In an effort to up my cheesecake game, I decided to try out this semifreddo lemon meringue cheesecake, which luckily, turned out amazingly. My usual hard-to-please guests were asking for seconds, so it must’ve been good.
If you feel the weather is too cold for a semi-frozen dessert, try my no-bake Twix cheesecake instead. Even so, keep this recipe in your locker for when the sunshine returns.
Ingredients (with prices)
- 140g of crushed digestive biscuits – £0.60, Tesco
- 25g of melted baking butter – £1, Tesco
- 200g low fat soft cheese – £1.50, Tesco
- 300ml of double cream – £1.39, Tesco
- ½ jar of lemon curd (200g) – £1.15, Tesco
- 2 tablespoons of icing sugar – £2.55, Tesco
- 6 crushed mini meringues – £2, Tesco
To decorate
- 150g raspberries – £2, Tesco
- The remaining meringues crushed or left whole
- Drizzle of lemon curd
Total cost: £12.19
As we always say, the best way to bring the cost of a recipe down is to check your cupboards before going shopping. You may already have a pack of Digestive biscuits or a box of icing sugar. Your fridge might already be home to a packet of unsalted butter or soft cheese. Use what you’ve got.
If you’ve tried baking our coconut sugar brownies, sugar-free flapjacks, or oat and coconut biscuits, you’ll have butter leftover. And if you buy butter for this, you’ll have butter leftover to try those. You can plan your bakes, just like you would plan meals: choose bakes with similar ingredients to keep costs low.
Method
You’ll need:
- Scales
- Mixing bowl (two if you don’t have a food processor)
- Food processor (if not, a mixing bowl and a rolling pin will suffice)
- Big spoon
- Loaf tin
- Whisk
- Cling film/sandwich bag
- Baking paper
- Freezer
- Microwave
Note: Make this lemon cheesecake the day before you want to eat it. You’ll need to put it in the freezer overnight. Please don’t make this recipe the same day, because it won’t freeze and you’ll be disappointed.
Step 1
Put your Digestives into a food processor and blitz until a fine, yet chunky, crumb. If you don’t have a food processor, like I don’t, then put your biscuits in a mixing bowl and smash them up with a rolling pin.
Step 2
Gently melt the butter in the microwave, then pour into the crushed biscuits and stir to coat.
Step 3
Line your loaf tin with baking paper, and push in the biscuits. Be sure to evenly spread the biscuits and ensure each corner is filled out.
Put the buttery biscuit base to one side, and wipe the mixing bowl round.
Step 4
Next, put the cream cheese, double cream and icing sugar into the bowl. Whisk until it starts to bind together; once done, whisk in the lemon curd until smooth. You don’t want lumps of soft cheese in your cheesecake!
Step 5
Crush the mini meringues by hand over the mixture, then stir them in. Tip the lemon cheesecake mix over the top of the biscuit base, again, making sure it’s evenly spread.
Step 6
Put the loaf tin into a sandwich bag, or cover with cling film (tin foil will also do the job). Once done, place the loaf tin into the freezer. Leave overnight.
Step 7
Aim to remove your semifreddo lemon cheesecake from the freezer 15-30 minutes before serving. While still completly frozen, carefully remove from the tin and onto a nice plate.
Depending on the weather, you may only need to wait 15 minutes, or over 30 minutes on a colder day, before serving.
Take the cover off and decorate the top with the remaining meringue and raspberries. Go as artistic or as basic as you like.
Next, warm some leftover lemon curd in the microwave, stir until smooth, then drizzle across the top. Again, it can be as creative or as simple as you like.
Serve!
Present it to your guests with a cheery “Voilà!”
Notes
You can change the flavours to whatever takes your fancy: white chocolate and raspberries if you want a rich, sweet flavour. Or go for something boozy with pineapple and coconut rum for a pina colada, summer holiday vibe.
