If I’m after a quick, make-ahead dessert that works for a crowd, nine times out of 10 I’ll go for a no-bake cheesecake, because it’s so easy to put together and hard to mess up; it’s just a case of mixing and chilling. This one isn’t sickly-sweet and is brightened with the classic summery combination of lemon and elderflower. Build it in a square tin to make it go further, though it works just as well in a round tin.
No-bake lemon and elderflower cheesecake
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Chill 6 hr+
Serves 9-12
For the base
175g shortbread
Zest of 1 lemon
100g unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
560g cream cheese
90g icing sugar
1½ tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp elderflower cordial
250ml double cream
1 tbsp lemon curd
To top
150ml double cream
2 tbsp lemon curd
50g white chocolate shavings
Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper (if you’re using a tin without a loose bottom, leave enough overhang to help you lift out the cheesecake later).
Blitz the biscuits and lemon zest in a food processor until fine, then pour in the melted butter and give everything a quick pulse to combine. Tip into the lined tin, press it down firmly and evenly, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl, whisk until smooth, then pour in the lemon juice and cordial, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, lightly whip the double cream – you want it to thicken only a little, so stop just before you get to soft peaks. Fold this into the cream cheese mixture, then stir in the lemon curd. Spoon on top of the chilled and set biscuit base, smooth the top and chill in the fridge for about six hours, and ideally overnight.
Lightly whip the remaining cream to soft peaks, then spoon dollops on top of the cheesecake. Make a small dip in each blob of cream with the back of a teaspoon, fill with a little lemon curd, top with shaved white chocolate, then slice into portions.
