Lemon meringue cheesecake
Lemon meringue cheesecake is a delicious dessert. With a crumbly biscuit base, lemon cheesecake filling, a hit of zing from lemon curd and a sweet meringue topping there’s nothing not to love!
Lemon meringue cheesecake is a delicious twist on our scrumptious lemon meringue pie dessert. With a crumbly biscuit base and classic lemon cheesecake filling, it’s already pretty tasty, but we’ve topping it again with lemon curd which brings a beautiful zing which balances perfectly against the sweetness of the meringue.
I can’t stress enough how delicious this dessert is. If you love lemon cheesecakes this is certainly worth the extra effort.
If you’re a regular baker from our site you’ll know we love no bake cheesecakes and this one is no exception. They’re great desserts for kids to make as they’re generally pretty easy and don’t involve ovens. That’s true for this lemon meringue cheesecake with the exception of heating the eggs through when you make the meringue.
It’s the perfect dinner party dessert as you can make it ahead of time and forget about it. It’s simplicity also doesn’t mean it’s not spectacular. The meringue topping certainly makes it look special enough for any occasion.
How can kids help to make this lemon meringue cheesecake?
Cheesecakes, and in particular no bake cheesecakes like this one are great desserts for kids to help make because they so so simple to make. This one is a little more complicated than some cheesecakes but there are still lots of steps for kids to get involved in.
Making the biscuit base is a really easy first step for kids to do. They can help to measure out the biscuits and then crush them to a fine crumb. If you do this step in a freezer bag, it can save a bit of mess particularly if your kids are in charge.
Once the biscuits are crushed and coated in the melted butter, your kids can help to press them down into the cake tin to form the cheesecake base. This is a pretty easy step, but you need to make sure your kids do it properly, and it’s all really well compressed down so the base doesn’t crumble apart later.
The lemon cheesecake filling itself is also really easy for kids to make. They can whisk the cream and mascarpone before adding in the remaining ingredients and stirring them in. And once the filling is made, it’s a simple job of adding it to the top of the base and spreading it out.
Even very young children can help to add the layer of lemon curd, especially if you use some from a jar.
Finally, you need to make the meringue topping. Your kids can help to separate the egg whites from the yolks before whisking them together with the sugar. The first part of this involves heating the egg whites so might only be a step older children can do, but once you’ve removed it from the heat younger children can take charge.
And lastly, adding the meringue topping is a pretty simple job, if you let your kids just dollop the mixture on top.
How long does a lemon meringue cheesecake keep?
This no bake cheesecake will keep for a few days in the fridge. Make sure you cover it in cling film / glad wrap first. As it’s full of cream and mascarpone you need to refrigerate it as it won’t keep at room temperature.
I don’t recommend freezing this cheesecake.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?
Yes, if you don’t have any mascarpone you can swap it for an equal amount of cream cheese (something like Philadelphia). Cream cheese can be a little stronger in flavour than mascarpone and adds a tanginess that mascarpone doesn’t have. You shouldn’t notice this too much over the flavour of the lemon but if you like you can balance this tanginess with an extra bit of icing sugar.
What biscuits can you use to make the base?
You can use any plain biscuit in this recipe. We’ve used Digestive biscuits but you could use any other plain biscuit you can find in a UK supermarket like Rich Tea, or Malted Milks. In the USA Graham crackers are a good biscuit to use for the base.
Should I use homemade or a jar or lemon curd.
We’ve used a jar of lemon curd because it’s a bit easier and quicker, but you can make sure own if you have time.
You can find an easy recipe for lemon curd here.
How do you stop cheesecakes from sticking to the tin?
To stop your cheesecake from sticking to the base of the tin, make sure you butter the base and sides of your tin well. You can also line the base of the tin with a circle of baking, greaseproof or parchment paper.
I always find the cheesecake comes out of the tin a little bit easier if I remove it from the fridge half an our or so before I try.
If you use a loose bottomed tin, when you want to remove the cheesecake from the tin, set it on top of a glass or a bowl and very gently and carefully push down. The cheesecake should just slowly pop out. Once you’ve done that, carefully remove the circle of baking parchment from the base before setting on your serving plate.
How long does it take to set?
No-bake cheesecakes can take at least six hours in the fridge to fully set. If you have time, it’s best to make it the day before and leave it to set overnight.
Remove your cheesecake from the fridge about half an hour before you want to serve and decorate it.
If it’s not fully set after 6 hours or if you don’t have 6 hours to wait you can pop it in the freezer for around an hour to try and help firm it up.
Our favourite lemon recipes
If you liked this lemon meringue cheesecake, you might like some of our other lemon recipes. They’re a great way of using up more lemons if there are a few left over in your pack.
Lemon sponge cake
Mary Berry’s lemon cupcakes
Lemon biscuits
Lemon blueberry loaf
Lemon curd muffins
Mary Berry’s iced lemon traybake
Lemon curd tarts
Lemon drizzle cupcakes
No bake lemon cheesecake
Lemon tartlets
Other cheesecake recipes you’ll love
Or, if you just love cheesecakes, you might like some of our other cheesecake recipes:
Baked chocolate ripple cheesecake
No bake lemon cheesecake
Double chocolate cheesecake
White chocolate and raspberry cheesecake
No bake orange cheesecake
Biscoff cheesecake
No bake chocolate cheesecake
Millionaire’s cheesecake
Banoffee cheesecake
Strawberry cheesecake
After Eight cheesecake
Malteser cheesecake
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this lemon meringue cheesecake
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Cake tins
Serving plate
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Ingredients
For the base
250g Digestive biscuits (or any other plain biscuits)
125g (½ cup) butter
For the filling
300ml (1 ¼ cup) double / whipping or heavy cream
250g (1 cup) mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g icing (confectioners sugar)
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 jar of lemon curd
For the meringue topping
3 egg whites
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
How to make a lemon meringue cheesecake
Grease and line the base of an 8 inch cake tin
Get your kids to lightly grease the base and sides of an 8 inch (20cm) round spring-form or loose bottomed cake tin. Line the base of the tin with a circle of baking or parchment paper.
Make the biscuit base
Measure the biscuits out then pop them in a large mixing bowl. Get your kids to bash the biscuits with a rolling pin (or something similar) until they;re the texture of a fine breadcrumb or rough sandy texture. Make sure they don’t leave big chunks of biscuits as the base is more likely to crumble apart later.
To save a bit of mess we often can also do this step in a large freezer or zip-lock bag.
Crushing or bashing the biscuits in a freezer bag can save a lot of mess and is a bit quicker so it can be a good option if your kids are in charge of this step (or even if they’re not!) As well as bashing the biscuits, if you roll your rolling pin over them to crush you’ll be done in no time.
Lastly, if you have a food processor, you can use that as an even easier and quicker way of crumbing the biscuits.
While your kids are crushing the biscuits, measure the butter and put it in a saucepan or microwavable bowl. Heat it gently on your cooker or pop it in the microwave until it has melted.
Once the butter has melted and the biscuits crumbed, mix them together either in your bowl or saucepan.
Get your kids to stir the biscuits and butter together until all the biscuit crumbs are well coated in the melted butter.
Form the cheesecake base
The final step in making the cheesecake base is to spoon or pour the crushed biscuits into your prepared baking tin. Then, using the back of a metal spoon, or a spatula press the base down firmly into the tin until it has all been levelled and compressed. We find it easiest to start going round pressing down gently, then start pressing more and more firmly until it is well pressed down.
If it’s not well compressed your base might not set firmly so keep keep pressing it down in the middle and at the sides until it is nice and flat and really firmly set in.
Put the base in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the lemon cheesecake filling
Start by measuring out the mascarpone and double cream. Get your kids to add them both to a large mixing bowl or your free-standing mixer. If, like us, your cartons are exactly the right size this is job is even easier and perfect for kids as they can just pour it all in.
If you need to measure your double cream or mascarpone out, the best and most accurate way of doing it is to use the ml setting of digital scales if you have them, or if you don’t, use measuring cups or a measuring jug.
Using the whisk attachment of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even a plain whisk whip the mascarpone and double cream together. Do it until your cheesecake mixture has formed soft peaks and is nice and smooth.
If you’re not sure what we mean by ‘soft peaks’, you need the mixture to be thick enough to hold very briefly if you lift the whisk up before the cream then flops back down on itself again. Try not to over whisk it until it is too stiff, but if you do and have any cream let over you can add that to ‘loosen’ it.
Add the icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice
Get your kids to measure out the icing sugar, and vanilla and add them to your mixing bowl.
Now add the lemon juice. To get the most out of your lemons, pop them in the microwave if you have one for 10 seconds or so, then roll it firmly around on your worktop. This should get them to release more juice.
Cut the lemon in half and get your kids to help squeeze it. Once they’re done, give it one final squeeze to make sure they’ve got all the juice out. Gradually add the lemon juice, whisking slowly all the time.
Use a spatula to give everything one final mix until it’s all well combined and the chunks. Make sure you stop mixing it once it’s mixed in so it doesn’t end up over-mixed and too thick.
Make the lemon cheesecake
Spoon or pour the lemon cheesecake mixture into the cake tin on top of the biscuit base. Spread it out and level the top with a spatula, the back of a spoon or a small offset palette knife.
Cover the cheesecake with cling film / glad wrap and chill it for an hour.
Add the lemon curd
Get your kids to spoon on a layer of lemon curd over the lemon cheesecake base. Cover it and pop it back in the fridge for another hour or so, or even overnight.
Make the meringue topping
Start by getting your kids to help separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
We find the easiest way to separate the egg whites from the yolks is to crack the egg and split it in half then tip the egg yolk between each half of the egg shell letting the egg whites fall into a bowl below. Keep doing this until you’ve separated the whites and yolk completely.
Pop the egg whites into a heatproof bowl, and add the sugar.
Heat it over a pan of simmering water whisking it for about five minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
Remove the egg whites and sugar from the heat and either continue whisking with a hand held mixer or add them to the bowl of a free-standing mixer. Whisk them until they become light and fluffy.
Add the meringue topping
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and put it on your serving plate. If you have a loose bottomed tin, you can remove it by setting it on top of a cup and gently pressing it down until the base comes away.
Lay it on your serving plate, removing the circle of parchment paper from underneath.
Dollop the meringue on top of your cheesecake.
Brown it with a blow torch (probably not a job for kids) or pop it under the grill for a few minutes.
Serve and enjoy.
Lemon meringue cheesecake
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Freestanding mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Cake tins
- Serving plate
Ingredients
For the base
- 250 g Digestive biscuits or any other plain biscuits
- 125 g (½ cup) butter
For the filling
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) double / whipping or heavy cream
- 250 g (1 cup) mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 g (½ cup) icing / confectioners sugar
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Jar of lemon curd
For the meringue topping
- 3 egg whites
- 150 g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
Instructions
Grease and line the base of an 8 inch cake tin
- Lightly grease the base and sides of an 8 inch (20cm) round spring-form or loose bottomed cake tin. Line the base of the tin with a circle of baking or parchment paper.
Make the biscuit base
- Measure the biscuits out then pop them in a large mixing bowl. Bash the biscuits with a rolling pin (or something similar) until they're the texture of a fine breadcrumb or rough sandy texture. To save a bit of mess we often can also do this step in a large freezer or zip-lock bag.Lastly, if you have a food processor, you can use that as an even easier and quicker way of crumbing the biscuits.
- Measure the butter out and put it in a saucepan or microwavable bowl. Heat it gently on your cooker or pop it in the microwave until it has melted.Once the butter has melted and the biscuits crumbed, mix them together either in your bowl or saucepan.
- Stir the biscuits and butter together until all the biscuit crumbs are well coated in the melted butter.
Form the cheesecake base
- The final step in making the cheesecake base is to spoon or pour the crushed biscuits into your prepared baking tin. Then, using the back of a metal spoon, or a spatula press the base down firmly into the tin until it has all been levelled and compressed. We find it easiest to start going round pressing down gently, then start pressing more and more firmly until it is well pressed down.If it's not well compressed your base might not set firmly so keep keep pressing it down in the middle and at the sides until it is nice and flat and really firmly set in.
- Put the base in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the lemon cheesecake filling
- Start by measuring out the mascarpone and double cream and add them both to a large mixing bowl or your free-standing mixer.Using the whisk attachment of your free-standing mixer, a hand held mixer or even a plain whisk whip the mascarpone and double cream together. Do it until your cheesecake mixture has formed soft peaks and is nice and smooth.
- Add the icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice
- Use a spatula to give everything one final mix until it's all well combined and the chunks. Make sure you stop mixing it once it's mixed in so it doesn't end up over-mixed and too thick.
Make the lemon cheesecake
- Spoon or pour the lemon cheesecake mixture into the cake tin on top of the biscuit base. Spread it out and level the top with a spatula, the back of a spoon or a small offset palette knife.
- Cover the cheesecake with cling film / glad wrap and chill it for an hour.
Add the lemon curd
- Spoon on a layer of lemon curd over the lemon cheesecake base. Cover it and pop it back in the fridge for another hour or so, or even overnight.
Make the meringue topping
- Start by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks.
- Pop the egg whites into a heatproof bowl, and add the sugar. Heat it over a pan of simmering water whisking it for about five minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the egg whites and sugar from the heat and either continue whisking with a hand held mixer or add them to the bowl of a free-standing mixer. Whisk them until they become light and fluffy.
Add the meringue topping
- Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and put it on your serving plate. If you have a loose bottomed tin, you can remove it by setting it on top of a cup and gently pressing it down until the base comes away.Lay it on your serving plate, removing the circle of parchment paper from underneath.
- Dollop the meringue on top of your cheesecake. Brown it with a blow torch (probably not a job for kids) or pop it under the grill for a few minutes being careful not to heat the cheesecake too much or it will melt.
Notes
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