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| Are you a Lemon Luvah? |
I started with Abby’s February #baketogether recipe for Classic Vanilla Bean Cheesecake and decided to make it an all lemon affair: Lemon cookie crust, lemon curd, lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract. Of course, I did need a teaspoon of vanilla because it’s my fav flavor and I miss it when I omit it. Abby’s instructions are excellent, and I have noted where my method differs slightly.
Lemon Luvahs Cheesecake with Raspberry Puree - #baketogether
Makes 12 to 14 servings.
For the crust:
• 2
cups (9 ounces) finely crushed lemon cookie wafers
(I used Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch table salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
(I used Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch table salt
• 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
▪ 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
▪ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
▪ Good pinch of table salt
▪ 1 1/3 cups (9 3/8 ounces) granulated sugar
▪ 3/4 lemon curd, at room temperature
▪ Zest of one medium lemon
▪ 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
▪ 1 tsp pure lemon extract
▪ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
▪ 4 large eggs, at room temperature
To make the crust: 1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a piece of aluminum foil and clasp the outer ring over the foil so the edges hang outside the ring. In the workbowl of a food processor, whiz the cookie crumbs until finely crushed, add sugar and salt and give a quick whiz. Drizzle in the melted butter and whiz until well blended.
▪ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
▪ Good pinch of table salt
▪ 1 1/3 cups (9 3/8 ounces) granulated sugar
▪ 3/4 lemon curd, at room temperature
▪ Zest of one medium lemon
▪ 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
▪ 1 tsp pure lemon extract
▪ 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
▪ 4 large eggs, at room temperature
To make the crust: 1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a piece of aluminum foil and clasp the outer ring over the foil so the edges hang outside the ring. In the workbowl of a food processor, whiz the cookie crumbs until finely crushed, add sugar and salt and give a quick whiz. Drizzle in the melted butter and whiz until well blended.
2.
Dump the crumbs into the springform pan and cover with large piece of plastic
wrap. Abby’s method is to place your hands on the plastic wrap and press the
crumbs about 2 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan.(The plastic wrap will keep
the crumbs from sticking to your hands.) With the plastic wrap still in place,
redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and firmly
press down to make a compact layer. Abby uses a metal measuring cup with
straight sides and a flat bottom for this task.
I keep poly gloves around for handling raw meat, so I put on gloves, pressed the cookie crumbs around and then I used a small offset spatula to even out the cookie crumbs.
Bake until the crumbs are fragrant, about 12 minutes and set on a rack to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
I keep poly gloves around for handling raw meat, so I put on gloves, pressed the cookie crumbs around and then I used a small offset spatula to even out the cookie crumbs.
Bake until the crumbs are fragrant, about 12 minutes and set on a rack to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
To
make the filling:
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, flour and salt until very smooth and no lumps remain. It’s very important for the cream cheese to be lump free at this point so stop and scrape the beater and sides of the bowl frequently. Add the sugar, lemon curd, lemon zest, lemon juice and extracts. Beat until well blended and smooth, stopping to scrape beater and bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended, stopping to scrape beater and bowl before each addition. (Don’t over beat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much.) Tap the bowl several times on the counter to release some of the air bubbles. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Using the tip of a small knife or a toothpick, pop any air bubbles on the surface.
1. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, flour and salt until very smooth and no lumps remain. It’s very important for the cream cheese to be lump free at this point so stop and scrape the beater and sides of the bowl frequently. Add the sugar, lemon curd, lemon zest, lemon juice and extracts. Beat until well blended and smooth, stopping to scrape beater and bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended, stopping to scrape beater and bowl before each addition. (Don’t over beat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much.) Tap the bowl several times on the counter to release some of the air bubbles. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Using the tip of a small knife or a toothpick, pop any air bubbles on the surface.
2.
Bake at 300°F until
the center jiggles like jello when nudged, 63 to 68 minutes. The cake will be
slightly puffed around the edges and the center will still look moist. Set on a
rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8
hours or overnight or up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen up to 1 month.
Raspberry Puree:
Yield: 1 cup
12 ounces frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
In a small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, water and sugar. Over medium heat, cook until raspberries have fallen part and mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer for a few minutes until there are no raspberry pieces. Remove from heat and strain. Discard the seeds. Wipe saucepan clean and return puree to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, cook until slightly reduced. You will end up with 1 cup of puree. Chill the puree.
This is a very liquid-y puree and I like it. Another option would be to use your favorite raspberry jam on top. Or, warm up some raspberry jam, strain it (discard seeds) and cool it for a thicker topping.
Raspberry Puree:
Yield: 1 cup
12 ounces frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
In a small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, water and sugar. Over medium heat, cook until raspberries have fallen part and mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer for a few minutes until there are no raspberry pieces. Remove from heat and strain. Discard the seeds. Wipe saucepan clean and return puree to the saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, cook until slightly reduced. You will end up with 1 cup of puree. Chill the puree.
This is a very liquid-y puree and I like it. Another option would be to use your favorite raspberry jam on top. Or, warm up some raspberry jam, strain it (discard seeds) and cool it for a thicker topping.
To serve Lemon Luvahs Cheesecake:
Have a flat serving plate, or cake pedestal, ready and close by. Unclasp the pan’s ring, remove it, and using the excess foil, gently nudge and lift the cake to be sure it’s released. Using the foil, carefully lift the cheesecake and slide it onto the serving plate and center it.. Tear off one side of the foil close to the cheese cake. On the opposite side of the cake, gently pull the remaining foil out from the cheesecake. (If you are topping the cake with something yummy (such as the Raspberry Puree), do so now.) Run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.
Have a flat serving plate, or cake pedestal, ready and close by. Unclasp the pan’s ring, remove it, and using the excess foil, gently nudge and lift the cake to be sure it’s released. Using the foil, carefully lift the cheesecake and slide it onto the serving plate and center it.. Tear off one side of the foil close to the cheese cake. On the opposite side of the cake, gently pull the remaining foil out from the cheesecake. (If you are topping the cake with something yummy (such as the Raspberry Puree), do so now.) Run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife after every slice.
You may use
the Raspberry Puree to spoon over the whole cheescake, over individual slices, or serve a
spoonful next to a slice. Or, omit it if you prefer!
A note about the picture of lemons (above) in this post - I purchased it from Shutterstock. Professional photographers deserve to be paid for their work. You may be able to purchase the right to reprint if the photographer agrees. What's NOT ok is using someone else's images without their permission. My real love for Pinterest has reminded me that we should all strive to Link with Love and protect artists and writers from being exploited. Unless otherwise noted, such as in this case, all pictures on my blog are my own. Many thanks.
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| My Lemon Luvahs Cheesecake with dots of Raspberry Puree Thank you, Abby Dodge and #baketogether! |
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A note about the picture of lemons (above) in this post - I purchased it from Shutterstock. Professional photographers deserve to be paid for their work. You may be able to purchase the right to reprint if the photographer agrees. What's NOT ok is using someone else's images without their permission. My real love for Pinterest has reminded me that we should all strive to Link with Love and protect artists and writers from being exploited. Unless otherwise noted, such as in this case, all pictures on my blog are my own. Many thanks.
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