No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
A light and tangy cheesecake with a lemon and cream cheese filling, topped with homemade lemon curd...
Ingredients
Biscuit base
- 230 g speculoos cookies
- 80 g soft butter, melted
Cheesecake filling
- 2 gelatin sheets Vahine
- 150 g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 300 g mascarpone
- 130 g granulated sugar
- 300 g heavy whipping cream 30% very cold
- 80 g freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 3 lemons
lemon curd
- 100 g squeezed lemon juice or 2 to 3 lemons
- 3 medium size eggs at room temperature
- 110 g granulated sugar dosage to suit your taste
- 1 cs cornstarch
- 30 g unsalted butter
Décor
- Whipped cream, lemon wedges, zest...
Prepare in advance
Biscuit base
- In a blender, crush the cookies into crumbs. Melt the butter in the microwave then mix with the mixed biscuits.
- Pack the mixed biscuits in the bottom of a 20cm springform pan (I add a rhodoïd film first to facilitate the unmolding of the cheesecake). Press well with the back of a spoon or a glass. Refrigerate while waiting for the rest.
Cheesecake filling
- Soften the gelatin in cold water.
- In a very small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and melt the well-drained gelatin in it off the heat.
- In a bowl or in a food processor, whisk the Philadelphia, mascarpone, sugar, lemon zest and remaining lemon juice until stiff.
- Pour in the lukewarm juice/gelatin mixture and whisk again to obtain a smooth mixture.
- Separately, whip the liquid cream until stiff.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture using a spatula and whisk until smooth. This filling should already be firm.
- Place this filling in the mold, on top of the layer of pressed biscuits. Smooth the top with a small spatula. Refrigerate overnight.
lemon curd
- Pour the lemon juice into a saucepan and heat over low heat.
- Separately, whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture lightens in color.
- In a small bowl, pour the cornstarch and mix with a little hot lemon juice (this prevents lumps).
- Pour the dissolved cornstarch onto the egg mixture while whisking, also adding the remaining hot lemon juice.
- Return everything to the saucepan and heat over low heat, whisking constantly for about 4 minutes. The mixture should thicken visibly. Keep whisking to prevent sticking.
- Once you have a smooth texture, turn off the heat and add the butter in pieces. Whisk one last time to smooth it out.
- Pour into a clean, dry jar and let cool before refrigerating.
Assembly
- Once the cheesecake is ready, spread the lemon curd on top using a spatula or tablespoon.
- Add the decoration of your choice: whipped cream domes, zest, lemon pieces, etc.
Notes
I recommend serving this cheesecake straight from the refrigerator when it's chilled. You can keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.
Well protected, under a bell or in an airtight container, it can be kept up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator.