Name: Lemon cheesecake
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 8-10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: for the tin butter; 1 large ready-made flan sponge; 225g golden caster sugar; 3 tbsp cornflour; 750g low-fat soft cheese; 2 eggs lightly beaten; 3 lemons zested; 1 vanilla pod seeds scraped out; 300ml half-fat crème fraîche; 1 lemon; 100g caster sugar

for the tin butter
1 large ready-made flan sponge
225g golden caster sugar
3 tbsp cornflour
750g low-fat soft cheese
2 eggs
lightly beaten
3 lemons
zested
1 vanilla pod
seeds scraped out
300ml half-fat crème fraîche

candied lemon peel

1 lemon
100g caster sugar

Method

step 1
For the candied peel, cut long strips of peel from the lemon then cut into thin julienne strips. Put in a pan and cover with 100ml cold water, add the sugar and gently bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 30 minutes. Leave to cool.
step 2
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lightly butter a 25cm springform cake tin. Trim the sponge so it neatly sits in the flat base of the tin. Mix the sugar and cornflour in a large bowl. Add the soft cheese and beat well until it has blended to a creamy texture. Beat in the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and crème fraîche, until smooth. Pour on top of the sponge base. Wrap the bottom third of the tin in clingfilm or foil to prevent any leaks and sit in a roasting tray. Pour in enough hot water to just cover the base of the tray. Put in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes until the cheesecake is just set and golden on top. Top up the water halfway through if needed.
step 3
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and either cool at room temperature for a soft creamy texture, or chill for a few hours, or overnight, for a firm, dense texture. Spoon over the candied lemon peel with a little syrup before serving.