Recipe : a simple goat cheese {cheese}cake

dinners with friends 

I made this goat cheese cake {or is it goat cheese cheesecake?} for Frank's birthday picnic in Marshall last week - and promised to share the recipe ...

Being not much of a baker, I love a simple recipe.

Having not much of a sweet tooth, my favorite dessert is a cheese plate with some candied ginger - so this recipe is my take on all of the above: a slightly tangy, somewhat spicy and less sweet twist on the classic cheesecake.

make the crust.
two handfuls triple ginger snap cookies
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter (I prefer salted)

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Generously grease the bottom and sides of a springform pan.

Grind the ginger snap cookies in a blender (or food processor) until almost ground to a powder. 

Next, add the almonds and sugar and process until everything is finely ground.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, pour in the melted butter and stir until crumbs look "buttered".

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a springform pan with flat hands and bake until the crust turns golden brown and firm, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.

✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ ✳ 

make the cake.

16 ounces whipped cream cheese

12 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

Reduce the oven heat to 160°C/320°F. 

Add the cream and goat cheeses, grated lemon zest and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. 

Using a handheld mixer, beat until ingredients turn into a smooth mix, slowly adding first the sugar and then the eggs, one egg at a time. Beat gently until the batter gets creamy, then pour onto the baked crust. 

Bake the cheesecake for 50-60 minutes, watching for the edges to set and turn golden (the center of the pan should still be somewhat soft and wiggly).

Turn off the oven and let the cake rest and cool down.

After an hour remove the pan from the oven and cover with an inverted plate for further gentle cooling.

Once cooled to room temperature, cover the pan tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Note:  I was somewhat in a rush with other picnic prep & cooking, hence the cracked surface and stuck pan sides. A more generously greased pan and gentler cooling process will most likely prevent this mishap, although the cake was still just as tasty. Fresh fruit may come in handy to cover up the cracks ...