Baked Lemon Cheese Cake

Let's start by saying, who doesn't love a cheesecake? They are pretty simple to make and even easier to eat! Follow this blog post to learn how to make The Best Lemon Cheese Cake with White Chocolate Whipped Cream.

If you love lemon recipes, then you have to try out these Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, these Lemon Biscuits, or this delicious Biscuit Base Lemon Meringue Pie.

This baked lemon cheesecake is made with a buttery coconut biscuit crust, a creamy lemony cheesecake filling, and topped with a smooth white chocolate cream.

Let's talk cheesecake, what is it, what ingredients you need, and how to make it!

Ingredients for a Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Below are simple ingredients, that are easily found in stores, and as always make sure they are at room temperature before you start baking.

·     Tennis biscuits

·     Salted butter

·     Cream cheese

·     Castor sugar

·     Extra-large eggs

·     Greek yogurt

·     Vanilla extract

·     Lemon juice and zest

·     White chocolate

·     Heavy cream

Tennis biscuits - These are a South African staple. A simple thin tea biscuit flavored with coconut, syrup, and butter. I guess the graham crackers of this part of the world, even if they don't taste anything alike! If you can't get hold of these biscuits choose to use plain digestive biscuits instead or make a graham cracker crust.

Salted butter - For baking, I mostly use unsalted butter. But for cheesecake bases, I love the salty fatty flavor that a good quality salted butter can give. If you only have unsalted butter, just add a tiny pinch of salt to the cheesecake base mixture. It makes such a difference.

Cream cheese - Make sure that you choose a plain flavored full-fat cream cheese that tastes great. The cream cheese must be at room temperature before you use it otherwise you might have a lumpy cheesecake batter.

Extra-large eggs - I usually bake with extra-large eggs, which weigh about 64 grams when out of their shells. If you don't have extra-large eggs work out the weight of the eggs you have versus the average weight of an extra-large egg, 64 grams. Then increase the number of eggs you will need. This will help make sure you are using the correct weight of eggs.

Lemon juice - When it comes to adding flavors to bakes, choose to add the real thing! Fresh lemon juice is a much better option when compared to lemon extract. Store-bought juice can taste artificial and mess up the flavor of this cheesecake.

Equipment Needed to Make a Baked Cheesecake

The best way to bake a cheesecake is low and slow! Cheesecakes come out best when they have been baked at a low temperature in a water bath and then left to cool in a switched-off oven overnight. In order to get this right, you will need the kitchen equipment below

·     Springform/loose bottom cake tin

·     Large oven dish

·     Tin foil

I always choose to brush my tins with sunflower oil and then line them with baking paper. For cheesecakes, I line just the sides of the springform pan. This way you never have to worry about bakes getting stuck! To ensure that the cheesecake batter doesn't leak into the water bath, wrap the bottom of the loose bottom cake tin with aluminum foil. Make sure you do this properly otherwise you will have a soggy cheesecake base.

Place the prepared tin in an oven dish that is big enough to fit the tin. Fill the cake tin with the cheesecake batter and then place the oven dish in the oven. Once in the oven fill the dish with warm water. This way water won't slosh into the cheesecake mixture while transporting the oven dish into the oven.

How to Make a Cheesecake

Step 1: Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Tin

Start by preheating the oven to 160C (320F). Brush a 20cm round loose bottom cake tin with sunflower oil, and line just the sides of the tin with a strip of parchment paper. Seal the bottom of the cake tin with a sheet of tin foil. Place the cake tin in an appropriately sized oven dish, the dish should be deep enough to hold 5cm of water.

Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Base

Start by making the cheesecake base. Place the Tennis biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour it over the crushed biscuits in a large bowl. Mix together the melted butter and biscuits crumbs and then press this into the base of the cake tin. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the biscuit crust.

Step 3: Make the Lemon Sugar

Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Use your fingertips to massage the lemon zest into the sugar.

Step 4: Add the Cream Cheese

In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the cubed cream cheese and the sugar and zest mixture. Beat at medium speed until smooth and well combined.

Step 5: Add the Eggs

Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture one at a time. Be sure to beat for at least one minute between each addition of the eggs and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula before beating again. Continue until all of the eggs have been added, at this stage the cheesecake batter should be smooth and well mixed.

Step 6: Add Yoghurt, Vanilla, and Lemon Juice

Add the Greek yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat again at medium-high speed until just combined. Make sure the cheesecake batter is well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin over the cheesecake biscuit crust.

Step 7: Bake the Cheesecake

Place the oven dish with the cheesecake batter-filled cake tin into the oven, making sure that it is placed onto the center rack in the middle of the oven. Once the oven dish is in the oven, pour hot water into the roasting pan. Stop pouring once the water level is about halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 55 minutes or until the center of the cheesecake looks set and the sides of the cheesecake have pulled slightly away from the tin. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool for 2 hours inside the oven.

Step 8: Refrigerate

Remove the oven dish from the oven and take the cheesecake out of the water bath. Cover the top of the cheesecake with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge and leave it there overnight or for about 6 hours. The next day, remove the cheesecake from its tin and put it on a serving plate.

Step 9: Make the Cream Topping

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in increments of 30 seconds, mixing as you go. Once the chocolate has melted, start beating the cream. With the motor running pour the white chocolate into the cream and beat the cream until thick and smooth. Place the white chocolate cream on top of the cheesecake and spread it over the surface using a palette knife. Top with fresh fruit if desired, serve and enjoy!

Tips for Making the Perfect Cheesecake

Use these tips below to ensure you make the perfect cheesecake.

• Test the true temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer. Cheesecakes are pretty sensitive to heat, so make sure that the temperature is accurate otherwise risk having a toasty cheesecake that is missing the creamy texture you'd like.
• Bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Baking a cheesecake in a water bath helps minimize the effects of possible hot spots in your oven. It helps the cheesecake bake evenly.
• Make sure you seal the bottom of your cake tin with heavy-duty tin foil. Do this so that the water from the water bath doesn't leak into the cheesecake base!
• Give the cheesecake enough time to set after baking. It might be hard to wait but serving and cutting a fresh-out-of-the-oven cheesecake just isn't worth it. Allowing the cheesecake to cool slowly helps prevents cracks from forming on its surface.

More Tart & Cheesecake Recipes

This recipe for The Best Baked Lemon Cheesecake with White Chocolate Whipped Cream is the perfect dessert for dinner parties. The lemony flavor, white chocolate whipped cream, and coconut biscuit crust makes this recipe a must-try. So, if you decide to test out your cheesecake-making abilities with this tart lemon cheesecake, please let me know in the comments below or tag me in your bakes on Instagram, I would love to hear from you!

If you're a lemon lover looking for other great fruity bakes, try out this recipe for Mulberry Pie or this one for an Apricot Loaf Cake.

Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty

📖 Recipe