I made quite a number of different varieties of cheesecakes in the past 1.5 years. It's one of those cakes that you would enjoy to do simply because the steps involved are quite straight forward. Personally, I prefer baked cheesecake to non-baked cheesecake. I love the smell of the burned crust and the cream cheese that gives the extra flavour to the final product. In May last year, I baked two cheesecakes for my in-law's wedding... a lemon cheesecake and a classic New York style cheesecake.

Lemon cheesecake with lemon curd topping

Here is the recipe:

Crust:
141g Digestive biscuits, crushed
3 Tbp sugar
4 Tbp butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1Tbp grated zest & 1/4 cup juice from 2 lemons
680g cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Lemon curd:
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbp cold butter
1 Tbp heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
salt

Method:

For the Crust

1.       Preheat oven to 160C. Mix the digestive biscuits crumbs with the sugar and butter. Mix well.  Press evenly the crumb mixture in the bottom of a 8-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown (~12 minutes). When cool, wrap pan with foil.

For the Filling

1.       Process 1/4 cup of the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor until the zest is broken down and the sugar turns yellow. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in the rest of the sugar.

2.       Beat cream cheese to soften it. Add the sugar mixture and beat until combined, creamy and smooth.

3.       Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until incorporated.

4.       Combine lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Add in the cream cheese mixture and mix until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.

5.   Bake the mixture in water bath for 55 to 60 minutes.

For the Curd

1.       Heat lemon juice in a small pan on medium heat until hot, but not boiling.

2.       Whisk eggs in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot lemon juice into the egg/sugar mixture, then return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick enough to cling to the spoon.

3.       Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add in the cold butter and mix until incorporated.

4.       Stir in the cream, vanilla and salt, then pour through a strainer into a small bowl. Cover surface of the curd directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

To Assemble

When cheesecake is cooked & slightly cooled, top it with the lemon curd while still in the springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 5 hourrs.

New York cheesecake (looks like the chinese roasted pork :)

Here is the recipe:

Crust:
15 pieces of Digestive biscuits, crushed
2 Tbp butter, melted

Filling:
904g cream cheese
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Method:

For the Crust

1.       Preheat oven to 175C. Mix digestive biscuits crumbs with melted butter. Press evenly in the bottom of a 8-inch springform pan. Wrap pan with foil & put in the freezer.

For the Filling

1.       Beat cream cheese to soften it then add sugar and mix until smooth. Add in milk and mix in the eggs one at a time. Mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla & flour until creamy and smooth.

2.      Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.

3.   Bake the mixture in water bath for 55 to 60 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving.