If you are not on the lemon dessert train, it is time to get on board! Lemon’s rise in popularity in baking is no wonder when you see how lip puckering, like this Lemon Berry Cheesecake, can be.
Zesting up your dessert
One of the best things about lemon is it just takes a touch to change the flavor profile of your bake. A zest or small squeeze of juice can add a whole lot of flavor. Making it the star ingredient, or co-star in this case, creates a contrast of acidity and sugary sweetness that makes desserts simply irresistible and quite impressive. It’s no wonder lemonade is the stuff of our childhood dreams. If you’re looking to add even more lemon flavor to today’s cheesecake, add another pinch of salt. Believe it or not, the science behind combining acid and salt will have your cake tasting more and more like this wonderful ingredient.
Boiling berries
Or more elegantly said, making a syrup or taking it a couple steps further to a compote. The former mentioned co-star of this cheesecake. Compotes are one of those simple pleasures in baking that can be enjoyed surely in cakes and bakes, but even on their own. Because of the sugary syrup that results you have a dessert in and of itself, simply place on some vanilla ice cream or in a sweet coconut rice, or stick a spoon right in the saucepan! I’m using a frozen berry mix with blackberries, strawberries and blueberries and lightly cooking them to create a syrup filled with all of the flavors of the berries and sweetened with sugar just a tad bit more. You can always use one berry if you have a preference. Cornstarch is our thickening agent here so our cheesecake stays nice and in tact.
Pro tips
- Full fat ingredients work best here. I understand the temptation to use reduced fat but to get a robust taste, it’s important to go full fat.
- Let your ingredients come to room temperature, especially the eggs and cream cheese.
- Even if your pan is non-stick, grease it so you have a smooth transition.
- To test if your cake is done, tap the bake when it’s done and see if the center wobbles. If so, it’s done and cooking will continue as it cools.
- Let your cake cool completely. This may take up to an hour in the fridge. You do not want to pour your topping on a piping hot cake, nor slice and serve beforehand.
Lemon Berry Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup finely ground graham crackers
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
Cake:
- 5 eggs (divided)
- 2 8-oz package cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups of sour cream
Berry Topping:
- 2 cups of frozen berries
- 1/2 sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for decoration.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Crust:
Mix crumbs, sugar and butter. Press on the bottom of an ungreased 8-inch springform pan.
Cake:
- Beat cheese with sugar until creamy. Add lemon zest, juice, extract and salt. Beat 5 egg yolks into sour cream; add to cheese mixture.
- In a separate bowl mix egg whites to soft peaks.
- Fold the whites into the cheese mixture and mix until all is blended. Slowly pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 1hr 15 minutes. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge and let it cool completely- as long as this takes, which can be done gradually in the oven, counter or fridge.
Topping:
- In a medium saucepan put together berries and sugar. Mix water and cornstarch and add to berries.
- Let it boil, cook stirring for about 2-3 minutes or until thicken. Cool.
- Mix whipping cream with 1 tbsp of sugar to a stiff peak.
- Loosen cheesecake from the sides of the pan. Spoon or pipe whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake to form a circle and then fill it with your berry topping.
- Serve chilled.
If you are looking for something a bit more rich, where berries still are the star of the show, try this Chocolate Raspberry Cake.