Key Lime Cheesecake

Spring is here!! Finally! The temperatures are getting warmer here in Canada and I no longer have to wear a hundred layers to brave the cold first thing in the morning, while taking Dakota for a walk. Daylight, thankfully, no longer ends at 3.30 in the afternoon. Winter, in general, is a tough season for me, but with the pandemic and house lockdowns, oh man, it was hard just getting out of bed. I cannot possibly do justice to describing the joy I feel each day, as I watch the clock turn just a little bit more before the sun disappears below the buildings or when the warmth of the sun finally reaches me. Spring opens up a whole set of projects around the house, like putting up bird feeders, building a vegetable garden, and more importantly, a grill at the bottom of the yard fence to keep the bunnies away. Ooh, and barbecuing. I can’t wait to infuse the charcoal flavour is all that I cook. 

Spring also brings a lot of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables to the market, the first of which have been key limes. Gorgeous, green globules that are so juicy and tart! Mmmm mmm! They make me feel like I’m running through an open field on a sun soaked day. Key limes actually remind me of the limes back home, which after a quick google search, I’ve now learnt is the actual same lime! Who knew?? We use it for our everyday cooking and since India is tropical, it’s grown all around the year. Guess, that explains why I’m always drawn to it. 

As the restrictions finally eased after almost two months of lockdown, we invited a few friends over last weekend, just to restore a little bit of sanity back in our lives. An added benefit was that I got to feed them. I got to cook for someone other than just Ni and me! I am not a social person and even I was starting to go stir crazy. I had to keep telling myself, ‘Just one day at a time’, but honestly, most times it was one hour at a time. 

Grateful for the weekend, I planned a menu starting with dessert and nothing screams spring quite like a key lime cheesecake. Soft, creamy cheese with a burst of sweet and tart, like an explosion of freshness and a buttery, crumbly crust that will ground you to the earth while your senses float in the clouds. I am not making this up. I’m a big fan of cheesecakes and all the others just took a huge step back and bowed down to their king. I candied some thin lime slices for the decoration and some fresh mint to cut through the rich cheesecake. I will be forthright. I tasted a lot along the way and I knew it was going to be good, but what surprised me was how pretty it ended up. All the while when decorating I kept thinking that it looked awkward, but it wasn’t until Ni took that cake away from me to take some photos that I saw it for what it was. I mean look at it! I swear I can’t stop looking at it. 

Okay, so the basic rules when it comes to making cheesecakes are simple. 

One, start with all ingredients at room temperature. This will make sure that they all mix easily and you don’t end up overbeating the batter. 

Two, while baking the cheesecake, fill that oven with humidity, like a roasting pan full of humidity. This is a trick that I learnt from Sally’s baking addiction. I used to cover the bottom of the springform pan with foil and place it on a tray of hot water. But the technique was troublesome, with a possibility of water seeping in through the foil and ruining my crust. Placing a whole roasting pan of water on a rack below the cheesecake solves the problem. I don’t have to go through all that trouble. And more importantly, crack-less cheesecake. All that humidity keeps the cheesecake moist and soft, preventing it from pulling apart and creating cracks. 

Three, patience is a virtue. Unlike a cookie that you can scarf down at any point of it’s making, the cheesecake is a delightful princess who believes that the world would just have to wait for her. It takes an hour to gently cool down the cheesecake by resting it in the oven and then another four hours or more in the fridge to set. This step is important as any drastic changes in temperature can also cause it to contract unevenly, causing cracks again. 

Let’s start with the crust, a simple graham cracker one. Personally, I like it if my crust doesn’t come over the sides, but as Ni and I recently discovered, that is just my opinion. He is of the ‘more crust, more love’ family. Pulse about 8-10 graham crackers and sugar together, mix it with melted butter. You don’t really need to grease your pan because the butter in the crust will pretty much take care of it, but I like to grease the sides, just in case. Pack the crumbly crust to the bottom of the springform pan with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake it at 350 F for about 8 minutes, just enough for them to bond together. 

Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese together with the sugar, until it is mixed well, almost light and creamy. Add in the key lime juice, lime zest, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix them all well together. Make sure you are satisfied with the taste and consistency, because the last step is to add the eggs and once you do that, you can’t beat the batter too much, nor would I recommend tasting with all those raw eggs. Add in the eggs, one by one, making sure each one is mixed in well with the batter before adding the next. Pour the batter into the pan with a baked crust. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be completely cooled down before you add the batter. 

Now for the hydration. Boil a pot of water. Keep a roasting pan (I wouldn’t recommend using glass for this,) on a rack below where the cheesecake is going to sit. Place the cheesecake in the oven and then slowly pour the boiling water into the pan. Close the oven to trap in all that humidity and let it bake for 50-60 minutes. Towards the end, check if it’s done by gently shaking the pan. It should still be slightly wobbly in the center, although try as much as possible not to open the oven door too many times. Once done, let it sit in the oven, but just crack open the door a little with the help of a wooden spoon. Let it cool for about an hour. Bring it out and then let it come down to the room temperature on the counter, after which it can set in the fridge overnight, or for a minimum of four hours. Serve cold. 

So ready to greet the spring?

AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyBeginner