Easy no-bake lavender and lemon cheesecake dessert cups are perfect for summer eats.
Lavender and Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake Dessert Cups
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Once again it is time for #ImprovCookingChallenge. I love these types of blogging events because they challenge my creativing and help me think of new things to cook.
This month is Lavender & Lemon. I love these flavors together.
I decided to make a lemon version of my Cherry Cream Cheese Pie except do it in small ramekins, since I don’t want too many portions. I have a couple of different desserts to make this week so don’t want to be overrun.
If you like the curd, it makes about one cup so you can keep that on hand for things like scones with a little clotted cream. Yum.
Be sure to select lavender that is suitable for cooking, such as organic English lavender, or packets of lavender marked for culinary use, and make sure they are pesticide free. You can usually buy it at health food stores or places like Whole Foods if you don’t grow it yourself.
Some lavenders, especially those grown for essential oils, have a lovely potent fragrance, but can leave off flavors in the food. This is the most important consideration about it. Besides the pesticides. Even if you grow culinary lavender, if you have sprayed it, it’s game over. Same thing with your other garden herbs. I keep mine in pots up and away from the lawn because I don’t want the lawn care guy doing something inadvertent to it. Better safe than sorry, right?
Assembling the dessert cups once the lemon curd and cheesecake mixture are prepared is quite simple. First you press the graham crumbs into the bottom of the ramekins. From there you would top the crust with the cheesecake mixture and spread that out. Then topping with the curd before refrigerating to set up.
Once the dessert is chilled, you can top it with some whipped cream and a sprinkle of culinary lavender. The thin lemon slice in the photo is thinly sliced and coated with sugar.
As far as simple summer desserts go, this is the best for keeping the kitchen cool. And if you have not tried making yoour own fruit curd, please do. It’s stupid simple so you never need buy anything like that in a jar.
I’m still planning to post a few more Ready Set Cook recipes this week. Then over the weekend, I am not sure what is going on with Sunday Supper. It may have gone kaput but IDK for sure. It’s very quiet over there with the loud chirping of crickets.
Monday though is Baking Bloggers and the theme is on fruit tarts and galettes. I have an Apple Tart Tatin planned but haven’t made it yet (I had to get this dessert out of the way first) and hopefully I don’t wreck the photos.
Then there are several things coming up later next week: Bundt Bakers, Fish Friday Foodies, and Soup Swappers. I’ll tell you more about those probably on Monday.
In the meantime, try to keep up with the ongoing giveaway as part of #BurgerMonth. There is a new signup each week. Search by hashtag or check on Kita’s Blog for the current signup.
Lavender and Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake Dessert Cups
Note: allow 4-6 hours chilling time
Equipment: 4- (1/2 cup each) ramekins
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Fresh Lemon Curd Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of caster sugar or superfine baking sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
- 8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon lavender extract
- 2 teaspoons culinary lavender buds
Other:
- 1/2 cup prepared whipped cream
- 1 teaspoon culinary lavender buds
Method:
- Combine the crust ingredients and divide among four baking ramekins, pressing down lightly.
- Whisk the egg in a measuring cup with the lemon juice and zest, and salt.
- Melt the butter in the pan and whisk in sugar; pull from the heat and let cool down five minutes.
- Whisk in the egg mixture and cook stirring constantly over low heat until mixture thickens.
- Remove the curd from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Strain mixture through a sieve and allow to cool completely.
- Place the cream cheese in a food processor with the powdered sugar and extract, pulsing until smooth.
- Fold the lavender buds into the cheese.
- Divide the cheese among the ramekins and even the tops.
- Cover that with the cooled lemon curd and refrigerate for a couple hours to firm up.
- Serve topped with whipped cream and a few lavender buds, maybe a sugared lemon slice.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
#ImprovCookingChallenge: Lavender & Lemon
1 Ingredient + 1 Ingredient= Endless Possibilities
More Lavender and Lemon Recipes:
The other recipes are linked, but on my platform, you have to click the button to go to that page. If you follow my blog, I am sure you have seen blue froggie before, as several blogging groups I participate in use it. Usually you might see the boxes here, but as I said, my host doesn’t do that. But no problem. 😉
Click on the hop link button to be transported to the other recipes:
YUM and I love that you made just a couple of servings. There is a lot of dessert challenges this month it seems.
I love the sound of these flavors, lavender gives such an aromatic quality and I can see it working well with the lemon curd.