Cheesecake is a summer dessert favourite – and an ideal end to barbecues and picnics. That’s why foodie Charlotte Oates, the brains behind Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen, has put together an easy recipe for a zesty lemon cheesecake that needs just 15 minutes of prep before it chills in the fridge into creamy perfection.
Charlotte describes it as: “A delicious lemon cheesecake with a crunchy biscuit base that’s absolutely packed full of flavour from the fresh lemon zest and juice. It’s unbelievably moreish.”
Eager foodies flooded Charlotte’s comment section with compliments, praising the recipe’s simplicity and its success as an easy dessert option. One fan said: “Best lemon cheesecake recipe I’ve ever tried.”
How to make a lemon cheesecake
To make the cheesecake:
- 280ml of double cream
- 250g of cream cheese
- 100g of digestive biscuits
- 100g of caster sugar
- 40g of butter
- Two lemons (zest and juice)
For decoration:
- 75ml of double cream
- Four slices of lemon
Kitchen equipment needed:
- Round lose-bottomed cake tin
- Greaseproof baking paper
- Piping bag with star nozzle
Instructions
Line the bottom of your cake pan with greaseproof paper. Add the butter to a pot on the hob and melt it, stirring continuously; this should take a minute or two. Remove from heat.
Put the digestive biscuits into a bag and pound them into a crumbly texture using an item such as a rolling pin. Stir the crumbs into the melted butter.
Transfer the crunchy mix into your tin, press down with the back of a spoon to level it out, then pop it into the fridge to firm up while you address the cheesecake’s topping.
Grate the lemons finely and juice them until you’ve collected five teaspoons worth, then put it aside.
Pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk away until soft peaks form, then add in the cream cheese, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice, stirring until it’s combined and smooth.
Remove the tin from the tin and gradually add the lemon mixture until the tin is fully filled with no gaps. Use the back of a spoon or palette knife to smooth the top.
Return the tin to the fridge and let it set for at least two hours, only removing it when you’re ready to serve.
For an impressive finish, whip double cream until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe eight small swirls of cream around the edge of the cheesecake, topping each swirl with a slice of lemon.
Your no-bake lemon cheesecake is now ready to be sliced and enjoyed.