Cheese, yogurt and lemon cake

Cheese, yogurt and lemon cake

INGREDIENTS
Candied lemon zest:
4 brushed lemons
3 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
Graham Crust:
3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons of sugar
Cheese garnish:
1 cup cottage cheese 2%
3 packages of softened light cream cheese (8 oz / 250 g each)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 2%
3/4 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 eggs
Yogurt filling:
1/2 cup of cream 35%
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup Greek plain yogurt 2%


PREPARATION
Preparation of candied lemon zest

1. Using a bursar, take the zest of the lemons in large strips (reserve the lemons for later use). Cut zest strips into thin strips 1/8 "(0.3 cm) wide. In a saucepan, bring 2 t (500 mL) water to a boil. Add the zest strips and boil for 1 minute. Drain and reserve.

2. In the saucepan, bring the rest of the water to a boil with the sugar. Boil for 2 minutes. Add lemon peel strips, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until translucent. Let cool in the syrup for 10 minutes, then remove them from the syrup (discard the syrup). Spread the candied lemon strips on a parchment paper lined grid (make sure they do not touch each other). Allow to dry for 12 hours.

Crust preparation


3. Butter the bottom and wall of a 9 "(23 cm) hinge pan and line with parchment paper. Place the mold in the center of a large square of heavy duty aluminum foil. As you press, fold the foil over the outside of the mold so that it is tightly wrapped. Book.

4. In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, butter and sugar until the mixture is moistened. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the reserved mold. Bake in preheated oven at 325ºF (160ºC) for 15 minutes or until crust is firm. Put the pan on a rack and let cool.

Preparation of the cheese filling

5. In a fine colander placed on a bowl, let the cottage cheese drain for 30 minutes. Shake the strainer to remove excess liquid. In the food processor, reduce the drained cottage cheese to a dough. Add the cream cheese and yogurt, and mix for 2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth (often scrape the container wall). Add sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla, and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until the mixture is homogeneous. Spread the cheese filling over the cooled crust and smooth the mixture.

6. Put the mold in a large baking dish or larger pan. Pour enough hot water into the dish to cover the mold wall to a height of 1 "(2.5 cm). Bake in preheated oven at 300ºF (150ºC) for 1 hour 30 minutes or until cake surround is firm but center is still slightly gelatinous. Turn off the oven and open the door. Let the cake cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the pan and place on a rack. Remove the aluminum foil and let cool completely. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or until the filling has set. (The cake will keep overnight in the refrigerator or up to 2 weeks in the freezer.)

Preparation of the yogurt filling

7. Whisk the cream with the sugar. Stir in the yogurt. Spread this mixture on top of the cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

8. When serving, unmould the cheese cake on a serving platter. Garnish with candied lemon zest.