No-bake Lemon Curd Chocolate Cheesecake

   This recipe was born out of my longing for cheesecake and remembering one of my favorite chocolates ever: lemon pepper dark chocolate. I remember how 2 years ago while planning my wedding cake I really wanted to go for cheesecake. The thing is I tried so many cheesecakes around town in the search of that perfect one that I became sick of it and I had to switch the cake. Apparently there is such a thing as getting tired of something that is very delicious if you have a lot of it :) 

   But it's been a looooong time since I had cheesecake and today I made my own version! I love chocolate, I love lemon chocolate, so why not lemon chocolate cheesecake? :) I found a recipe (https://goo.gl/u19yVX) for inspiration and I switched the white chocolate with dark chocolate. I also added coconut flakes in the base cos Alexandra, my friend, taught me this little trick and I loved it ever since :D

   Proud moment: I made my first ever lemon curd today! Woo-hooo! I'll definitely try it out again! Another achievement unlocked! :)

   Enough talk, let's get to business. I love this recipe because it's easy, it requires few ingredients and it's done in a giffy. Ok, maybe a bit more :D 

Ingredients:

The base:

- 250g digestive biscuits

- 100g butter, melted

- a handful of coconut flakes

The cheesecake filling:

- 300ml heavy cream

- 560g cream cheese

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 50g caster sugar

- 200g dark chocolate, melted

The lemon curd glaze:

- 4 unwaxed lemons, rind and juice

- 200g caster sugar

- 100g butter

- 3 medium eggs and 1 egg yolk

Steps: 

*Check the original recipe if you want to see photos of the steps: https://goo.gl/u19yVX

1. Blitz the digestive biscuits to a fine crumb in the food processor.

2. Add the melted butter and blitz again briefly until combined. Then add the coconut flakes and mix well.

3. Tip the crumb into a greased 23cm cake tin. Press down firmly to create an even base, then place in the fridge to chill.

4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, cream and vanilla until thick using a mixer. Add the sugar and whisk again.

5. Melt the chocolate in Bain Marie/double boiler and let it cool down. Then add it on top of the cream cheese mixture and beat briefly to combine.

6. Tip the filling into the cake tin. Level off with a spatula and return the tin to the fridge.

7. Place the lemon juice, lemon rind, butter and sugar into a bowl and heat gently over a pan of simmering water until the butter has melted.

8. Mix the eggs like you would for scrambled eggs and then very slowly add the hot lemon syrup on top of the eggs (not all at once, otherwise the eggs will cook) and keep whisking until fully combined.

9. Return the whole composition on the double boiler, stirring occasionally until it has thickened enough to leave a trail if you run your finger over the back of the spoon. Sift the lemon curd when it's ready. You want it to be velvety :)

10. Leave it to cool completely, then pour it into the cake tin. Swirl the tin gently to level off and return to the fridge to firm up for a couple of hours or, ideally, overnight.

11. Garnish on top and enjoy with friends and family! :)