Healthier Lemon Cheesecake
Welcome to KimBakesMeHappy! If you love cheesecake but want to enjoy something lighter, this one’s for you. This healthier version of a classic lemon cheesecake uses quark as its base, keeping the smooth texture while cutting down on heaviness. It is made with a crunchy base of dates, walnuts, and digestive biscuits, combining a naturally sweet and nutty bite with a biscuit crumble. No oven needed!
Perfect for a sunny day, this cheesecake can be enjoyed as a light & feel-good dessert. Happy baking!
Healthier Lemon Cheesecake
Course: Sweets, Dessert9
pieces30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesThis easy-to-make cheesecake uses quark as its base for a lighter and creamy texture, making it the perfect dessert you can enjoy guilt-free. On top of that, the bottom contains dates which act as a natural binder, so you don’t need any butter. Perfect spring or summer dessert.
Ingredients
- Bottom
120 g digestive biscuits
80 g dates
70 g walnuts
3-4 tbsp full milk
- Filling
400 g full quark
200 ml whipping cream
60 g powdered sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
30 ml lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
3 gelatin sheets
- Topping
175 g homemade lemon curd (see notes for recipe)
Optional toppings (e.g. raspberries)
Instructions
- Bottom
- Blend biscuits, walnuts, and dates in a blender until crumbly.
- Transfer into a bowl. Add the spoons of milk one by one and mix, until the mixture sticks together when pressed. Press firmly into a 18 cm parchment lined springform pan.
- Chill in the fridge while making the filling.
- Filling
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes. Then warm the gelatin gently until melted.
- In the meanwhile, whip cream on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- In another bowl, mix the quark, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Mix 2–3 tbsp of the quark mixture into the slightly cooled but still liquid gelatin, then stir this back into the main filling. Carefully fold in the whipped cream as well.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and smooth the top. Pour the homemade lemon curd over the top and smooth again.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), to make sure it gets firm.
- Before serving, optionally top with your favorite topping. For this recipe, I used raspberries.
Notes
- The recipe for the homemade lemon curd I used can be found here: kimbakesmehappy.com/lemon-poppy-seed-cake/. I used about ⅔ of the recipe. Any leftover can be stored for up to 10 days in the fridge, and is delicious to use even in your breakfast when mixed with some yoghurt.
- Tip: For the gelatin, make sure that it does not cool down fully before mixing in some of the quark. Otherwise, the gelatin will become solid again and will leave lumps when trying to mix it in.
