Lemon Cheese Cake (Non-baked)

I am not exactly a fan of having lemon as the main character in a cake because I don't really like the sourish taste of lemon. But I went ahead anyway to try out having lemon in a cheese cake. After chilling the cake overnight, surprisingly, it tasted refreshing in a sourish way.....haha....and I can't stop eating it. Only when the fat in the cream cheese signalled my brain to tell me that I am full that I have to stop. If not, I'm going to pile on kilos....:)

This is adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (can't find graham crakers in Malaysia, so will have to make do with digestive biscuits)
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (didn't put this, don't quite trust the lemon skin to be chemical free, but organic lemon is too expensive. However, the zest will further enhance the taste)

Lemon Curd:

• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
• 1 packet (2 3/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 3 blocks cream cheese, 250g each, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree C. Using a miller, pulse the biscuits until they are finely grounded. Cut in the butter until they are combined. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. (I didn't have a spring form pan, so I used a glass square pan.)
2. Bake the crust in the middle rack until it is lightly golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a wire rack.
3. Whisk the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture become thick and not runny, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and cream. If you see lump, sieve the mixture, otherwise store in the refrigerator until needed.
4. In a small bowl, put the 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Heat up the mixture in low heat until the gelatin is dissolved well combined with the lemon juice. Do not heat too long and watch carefully so it is not burnt. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup of the refrigerated lemon curd. Beat until the mixture is smooth and airy, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.
7. Drop teaspoons of the remaining lemon curd on top of the cake. Make sure each drop is spaced apart. Use a toothpick and swirl in all directions to create random swirls.
8. Refrigerate the cheesecake until set, at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Airy and fluffy....:)

Updates 24 Apr 2017
So I found another version that makes lemon curd using whole eggs. I hate having an extra egg white or egg yolk lying around after a bake. The taste is excellent too. The butter percentage is very high on this one.

This is from Kitchen Corner - Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Crust:

• 155g digestive biscuits crumbs 
• 75g butter (melted) 

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 375g cream cheese 
• 50g sugar 
• 300g cooked lemon curd 
• 7 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 15g gelatin (dissolve in lemon juice) 
• 250ml whipped cream

Lemon Curd:

• 135g butter 
• 330g sugar 
• 3 egg beaten, 
• 3 teaspoon lemon zest 
• 6 tablespoon lemon juice + 2 tablespoons lemon juice for stronger flavor