Rested Lemon Cheesecake

"On the second day of christmas party favourites, Becka gave to me, a cheesecake that's super yummy!" 

I'm unsure of why I'm not a rapper, anywhooo. I first made this cheesecake for some of the Man-Friends rugby friends. To say that these boys eat alot is an understatement, once one of them genuinely ate the bones from spare ribs...I despair for them!  To see these rugby playing boys covered in mud and eating this floaty light cheesecake was a treat and I just wish I had had doilies to serve it on- opportunity missed!!! Its lightness comes from the fact, I believe, the strange resting method. You leave it to cool in the oven for two hours for with the door closed and then cool for a further hour with the door open. A strange method I know but it produces lightness that I cant even describe.

For the base

• 250 g ginger biscuits. you can use digestive biscuits if you like but I put in the ginger ones here for flavour
• 150 g butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar

For the filling

• 225 g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 750 g full fat soft cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 150 ml double cream
• 150 ml sour cream
•  zest of a lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 egg whites

To serve

• icing sugar
• raspberries or blackberries or any other tarty fruit you can think of

1. pre heat your oven to 170°C
2. smush and crush your digestive biscuits till they are fine crumbs 
3. add in the melted butter and the sugar and press into a 24cm springform cake tin and leave to set in the fridge for an hour or so...
4. mix together the cornflour and the sugar and beat this into the sludge of cream cheese, egg yolks and vanilla extract
5. steadily add the double cream and the sour cream beating constantly and then drop in the lemon zest.
6. in a seperate bowl, beat together the egg whites and salt into stiff peaks and then carefully mix this into the cheesy mixture
7. splodge the mixture onto your chilled biscuit base and bake in the oven for 1- 1 1/2 hours. I know this is a broad time spectrum but its to do with your oven and if it has hotspots. bake it until the top is golden and the centre is firm to the touch
8. once the cake is golden brown on top, turn off the oven and leave the cake in there with the door closed for 2 hours. 
9. after the two hours has passed, open the door and let it stand in the oven for a further hour
10. then move the cake to the fridge until you need it
11. when its ready to serve, remove from the springform tin and dust the top with a flurry of icing sugar and serve with the tarty berries

Sadly I don't have a picture of the cake as I made it long before making this blog even occurred to me but i'm sure i'll whip another one up at some point and i'll stick some pictures on quick sharp then

                                                                          xoxoxox