Ginger Lemon Cheesecake
I was trying to think of a delicious chocolate dessert to feature for Valentine’s Day, and remembered a “light” chocolate cheesecake recipe I my roommate made many years ago that was so tasty. The crust on it was made with brownie mix, a dash of cinnamon, and a jar of carrot baby food! The filling was chocolate swirled – it was delicious and very rich despite being “light.” With all the gray, rainy weather we’ve been having, I decided to try something a bit on the “lighter,” yet more tropical side to help make the long, dark days a bit happier. I have tried many restaurant cheesecakes and some of my favorites have been lime or lemon with coconut or nuts in the crust. Something about the tartness mixed with sweetness of the cream cheese makes it perfect. Here’s one of my favorite interpretations that I’ve tried, and it’s a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day (and a few days after)!
Ginger Lemon Cheesecake
1-½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. almond flour
½ cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 cube (½ c.) cold butter, cut into chunks
2 egg yolks
1 T. ice water
2 (8-oz.) packages regular cream cheese
2 (8-oz.) packages Neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)
1 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 (10 oz.) jars of lemon curd
Candied ginger pieces
In a food processor, blend the flours, powdered sugar, salt and butter until crumbly and well-mixed. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolks with the ice water and add to the flour mixture while processing until the dough forms a ball. If necessary, add more ice water, a small amount at a time until it pulls away from the sides and is soft. Remove dough, form into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold all the way through, about 2 hours (can refrigerate overnight if needed).
Lightly pat the dough into a circle on a smooth, clean surface sprinkled with powdered sugar. Slowly roll out, re-chilling if it gets too warm. Spray a springform pan well, and fit dough into it on the bottom and up the sides. Cut off the excess and chill entire pan 15 minutes in the freezer.
In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium until smooth. Add the sugar, one cupt at a time, until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, then the almond flavoring. Remove crust from freezer and pour in about 1/2 of the batter. Take one jar of the lemon curd and drop by the teaspoon on top of the batter. Take a knife and gently swirl the curd into the batter. Gently spread the remaining batter on top and smooth.
Gently chop up a few of the candied ginger pieces and sprinkle around the outer edges of the batter. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is set. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit with the door closed for 15 minutes (it may still look jiggly and the top will have puffed up, but it will settle down when cool). Remove cheesecake from oven and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan without removing sides of pan yet. Cool pan completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill 8 or overnight. Remove sides of pan and transfer cheesecake to a serving platter. Remove lid and microwave 1/2 of the 2nd jar of lemon curd for 30 seconds at a time until thin enough to easily spread over cheesecake. Top with a few more pieces of the candied ginger, whole or chopped. Slice with a large knife dipped in water each time and serve!
Options: Use 2 c. of all-purpose flour instead of the all-purpose/almond mixture, plus vanilla instead of almond flavoring if you prefer. For a slice of warmth, try lime curd with the candied ginger instead of lemon. There are also many great recipes online for making your own curd, I used pre-made because it’s faster and still delectable.
