Lemon and Lime Cheesecake

A cheesecake thats creamy, tangy, and bursting with with equal notes of lemon and lime. Its also refreshingly light and fluffy, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Fridge time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 40 minutes

Servings slices

Calories 373kcal

Author Kim

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

Base

1 cup sugar free digestive biscuits see note 1
4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling

2 blocks (16 ounces) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
⅔ cup granulated sweetener that measures like sugar (see note 2)
¼ cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
Zest of 2 limes
juice of ½ lemon
juice of 1 lime

Garnish

Additional lemon zest and whipped cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius/325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line an 8 inch/20cm springform tin with baking or parchment paper on the bottom, securing it in place by lockout out the tin. Set aside.

Base

In a food processor, blitz the digestive biscuits until a fine crumb is formed. Tip into a mixing bowl, and add the melted butter. Mix together until damp and crumbly.
Add the crumb mixture to the lined springform tin and press down firmly to pack the crumbs together to form a crust.

Filling

In a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and use an electric hand mixer on medium high speed to beat it until smoothy and creamy.
Add granulated sweetener into the bowl and continue with electric hand mixer for approx. 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy and there are no signs of graininess.
Add one egg, mix in thoroughly, and repeat for the second egg, making sure to get all the mixture from the sides of the bowl mixed in.
Pour in sour cream, vanilla essence , lemon and lime juice, lemon and lime zest. Use electric hand mixer on low – medium speed to thoroughly blend everything together (about 1 – 2 minutes)
Pour the filling onto the base. If you notice any air bubbles on the surface, lift and place tin firmly several times on the counter to reduce air pockets.
Fill a baking tray (that will fit the springform tin) with 1 inch of water. Wrap the bottom of the tin in foil so that it comes half way up the sides of the tin. Place into the water bath. Bake the cheesecake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius/325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cheesecake is cooked when the edges are set and slightly firm to the touch, and the middle has a slight wobble.
Remove from the water bath and remove foil. Cover cheesecake in the tin with a towel and let it come to room temperature. Put into an air tight container with lid firmly sealed, then refrigerate overnight.

To Serve

Freshly grated lemon zest, and a dollop of whipped cream.

Notes

Digestive Biscuits: the brand I use is called Gullon, and are available from woolworths and coles in Australia in the health food aisle. Aldi also have a similar sugar free digestive.
Monkfruit Sweetener: this is my preferred natural sweetener for this recipe, however you could also use Natvia Stevia which is another type of granulated sweetener. Just make sure the alternative sweetener you’re using measures like sugar.
Water bath: cooking the cheesecake in a water bath helps it to cook more evenly and prevent it from cracking on the top. Its not absolutely essential, but does help it to bake more evenly.
Taste Test: Before pouring the filling onto the cheesecake base, taste it to make sure it has the right balance of tangyness Taste it to see if if needs more sweetener. Can you taste the lemon coming through? if not add a little more. Can you taste the lime coming through? If not zest in another lime.
Cool at Room Temperature: Cover the cheesecake and let it sit on the bench until it comes to room temperature before putting it into the fridge to avoid cracks
Use an air tight container to refrigerate rather than plastic wrap or foil as water droplets may get in and settle on top of the cheesecake. A sealed and sir tight container will prevent this. Leave cheesecake in the tin overnight, and put it into the container with lid to properly set.

Nutrition