lemon cheesecake

One of the items that Da and I usually have stocked in our refrigerator is a bar or a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese. It is very versatile and I have so far used it to make cookies, bread and cheesecake.

I like no-bake cheesecakes. They are easy to make and very delicious. I only have one grouse - I can never seem to get the filling portion firm, no matter how many hours I refrigerate the cheesecake.

I have since found a solution - I put the cheesecake in the freezer and take it out just before I am ready to slice the cheesecake. It is not the ideal solution because it is actually not meant to be frozen but until such time that I perfect the art of making no-bake cheesecake, I guess the freezer is the way out. I do add gelatine to the filling so I am not sure why I am facing this problem.

I am curious how the confectioneries manage to make no-bake cheesecakes with filling that is so firm. The cheesecake is displayed in the refrigerator (and not kept in the freezer). Tiki's guess is that they may have added an extra ingredient (eg. flour?) to firm up the filling. I am still researching this point and the verdict is not out yet. If you have any tips on how to keep the filling firm, do leave me a message.

In the meantime, if you do not mind the hassle of freezing the cheesecake or if you are not fussy about eating cheesecake whose filling is not as firm as what you see in the confectioneries, do try out the recipe in this post. It is easy to follow and the cheesecake tastes awesome.

INGREDIENTS

200g digestive biscuits (crushed)
1/2 tsp ground allspice / mixed spice
125g butter (softened)
1 cup castor sugar
250g cream cheese (softened)
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
375ml evaporated milk (chilled)
2 tsp gelatine
1/4 cup boiling water

METHOD

1. Crush the digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl. Add the ground allspice / mixed spice and mix well. Add the butter and mix until the butter is absorbed. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of a greased 9" springform pan. Refrigerate the biscuit mixture.

2. Cream the castor sugar, cream cheese, lemon rind and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.

3. Whip the evaporated milk in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Add the evaporated milk to the cheese mixture.

4. Dissolve the gelatine in the boiling water. When the gelatine mixture has cooled slightly, add it to the cheese mixture and mix well.

5. Pour the filling over the biscuit base.

6. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

TIP

I prefer the cheese filling to be more firm. As such, I would usually freeze the cheesecake and take it out of the freezer only just before I slice it.