A deliciously creamy cheesecake with a zesty lemon myrtle flavour, garnished with a crunchy macadamia praline, is a perfect dessert for any gathering.
With lemon season in full swing and a lemon tree in my very own garden, I'm busy trying new recipes to make them shine! From lemon curd tarts to lemon semifreddo, there is nothing better than a citrusy dessert to finish a meal.
Looking for the extra citrus kick, I ended up creating a recipe using lemon myrtle as the hero and few lemons from our tree to add to it. If you haven't used lemon myrtle before, it will become your favourite native Australian ingredient to use! I quite enjoy using it especially in citrus based desserts like this cheesecake. There is so much to love about this “Queen of the Lemon Herbs”.
With a greenish colour and zesty lemongrass like flavour, the lemon myrtle gives this baked cheesecake a refreshing look and taste. I even used it in the shortbread dough. So yum!!
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What you need
Lemon myrtle has a distinct fresh lemon smell and lemongrass like flavour. It comes in form of a powder or dried leaves.
Lemon to add more acidity, we are using lemon zest and juice
Cream cheese go for a quality brand. A thin consistency cream cheese might change the texture of the baked cheesecake.
Sour Cream for more sourness and taste.
Eggs will bind the ingredients while baking.
Sugar & Vanilla essence for sweetness and flavour.
Flour & Almond Meal to make the shortbread cookie dough.
Butter is needed for the dough.
For garnish, I used whipped cream and made a praline from our macadamia brittle recipe.
Lemon myrtle cheesecake recipe
Cheesecake is a relatively quick recipe when it comes to prep. With all ingredients on hand, it can be whipped up in minutes and be ready for baking. For this recipe however, I chose to make the shortbread biscuit dough myself. Feel free to replace it with store bought cookies if you want to skip this step.
How to make shortbread dough
The shortbread requires a few simple ingredients with the addition of lemon myrtle. To make it, combine the butter, sugar, egg, lemon myrtle and mix it lightly.
Note: Adding an egg gives the dough moisture and structure.
I don't have a stand mixer that's why I use a hand mixer but if you have one, then go ahead and use it. Next, add flour and almond meal until well combined.
Once the dough comes together, if the texture allows, roll it out straight away with a rolling pin!
But if you find the dough is too soft, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm it up and then roll out the dough into ½ cm (¼ inch) thickness.
Once the dough has been rolled out, line a baking tray with baking paper. Transfer the dough onto the tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes or until the dough has turned brown.
Leave it to cool while you make the cream cheese mix. After the dough has cooled, break it into pieces and transfer to a food processor. Blitz it until you get a crumb like texture.
At this stage, add melted butter to the crushed shortbread and process again until all combined.
Making the cheesecake base
The cheesecake base is not made with a rolled out dough. It's much easier than that! We turn the broken shortbread pieces into fine crumbs using a food processor, add melted butter and then combine it to form a crust.
Now press the mixture to the bottom of your cake form and continue along the sides to build the base of the cheesecake.
For perfection, you can cool the base in the cake form so the butter is firmer. Afterwards you can shape the border to an even height.
The cheesecake filling
The cheesecake filling is fairly easy to prepare. Keep all ingredients at room temperature beforehand and combine them into a smooth batter.
Add all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix with a hand blender with the whisk attachment, making sure the batter is free of lumps.
Baking the cheesecake
When the filling is ready, pour it inside the cookie base sitting in the cake form and spread evenly with a spatula or a spoon.
Add a layer of water to the baking tray as this helps to create a bit of steam in the oven which helps lift the cheesecake up slowly and evenly, reducing the risk of cracks on the surface.
Bake the cheesecake at 160°C (325°F) for 50 minutes. I kept the temperature this low as I didn't want the cheesecake to get any color at the top and to also avoid the cheesecake sinking as it cools.
When the the time is up, check if the cake is done. Shake the baking tray slightly to check if the centre is still wobbly or firm. For a final check, insert a wooden skewer in the centre, it should come out clean without any batter sticking to it.
I know you will be tempted to try the freshly baked cheesecake but don't give into your temptation and instead leave it to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cutting into it!
Garnishing the cake
The lemon myrtle cheesecake doesn't need much garnishing. You can serve it with fruits, ice cream or whipped cream like I did.
Though to add a nice touch to it, the macadamia brittle blended in the food processor into a praline like consistency is a great option. Besides adding crunch and texture, it looks lovely too!
How to neatly cut cheesecake
Cutting a cheesecake properly can be tricky. How many times have you run your knife through the cheesecake and half of it got stuck on the knife?!
Frustrating I know!!! So here is a quick trick for you - Keep the knife you are using, clean and smooth. To do this, firstly use a very sharp knife. Hold the knife under running hot tap water, then wipe it on a clean towel before making every cut.
The constant dipping and cleaning will prevent the cheese cake chunks from the previous slice from sticking on top of the next slice!
FAQ's
Cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will be still be fine after 5 days but the taste and texture will not be as nice anymore.
You can make the cheesecake with gelatine too. Use about 2 leaves of gelatine for the amount of cheese mixture and leave the eggs out. Learn more about this method here.
In Australia, lemon myrtle can be found in speciality stores, health stores and some pharmacies. Outside of Australia the ground lemon myrtle powder can be bought online.
Occasions to serve cheesecake
Cheesecakes are a versatile celebratory dessert that can be enjoyed at any time of the year! It could be a special dinner party, or a holiday cheesecake, a night with your friends, or to just satisfy your midnight craving — and in our world, cheesecake is even acceptable as breakfast😂
Jokes apart, Cheesecake is one of those desserts that are not attached to a particular time of year, holiday or occasion. The best cheesecakes can elevate any occasion to extra special.
Our favourite cheesecake recipes are on regular rotation for Birthday's, anniversaries or as part of housewarming gift baskets!
Other cheesecake recipes
If you are a regular on our blog, you know we love cheesecake and glass desserts! We combined the two in this elegant lemon cheesecake mousse glass dessert served with poached peaches and an almond crunch.
A similar version to the lemon myrtle cheesecake recipe is our baked ricotta cheesecake with figs and maple syrup, I think you will love this too!
Or make this easy basque cheesecake, no crust required for this dessert.
And if we got you hooked onto the lemon myrtle, then you got to try our lemon myrtle curd recipe which has a whole lot more information that you might find interesting!
When you make the cheesecake, let us know how it turned out!
Until then happy baking!
Lemon Myrtle Cheesecake with Macadamia Praline
Equipment
- cake form 23cm (9inch) wide
- baking tray
- food processor
- kitchen mixer
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
for the dough
- 3 tablespoon caster sugar
- 70 gram unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 90 gram all purpose flour
- 65 gram almond meal
for the base
- 125 gram unsalted butter melted
for the cheesecake mix
- 500 gram cream cheese
- 100 gram sour cream
- 100 gram caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon lemon myrtle
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice and zest from 1 small lemon
for the garnish
- 100 gram full fat cream
- 120 gram macadamia brittle
Instructions
for the dough
- In a bowl using a hand mixer or kitchen aid combine butter, sugar, eggs and lemon myrtle.
- With the mixer on low, add flour and almond meal until all is well combined. On a floured surface shape the dough into a disc.
- If the texture of the dough allows, roll out the dough into ½ cm (¼ inch) thickness. If too soft, place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm it up and then roll out.
- Place the rolled out dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes until the dough has turned brown.
- Once the shortbread dough has cooled, break it into small pieces to use for the base of the cheesecake
for the base
- In a food processor crush the shortbread dough until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add melted butter to the crushed shortbread and process again until all combined.
- Line the cake form with baking paper. Press the mixture to the bottom of your cake form and continue along the sides to build the base of the cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes for the base to set.
for the cheesecake mix
- In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla essence, eggs, lemon rind, lemon juice and lemon myrtle.
- Use a hand blender with the whisk attachment and mix well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the cake form with the biscuit base and place, smoothen it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Transfer to the baking tray. Add a layer of water to the base of the tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160°C (325°F) for 50 minutes.
- Bake until set. To check insert a wooden skewer in the centre of the cake. If there is batter stuck to it then cook a bit longer. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and allow to cool for at least two hours.
for the garnish
- Whip the cream and garnish the cheesecake with it or serve on the side.
- Mix the macadamia brittle in a food processor to a chunky crumb like consistency and sprinkle on top.
Gary
Great looking cheesecake, easy to follow recipe!
Lucette
The best cheesecake recipe, the most delicious one with special ingredients!
Heather
I have cinnamon myrtle leaves. Do you think I could crush these up finely and use instead of the lemon myrtle.
Shilpi & Etienne
Hi Heather!
Honestly we havent used cinnamon myrtle so not sure...but we would say give it a go!
I can see the cinnamon myrtle working well in savoury dishes but then with the creaminess of the cheesecake
it could also work. If you go ahead with the cinnamon myrtle, we would love to know how the flavours turned out!
All the best and look forward to hearing from you🙂