Perfect Lemony Cheesecake

Before I left home to go to music university, I couldn't really cook at all. I knew how to make a cake and could do pasta and jacket potatoes, but that was pretty much it. However when I had to cook, I realised I really enjoyed it and baking in particular. Mr Makes would come to visit every other weekend and I'd make a big effort to bake a new dessert each time. This was the first cheesecake I ever made, just a simple recipe from a student cookbook but it was a big winner and quickly became one of his favourites! Its super quick and easy to make, just needs to be made in advance of any dinner plans so it can set properly. Its also very light due to the jelly, so its pretty easy to consume a whole one between a couple of people in a short space of time.... I'm assuming of course...I'd never do such a thing.

Ingredients
For the base:
200g of digestive biscuits
85g of melted butter or margarine
1tbsp of brown sugar

For the filling:
A pack of lemon jelly
200g of cream cheese such as Philadelphia
4tbsps of caster sugar
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 300ml carton of double cream
Pinch of cinnamon

Method

• Grease a loose bottomed flan/tart tin.
• Break up the lemon jelly into a mug and fill up the mug with boiling water. Tip into a jug and add another 1/4 of a mug of boiling water. Stir until the jelly is dissolved and set aside to cool.
• Crush the digestives and mix with the brown sugar. Add the melted butter and pack into the bottom of the tart tin. Chill in the fridge.
• Whisk together the caster sugar, lemon juice and zest and cream cheese.
• Whisk up the cream in a separate bowl then mix into the cheese mixture. Add the cooled jelly mix gradually until it's fully incorporated.
• Pour into the tin and put in the fridge to set for at least 5-6 hours.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and add a lemon slice for decoration before serving.

Emily Kate.