Passover Lemon Cheesecake

Passover Lemon Cheesecake



A wonderful Cheesecake made from matze and almonds. And it can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled, carefully put away from any harm.

8-10 people can have a wedge, so what do we need:




For the bottom:

A springform tin about 23 cm. Not lined, or greased

Matze crackers finely ground, about 140 gr. ( I used a whole pack of Matzes)
Ground almonds ( almond flour) about 110 gr.
Sugar, about 200 gr.
1/4 teaspoon salt
Melted butter, slightly cooled, about 120 gr.


Filling:

Full fat soft cheese ( i used Mascarpone) about 250 gr.
Sugar, about 200 gr.
3 Large Eggs
2 teaspoons Lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the bottom:
Preheat your oven to 180C.
Put the almond flour and ground matze crackers and salt in a bowl. Pour in the slightly cooled butter and stir well.
Press into the bottom of your springform tin and make an, about 1 cm,  upstanding edge. Use the bottom of a spoon for this. Bake the bottom in your preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until it is firm and a little bit darker. Leave it in your tin to cool completely on your wire rack.

Reduce your oven temperature to 150C.
Mix together the full fat soft cheese and the sugar in a bowl with your (hand) mixer until smooth. Then add the eggs, one at a time until your mixture is smooth. Mix in the lemon zest and the vanilla extract.
Put your tin in a baking tray, it may leak a little as the filling mixture is very thin. Pour your filling in the now cooled crust.

Bake your cake for about 45-50 minutes and don't worry if the centre is a little bit wobbely, because the filling will continue to set as it cools. Transfer your cake still in your tin to your wire rack and run a knife around the edge of your tin straight away. Take the ring off very gently.  To have it completely cooled it will take up to 2 to 3 even 4 hours to make sure, but i have left it to cool, covered, overnight. I sprinkled a little zest over the cake as decoration but you can decorate at will ofcourse.

The kitchen will smell of almonds and fresh lemons. Mmmm.



                                                           "Enjoy"