Lemon and ginger are the perfect pick-me-up combination. This cheesecake is flavoured with delicate ginger syrup and studded with piquant stem ginger pieces, which contrast with the tangy lemon curd that is swirled on top of the cheesecake. A fantastic dessert for ginger lovers.
FOR THE CRUMB CASE
300 g/10½ oz. ginger biscuits/cookies
150 g/1¼ sticks butter, melted
FOR THE TOPPING
60 g/4 tablespoons butter
freshly squeezed juice and grated zest of 3 lemons
100 g/½ cup caster/white sugar
3 large egg yolks
FOR THE FILLING
6 sheets leaf gelatine
300 g/1⅓ cups cream cheese
250 g/generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese
100 g/½ cup caster/white sugar
4 balls preserved stem ginger, finely chopped
60 ml/¼ cup ginger syrup (from the preserved stem ginger jar)
250 ml/1 cup double/heavy cream
a 23-cm/9-inch round springform cake pan, greased and lined
SERVES 12
Begin by preparing the lemon curd topping. Put the butter, lemon juice and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and lemon zest, then return the bowl to the pan over the water and stir all the time until the curd thickens. Leave to cool completely.
For the crumb case, crush the ginger biscuits/cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter. Press the buttery crumbs into the base and sides of the prepared cake pan firmly using the back of a spoon. You need the crumbs to come up about 3–4 cm/1½ inches high on the side of the pan so that they make a case for the filling.
To make the filling, soak the gelatine leaves in water until they are soft.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar until light and creamy, then beat in the chopped ginger pieces.
Put the ginger syrup and 120 ml/½ cup water in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat gently. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add them to the warm ginger syrup, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved. Carefully add the ginger syrup to the cream cheese mixture, passing it through a sieve/strainer as you go to remove any undissolved gelatine pieces. Add the double/heavy cream and whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth and slightly thick.
Pour the filling into the crumb case and tap it gently so that the mixture is even, then chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
Before serving, place spoonfuls of the lemon curd on top of the cheese filling and swirl them gently using a knife to make pretty patterns.