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Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

with homemade lemon curd
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Prep Time:1 hour
Cook Time:20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Biscuit Top:

  • 250 g Digestive/Graham biscuits, crushed
  • 90 g unsalted butter, melted

Biscuit Base:

  • 500g Digestive/Graham biscuits, crushed
  • 180 g unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake Base:

  • 350 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 130 g full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 100 g good-quality white chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 15 g caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, zested only
  • 1/2 lemon, juice
  • 150 ml thickened/heavy cream, cold
  • 15 g icing sugar

Lemon Curd:

  • 180ml fresh lemon juice
  • 100g sugar
  • 113g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 lemons, zest

Meringue:

  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 1.5g cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 170g white sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Lemon Curd: In a small pot, add all the ingredients for the lemon curd. Turn the heat onto medium heat and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Take the mixture off the heat and pass it through a sieve. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming and place the mixture into the fridge to chill completely.
  • Biscuit Top: Mix 250g of the Digestive/Graham biscuit crumbs with 90g of melted butter until it looks like wet sand. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a chopping board and then place your cheesecake tin (without the tin base) onto the parchment paper and chopping board. Pour the biscuit mixture into the tin, spread and press down firmly until it forms a nice even round base. Carefully lift up the cheesecake tin to reveal the round pressed crust and place into the fridge to set.
  • Biscuit Base: Mix 500 g Digestive/Graham biscuits, crushed with 180 g unsalted butter, melted until it looks like wet sand. Press firmly into the base of a 23cm x 7cm springform tin. Chill while you make the filling.
  • Cheesecake Base: Beat full-fat cream cheese, full-fat Greek yogurt, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, stream in the cooled melted chocolate and beat until fully combined and smooth. Whip the thickened/heavy cream, with icing sugar to medium peaks. Add the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and beat on low until combined.
  • Meringue: In a bowl, add in the white eggs and sugar and mix to combine. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil and place your bowl of egg whites over the pot (double boiler). Continue whisking your egg whites until the temperature reaches 70C/160F (this will pasteurise your egg whites and make it safe to consume). Take off the heat, add in the cream of tartar/lemon juice and whisk until stiff peaks. Add in the salt and vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
  • Assemble: Pour just enough meringue into your chilled biscuit base so that it's just under half-filled, and smooth flat. Use a blow torch to toast your meringue. Spread the cold, set lemon curd evenly over the meringue layer, leaving a small border at the edge. Pour the cheesecake mixture to fill the remaining space and smooth the top. Place the biscuit top over the cheesecake mixture to close the pie and place the pie back into the fridge to set for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight, until fully set.
  • Serve: Place a chopping board/serving platter on top of the cheesecake and flip it upside down. Release the cheesecake from the springform tin. If you have difficulties unmoulding the pie, use a blow torch to lightly heat up the edges of the springform tin. Slice with a hot, clean knife between cuts for neat slices showing the caramel layer through the middle.