Classic Cheesecake with Lime Curd Glaze

Lime glazed classic cheesecake

A classic cheesecake recipe is something every baker should have in his or her repertoire. It’s one of those crowd-pleasing desserts that can be tailored to fit the season or whatever you have on hand. However, finding the perfect cheesecake base can be a bit of a Goldilocks situation: this one’s too dense, that on’es too soft, too tart, too sweet… Well, friends, I think this one is juuuuust right!

The actual cheesecake portion is adapted from my friend Fanny’s cookbook, Oh Sweet Day! (You may remember this cranberry lime tart from there as well.) To me, it is cheesecake texture perfection: beautifully smooth and creamy but with a lightness as well, thanks to folded in egg whites and a long, gentle bake in a low oven. I love the textural contrast of a cookie crumb crust, so that’s what I’ve gone with here. And because it’s currently citrus season and I always seem to have a jar or three of lemon or lime curd in the fridge, this version is gussied up with a smooth lime glaze, the perfect tart foil for the creamy dreamy cheesecake base.

A few notes:

  • The cookie crust is fairly straightforward; you can really use whatever dry cookie you like or have on hand: graham crackers, gingersnaps, shortbread, Oreos without the middle, etc. You can even sub in some nuts if you like. Depending on the type/brand of cookie you use, you may need to adjust the ratio of butter to crumbs. I usually start with the amounts listed and go from there. I’m basically looking for a mixture that holds together when squeezed but doesn’t feel overly wet or greasy.
  • One key to a successful cheesecake is room temperature ingredients. This helps everything combine easily and smoothly for the most even, creamy texture. Make sure to take out your cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs ahead of time! Cream cheese especially needs a bit of time to get to temperature — I like to take it out at least a couple of hours before mixing and baking.
  • While Fanny doesn’t instruct to use a water bath, I’ve always used one and have never had a dry or cracked cheesecake — so I always do it! Instead of putting the cheesecake pan directly in the water, I just put a large roasting or 9×13 pan with a couple inches of hot water on the rack below the cheesecake.
  • I don’t have many springform pans so I usually bake cheesecakes in regular cake pans — in this case, I used an 8×3 round cake pan. Just grease your pan well and line the bottom with parchment, and don’t try to remove the cake until it is thoroughly chilled and set. To release, have ready a flat, large plate or cutting board covered with plastic wrap and your eventual serving plate. Warm the bottom of the pan on a burner and run a thin offset spatula all around the cake. Overturn onto the plastic lined plate/board, peel off the parchment, and flip back onto your serving plate.
  • Glazing is easiest when your cheesecake is completely chilled and the glaze is just barely warm. If some glaze drips over the edge, no big deal — just wipe it off!
classic cheesecake slice


Classic Cheesecake with Lime Curd Glaze

Makes one 8-inch cheesecake
Cheesecake base recipe adapted from Oh Sweet Day! / Glaze adapted from Shirl Gard

Ingredients

For the cookie crumb crust:

  • 175g cookie crumbs (approx. — see notes above)
  • 60g melted butter (approx. — see notes above)
  • Pinch of salt

For the classic cheesecake base:

  • 500g cream cheese (2 blocks — not the tub kind; I use Philadelphia brand), at room temperature
  • 240g (1 c) sour cream, at room temperature
  • 200g (1 c) sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

For the lime curd glaze:

  • 100g lime curd (homemade or store-bought), at room temperature
  • 100g sugar
  • 100g water
  • 5g powdered pectin

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F with one rack in the middle and one below. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan (springform or regular works) and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a food processor, combine the cookie crumbs, salt, and melted butter. The mixture should hold together if you squeeze it in your hand, but shouldn’t feel overly greasy. If the mixture doesn’t hold together, add more melted butter a teaspoon at a time until it does. If overly greasy, add more cookie crumbs a teaspoon at a time until you get the right texture.
  3. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides, if desired. Use a measuring cup or shot glass to press the crumbs in firmly and evenly.
  4. Bake until just set, about 12 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack completely before filling.
  5. Lower the oven temperature to 250F. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla, and lemon/lime juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Scrape down the sides, add the sour cream and pulse until smooth. Add the egg yolks one at a time, pulsing after each yolk just to combine. Scrape the batter into a large bowl.
  6. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium low until frothy. Turn up the speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks.
  7. Fold the meringue into the cream cheese batter in three stages. Fold just until the batter is homogeneous and no white streaks remain.
  8. Pour the batter into the pan with the prepared crust. Tap the pan on the counter several times to dislodge any large air bubbles.
  9. Transfer the cheesecake to the middle rack in the oven. On the rack below, place a roasting pan or 9×13 baking pan filled with a couple inches of hot water.
  10. Bake for about 80-90 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake are set and puffed but the very center still looks wet and wobbly. Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door (I use a wooden spoon to prop it open) and allow the cheesecake to cool completely, at least an hour.
  11. Remove the cooled cheesecake from the oven. Run an offset spatula around the edges to loosen (but keep the cake in its pan) and refrigerate at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
  12. To make the lime curd glaze, bring 100g water to a boil over medium heat. Whisk together the sugar and pectin.
  13. When the water reaches a boil, slowly add the sugar and pectin, whisking continuously. Cook the mixture, still whisking, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool until barely warm.
  14. Remove the cheesecake from the pan and transfer to a serving plate / cake stand. Use an offset spatula to smooth the sides if needed.
  15. Gently whisk together the 100g of room-temperature lime curd and 50g of the barely warm pectin simple syrup (the remainder of the syrup can be refrigerated for another use). Do this slowly so as not to introduce air bubbles into the mixture, which could show up in the final glaze.
  16. Carefully pour the glaze into the center of the cheesecake and use a small offset spatula to gently spread it to the edges. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
classic cheesecake from above

Lime Chiffon Cake with Mango Whipped Cream

lime chiffon cake with offset spatula

I’ve been dreaming of making this cake for some time now: soft, fluffy layers of chiffon sandwiched with citrus curd and mango frosting. I’ve tried once or twice in the past, but it was never as good as I wanted: cake layers were too dry, or the frosting was too heavy. But this time around it was just right! This is the perfect style of cake to serve to people who don’t like desserts that are too sweet, or as a light ending to a large meal.

A few notes:

  • If you’ve never made any type of sponge cake before, I recommend reading through the tips on my mom’s sponge cake recipe before starting. Same principles apply.
  • If you make your own lime curd for this recipe, I definitely recommend saving your lime rinds and making some fresh lime syrup to use as your cake soak. I followed the directions here (substituting limes for lemons) and just let the mixture sit overnight before draining.
  • The mango whipped cream frosting uses a game-changing food processor method by Stella Parks (which she learned from a Japanese bakery), and it’s the perfect accompaniment to chiffon — light but flavorful from the addition of freeze-dried fruit. I really don’t recommend using a butter-based frosting with this cake as it’s just too heavy.
  • I got my freeze dried mangoes from Trader Joe’s, but you can also source it online.
  • To decorate this cake, I dehydrated some lemon and lime slices by baking them at 200F for a few hours until dry (flipping them every hour or so). I also added a bit of chopped freeze-dried mango.
lime chiffon cake from above

Lime Chiffon Cake with Mango Whipped Cream

Makes one 6-inch cake

Ingredients:

For the lime chiffon cake:

  • 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 150g cake flour
  • 175g caster sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • generous 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 60g (1/4 c or 60ml) lime juice
  • 60g (1/4 c or 60 ml) water
  • 76g (1/3 c or 80 ml) oil
  • Zest of two limes
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

For the mango whipped cream:

  • 23g freeze-dried mango
  • 75g granulated sugar
  • 3 c heavy cream, chilled

To finish:

  • Simple syrup or fresh lime syrup
  • ~4 Tbsp lime curd (I use David Lebovitz’s recipe: it makes a lot more than you need for this cake, but you can use the rest on toast or freeze leftovers)
  • Dehydrated lemon and lime slices (optional, for garnish — see notes)
  • Chopped freeze-dried mango (optional, for garnish)

Method:

For the lime chiffon cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the lower third. Line three 6-inch pans with parchment, but do not grease the sides of the pan.
  2. Sift together the cake flour, 150g caster sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl (you’ll eventually be mixing the whole batter in this bowl, so choose a nice wide one!). Whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest, water, oil, and vanilla to the well, and whisk until smooth.
  3. Beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and whisk until soft peaks. With the mixer still on medium, slowly add the remaining 25 grams caster sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until you have glossy firm peaks.
  4. Using a silicone spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter 1/3 at a time. Mix just until the batter is homogeneous and no white streaks remain.
  5. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans, about 250g each. Give each pan a couple raps on the counter to dislodge any big air bubbles.
  6. Bake until the cakes are puffed and firm and a tester comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes (do not open the oven door until at least 20 minutes have passed or the cakes might collapse!). Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan, then run an offset spatula around the edges (this helps minimize shrinkage). Cool another 10-15 minutes in the pan, then remove the cakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, Chill the cakes before frosting, at least 1/2 an hour.

For the mango whipped cream:

  1. In a food processor, grind the freeze dried mango and sugar into a fine powder. Stir with a fork to break up any clumps.
  2. Add the cream and pulse until very thick and creamy, about the consistency of Greek yogurt. Be careful not to over-process or the cream will turn to butter! If you spoon out some of the cream, it should hold its shape when the spoon is overturned. Use immediately, or refrigerate until needed (it should keep for about a week).

To assemble:

  1. Trim the tops of the cakes to level if needed and peel the parchment paper off each one. Place a dollop of cream on a cake board / plate / cake stand and place the first cake round on top.
  2. Brush the top of the cake generously with syrup. Spoon about 1/3 c of mango whipped cream on top of the first round and spread it on smoothly with an offset spatula. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of lime curd in the center, taking care not to go too close to the edge so the curd won’t leak out the sides.
  3. Repeat step 2 with the second layer. Finish by placing the last cake round top side down (soak it with simple syrup before placing it on top).
  4. Spread a thin, even layer of mango whipped cream over the sides and top of the cake to lock the crumbs in. Refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes until set.
  5. After the cake has chilled, spread a thick, even layer of cream on the top and sides. I used an offset spatula to create some texture. Decorate with dehydrated citrus slices and freeze-dried mango pieces, or as desired. Chill until ready to serve.
lime chiffon cake