Cheese is one of my favorite things to eat.
I add it to salad, potato chips, stew and whatever I think it can be “enriched” by the added cheese (:) – yeah, I know, it is just an excuse to eat cheese). But when it comes to something sweet, made almost entirely out of cheese, I am in cheese heaven. I can eat cheesecake (the more rustic version shared here) until I feel like bursting. Literally. No kidding around.
I do not make this very often (I still need to fit in the clothes I have), but when I make it, I plan ahead because I make my own cheese. Therefore, it is a 2 days process: one for making the cheese and one for making this super tasty cheesecake (if I may say so, myself). I have never tried the recipe with store-bought cheese so I cannot vouch for it, but what I can say is that the cheese needs not to have a high water content – so I recommend draining it before usage.
Without further ado, I present you the best ever cheesecake! (I have a real problem keeping it cool with this recipe…hmmm, maybe I need to make it again at the end of the week…)

Enjoy it with a smile! 🙂

Yum

How to

YIELD: approximately 8 portions or a huge one just for you

Ingredients:

• 90 g butter, at room temperature
• 150 g caster sugar
• 300 g curd cheese / or 1 recipe of the Homemade cheese
• 2 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 60 g ground almonds
• 2 tbsp semolina
• 1 large lemon, juice and grated zest
• 60 g raisins, soaked for 1 hour in water and drained
• icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:
Have a 20 cm springform cake tin lightly buttered. Cover the bottom with parchment paper.
Beat the butter, sugar and cheese until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, and then stir in the almonds, semolina, lemon zest and juice. Leave to stand for 15 minutes and then fold in the raisins.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold into the cheese mixture.
Place the mixture in the prepared tin and level it. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C for 40-45 minutes, until is browned and firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave the cake in to cool for about 1 hour. Chill before serving. You can sift some icing sugar on top and/or decorated as you like. (Looks really funny as a Pac-Man 😉 )