double cream

·        Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

To decorate

·        60ml Whipping/double cream

·        2 slices of lemon, quartered

*The purpose of the gelatine is just to create a lemon curd layer that will not ooze out of the cheesecake when you come to serve it. You could use another thickener here, such as cornstarch, but would have to experiment with the quantity.

1.      Crush the biscuits in a bag, using a rolling pin until they resemble breadcrumbs.

2.      Melt the butter in the microwave in 10 second bursts and mix into the biscuit crumbs.

3.      Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of a 22cm loose bottomed pan to create your base. I find that a potato masher works well to create a flat, dense layer.

4.      Refrigerate for 1 hour.

1.      Juice the lemons.

2.      Add the cream cheese and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk using an electric whisk until smooth and creamy.

3.      Add the double cream and whisk. It will be quite sloppy at first, but keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken.

4.      Add the lemon juice and continue to whisk until the mixture is very thick.

5.      Spread over the biscuit base and place in the fridge for an hour. If you started this later in the day, it is perfectly fine to leave this layer to set overnight.

1.      Grate the zest of 2 lemons and reserve for later (step 4).

2.      Juice the lemons to get 125ml of juice.

3.      Whisk the eggs and yolks.

4.      Add the whisked eggs, lemon juice, sugar and butter to a glass or ceramic bowl and place over a pot to create a double boiler.

5.      Whisk this mixture until it becomes thickened.

6.      Add the bloomed gelatine and mix until incorporated evenly and completely dissolved.

7.      Allow to cool before spreading over the bottom layer of the cheesecake to create a thin, even layer. Place in the fridge until set. This took about 1 hour.

1.      Add the cream cheese and icing sugar to a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

2.      Add the double cream and lemon zest, then continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened.

3.      Spread this over the middle layer of the cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight.

1.      Before serving, whip up the cream and scoop into a piping bag. I had lost my piping bag so resorted to using a plastic bag, which made things very difficult.

2.      Pipe the cream around the edge of the cheesecake and place the lemon quarters around the cake.

Cut your cheesecake into slices and enjoy!

The first piece I cut looked a little sad and floppy, but all the other slices came out much smarter looking.