Lemon Cheesecake Tart with Lemon Curd

You know that I love lemons in all sweet dishes, cakes, pies, desserts, slices… you name it, I love it. And when I saw this recipe in a mag I automatically knew it would be great.

It can be described as lip-puckering! Tart-ish, smooth, rich, creamy with a hit of curd popped on the top.

However I thought perhaps it could do with an extra shot of lemon for the hard core lemon fans like me so the note for next time is to use more lemon zest.

One more point to make is that I’m not entirely convinced that store bought lemon curd is the best ever topping, it became slightly runny. You want the tart to be at room temperature so that the cheesecake filling is luscious and the pastry is crisp and short, but you need the curd to be thick and cold so that it holds it’s shape.

See my easy recipe for lemon curd here… now you can make it just as thick as you like.

Anyhoo…

My suggestion is to cool the cooked and filled tart in the oven then place it in the fridge to set and become firm. Keep the curd refrigerated until ready for use as a topping. When the cooked tart is completely cold spread with the cold curd. Immediately after the curd is spread on the top place it back in the fridge.

Remove from the fridge and place on the table only 30mins before serving.

Recipe

SERVES: 8-10
INGREDIENTS
Pastry:
130 grams butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup icing sugar
1½ cups plain flour
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Filling:
125 grams cream cheese, roughly chopped, at room temperature
1 tablespoon custard powder
¾ cup caster sugar
finely grated zest 1 large lemon
½ cup cream
½ cup lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

To serve:
1 cup purchased lemon curd

METHOD
Equipment: Lightly grease a 25cm round tart tin with a removable base.

Pastry: Blitz the butter, icing sugar, flour and zest in a food processor until it forms crumbs. Add the juice and pulse to form bigger, clumpy breadcrumbs. Tip onto the bench and form into flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out between two pieces of baking paper. Remove the paper and place the pastry in the tin, pressing on the sides and the edge of the base to form an even layer. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Chill the tart for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C regular bake.

Place a piece of baking paper over the tart base and fill with baking beans. Blind bake the tart for 12 minutes then remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside on a baking tray.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C regular bake.

Filling: Put the cream cheese, custard powder, caster sugar and lemon zest in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the cream and lemon juice and pulse to combine, then add the eggs and yolks and blend for a just few more seconds until smooth. Gently pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for about 30 minutes until set but still with a bit of wobble in the middle.

Turn the oven off, open the door wide and let it sit for half an hour before removing to cool on the bench. Cover and place in the fridge. Spread the lemon curd on top of the tart to serve.

Cook’s Note: The tart can be made the day before or on the morning of the day you want to serve it. Remove from the fridge half an hour before serving.

Recipe by Sarah Tuck & Claire Aldous