Lovely Lemon Cheesecake

A retro low-fat cheesecake that gets its body from a clever trick. Blending fat-free cottage cheese with nonfat cream cheese in the food processor until completely smooth. The cottage cheese curds disappear into the cream cheese, leaving a silky texture without the calorie load of traditional cheesecake.

Lemon gelatin sets the whole thing as it chills, no springform release issues, no cracks, no water bath. The yellow food coloring isn’t strictly necessary but takes the cheesecake from a pale ivory to true sunny lemon.

This isn’t a crusted cheesecake exactly. Graham crumbs scatter on the bottom and around the edge for a finishing touch rather than a foundation. The chilled cherry pie filling on top is the visual pop that turns it from a flat slab into a dessert worth photographing.

Pro Tips

• Make sure the gelatin is fully dissolved in boiling water before adding the cheeses, undissolved gelatin leaves chewy bits in the finished texture
• Process until completely smooth, any remaining cottage cheese curds will show in the final cake
• Chill the full four hours, an undercooled cheesecake collapses when sliced
• Use a hot, dry knife between cuts for clean wedges, gelatin grabs cold blades

Variations

• Top with blueberry or raspberry pie filling for a different colour and tartness
• Swap lemon gelatin for orange or strawberry for a citrus or berry twist
• Press a proper graham cracker crust into the bottom for a more substantial slice