Alex’s Ricotta and Lemon Baked Cheesecake (V) from The Cheese Life

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“Who’s Alex? Well, Alex Lambert was our very first employee at The Cheese Truck and put his stamp on the business in the early years. He was there the day we sold our first sandwich, the day we bought our first truckle of Cheddar, and the day we wrote off our first truck on the way back from Glastonbury – but that’s another story! Alex is an artisan baker by trade and this is his take on a classic. We’re not reinventing the wheel, but if you secure yourself exceptional ingredients and cook this with care, then you’ll have an outstanding cheesecake on your hands.” Mathew Carver and Patrick McGuigan, authors of The Cheese Life

Serves 10

* You will need a 23cm (9-inch) round springform tin

For the base

250g (9oz) digestive biscuits (graham crackers)

90g (3¼oz) butter, melted

For the filling

500g (1lb 2oz) cream cheese

900g (2lb) ricotta cheese

250g (9oz) caster (superfine) sugar

zest of 2 lemons

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)

3 eggs

Top tip: Serve with a dollop of Poached cherries in sherry or Honey lemon curd. Both of these recipes are included in The Cheese Life.

To make the base

Line the base and sides of a 23cm (9-inch) round springform tin with nonstick baking (parchment) paper. The easiest way to do this is by rubbing butter around the sides to help the paper stick.

Pulse the biscuits (crackers) in a blender or food processor until evenly broken up but not a fine powder. Mix with the butter.

Press this mixture into the base of the lined tin until it is evenly covered. Refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours.

To make the filling

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4.

Excluding the eggs, add all the ingredients for the filling to a blender or food processor and blitz together until smooth.

Still in the blender, beat the eggs in one at a time.

Take the base out of the refrigerator and pour in the filling.

Bake for 40–45 minutes until the edges are set and slightly brown and the middle is still slightly wobbly. Don’t be over cautious and bake it for longer, it will set as it cools.

Allow to cool in the tin and then chill overnight.

Once chilled, remove the outer ring and serve.