Have you ever had a really bad week? Or a really bad day? Some times there are some days were I feel depressed and the only thing I would like to do is curl up in my bed and never get up. Last week it happened to my boyfriend. Every time I called him he sounded more depressed and anxious. Unfortunately we do not live togethere, so I couldn’t be with him to try and lift him up a little. However I knew that I was going to visit him for a few days and I was trying to think about something that would have made him feel better. At first I thought about going to the city center in Milan and get him a new tshirt or a hat, so something material. But then I thought that the thing that always cheers me up is definetly something sweet. So i thought that baking was definetly the right thing to do.

He’s favorite dessert is cheesecake but i didn’t want to make a simple cheesecake. I wanted to surprise him. I had to take it to the next level. One of the ingredients that my boyfriend really loves is lemon. He loves it and I must admitt that I love lemon desserts too. That’s why I decided to make mini lemon cheesecakes but with a twist. I also decided to add something to the top. A perfect lemony and creamy lemon curd. Personally it was the first time that I made lemon curd but it turned out pretty good. I’m definetly going to experiment with some more recipes with it because is super delicious. I seriously wanted to eat it out of the jar.

So here it is my simple and delicious recipe for mini lemon cheesecake with lemon curd.

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 100 gr digestive biscuits
• 1 tbs sugar
• 65 gr butter, melted

For the filling

• 450 gr cream cheese, room temperature
• 130 gr sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 120 ml sour cream*

*If you can’t find sour cream in your country, you can mix some regular cream with some greek yogurt and a few drops of lemon juice. Let it sit for an hour and you are good to go.

For the lemon curd

• 300 gr caster sugar
• 50 gr corn starch
• 120 ml lemon juice (2 or 3 lemons)
• 4 large egg yolks
• a pinch of salt
• 2 lemons, zest finely grated
• 60 gr butter

Method:

For the cheesecakes

• In a small bowl combine the digestive biscuits crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press a tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottoms of 12 muffin cups. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
• In a bowl, beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the 12 muffin cups.
• Bake for about 18 – 22 minutes at 170 C°. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight)

For the lemon curd

• Place the sugar, corn starch and 450 ml of water in a large saucepan and stir until you have a smooth mixture. Stir in the lemon juice, egg yolks and salt. Place over a medium heat and keep stirring while the mixture boils, for about 10 – 12 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and butter until the butter has melted, then remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Assembly:

When the cheesecake are ready, peel off the case and garnish with a dollop of lemon curd and a sprinkle of icing sugar.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Francesca