How to Make Chilled Cheesecakes

Cheesecake lovers tend to be divided into those who adore the rich creaminess of a calorie-laden baked cheesecake, and those who prefer the lighter, fresher-tasting chilled cheesecakes.

We’ve three chilled cheesecakes for you to try, all light and fruity and making ideal summer desserts – or to follow a rich winter’s meal. And once you’ve experienced how easy they are to make, you can improvise and vary them to your own taste.

Each recipe uses crushed biscuits. Digestives are ideal for Cheesecakes as they’re not too sweet or with too strong a flavour of their own. The easiest way to crush biscuits is to place them, a few at a time, in a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin.

Lemon Cheesecake

An old favourite

• 175g (6 oz) digestives
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon
• 225g (8 oz) cottage cheese
• 75g (3 oz) butter
• 1 level tablespoon gelatine
• 150ml (5 fl oz) soured cream
• 75g (3 oz) caster sugar

Crush the biscuits. Separate the eggs. Grate the rind and squeeze the juice from the lemon. Sieve the cottage cheese.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and add the biscuit crumbs. Mix well and press evenly onto the base of an 8” loose-bottomed tin. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile dissolve the gelatine in 4 tablespoons water. Put the lemon rind, juice, cottage cheese, soured cream and sugar into a large bowl and beat well. Stir in the egg yolks and cooled gelatine.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then carefully fold into the mixture. Pour into the tin and refrigerate until set, preferably overnight.

Carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and put on a serving dish. Serve unadorned or decorated with slices of fresh fruit.

Banana Cheesecake

People either love or hate banana-flavoured desserts, often because of the synthetic flavouring involved, but this one is the real thing, tasting very much like the mashed bananas of our childhood.

• 110g (4 oz) chocolate digestives
• 2 eggs
• 50g (2 oz) margarine
• 2 bananas
• rind and juice of ½ lemon
• 110g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 225g (8 oz) full fat soft cheese
• 150ml (5fl oz or ¼ pint) soured cream
• 10g (½ oz) gelatine

Crush the biscuits. Separate the eggs. Melt the margarine in a saucepan, remove from the heat and add the biscuit crumbs. Mix well and press evenly onto the base of an 8” loose-bottomed tin. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Mash together the bananas, lemon rind and juice and 2 oz caster sugar. Beat in the cheese, egg yolks and soured cream.

Dissolve the gelatine in 5 tablespoons water. Beat the slightly cooled dissolved gelatine into the mixture.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then whisk in the remaining caster sugar. Carefully fold into the cheese mixture. Pour into the tin and leave to set, preferably overnight.

Turn out and decorate with grated chocolate or finely chopped nuts. If you use banana slices, dunk them in lemon juice first to prevent browning and serve immediately.

Raspberry And Lemon Cheesecake

This one is slightly unusual using a packet of jelly rather than gelatine

• 1 packet lemon jelly
• 2 lemons
• 175g (6 oz) digestives
• 75g (3 oz) butter
• 25g (1 oz) Demerara sugar
• 150ml (5fl oz or ¼ pint) double cream
• 350g (12 oz) full fat cream cheese
• 110g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 225g (8 oz) raspberries
• 4 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

Dissolve the jelly in 150ml of boiling water. Make up to 275ml with cold water. Leave until nearly set.

Squeeze the juice from the lemons. Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and add the biscuit crumbs and Demerara sugar. Mix well and press evenly onto the base of an 8” loose-bottomed tin. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Beat the cream until thick. Beat the cream cheese until soft and then gradually mix in the nearly-set jelly, lemon juice, whipped cream and caster sugar. Pour onto the biscuit base and chill, preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, turn the cheesecake out and decorate with raspberries. Melt the redcurrant jelly over a gentle heat and spoon carefully over the top of the cheesecake. If necessary thin the jelly with a little water.

Dessert Alternatives

For more delicious dessert ideas, why not try our Baked Cheesecake or Tarte Tartin recipes?