Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
For a 26-28 cm (10-11 inch) pan
For the crust
- 250 g (2 cups) sifted all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 125 g (½ cup / 1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp baking powder (5 g)
- 125 g (⅔ cup) sugar
- 2 egg yolks (keep the 2 whites for the cheese filling)
- juice of 1 lemon (set aside 1 Tbsp for the cheese filling)
For the cheese filling
- 750 g (3 cups) fromage blanc (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 250 g (9 oz) cream cheese (or a French fromage frais like St Florentin)
- 2 Tbsp crème fraîche (or sour cream)
- 5 large eggs
- 150 g (¾ cup) sugar
- 2 packets vanilla sugar (about 15 g, or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 2-3 Tbsp flour or cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon or 1 orange
- a handful of raisins (optional)
This cheesecake is fairly light, thanks to the fromage blanc and the whipped egg whites. If you’re looking for a firmer, creamier cake, I recommend my speculoos cheesecake.
For the shortbread crust
- Mix all the crust ingredients together and press the dough evenly over the bottom of a deep-sided pan, smoothing the surface with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a glass, pressing lightly. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C (350°F) in a preheated oven.
Making the cheese filling
If you’re using raisins, soak them for about 1 hour in a glass of hot water with 1 tsp of rum or another spirit.
Mix the fromage blanc and cream cheese with the sugar, vanilla sugar and 4 egg yolks (the 5th will be used to glaze the cake). Add the zest, the lemon juice and the well-drained raisins.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the 7 egg whites until fairly stiff.
Gently fold the whipped whites into the cheese mixture. The batter should be smooth and lump-free, but don’t mix any more than that or you’ll lose the airiness.
Baking the cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Pour the cheese filling over the crust, brush the top of the cake with the remaining egg yolk and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 175°C (350°F) and bake for another 50 minutes.
Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cake cool inside for several hours or overnight.
Serve chilled.
Tips and planning
Like all cheesecakes, it keeps for a few days in the refrigerator and is even better the next day.
You can leave out the cream cheese and use 1 kg (4 cups) fromage blanc instead of 750 g.
If you’d like to make a speculoos crust instead of the shortbread base, you’ll find it in my recipe for creamy New York-style cheesecake.